Author: Benji Ho

Anticoagulation

Risk Classifications Schemes
  • Caprini Risk Assessment – estimates venous thromboembolism risk for non-orthopedic surgeries. Low risk use SCDs. Mod risk use meds or SCDs. High risk use meds+SCDs. If risk of bleeding, use SCDs only.
  • CHADS2 – estimates stroke risk in Afib patients. Easiest one to use. Recommends aspirin, anticoagulant, or both, depending on risk.
  • CHA2DS2-VASc – a more accurate
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    Onychomycosis

    Facts about Onychomycosis
  • Onychomycosis is very common. 50% of patients older than 70 years old have it.
  • Onychomycosis is most often caused by dermatophytes of the genus Trichophyton. Non-dermatophyte molds are less common.
  • Treating onychomycosis is more than just about cosmetics. It can lead to cellulitis in the elderly, and foot ulcers in diabetics.
  • Onychomycosis is hard to treat, since
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    Treatment for Allergic Rhinitis

    When treating allergic rhinitis, you should take into account the severity of symptoms, patient’s age, whether they are pregnant or not, price, and other factors. For asthmatics, allergic rhinitis is especially important to be treated as it can lead to asthma exacerbation. And of course, one should try to avoid known allergens as well. For Mild Intermittent Symptoms:
  • Second Generation
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    Nausea and Antiemetic Medications

    Nausea and vomiting happens when the Vomiting Center in the medulla is stimulated by one of three different neurotransmitter pathways:
  • Visceral Stimulation (of intestines, stomach) – i.e. nausea from gastroenteritis
  • mediated by dopamine and serotonin
  • Chemoreceptor Trigger Zone (in medulla oblongata) – i.e. nausea from chemotherapy
  • mediated by dopamine and serotonin
  • Vestibular Stimulation (in inner ear) – i.e. nausea from
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    Skeletal Muscle Relaxants

    Skeletal Muscle Relaxants can be prescribed for musculoskeletal pain only if you find no relief with acetaminophen or NSAIDs. Skeletal muscle relaxants have not been proved to be more effective than acetaminophen or NSAIDS, and because of the side effects and lack of evidence for long-term efficacy, they should only be prescribed if Acetaminophen or NSAIDs have failed, and should… Continue reading

    Why Family Medicine?

    Why Family Medicine? It is a very satisfying field, particularly if you love building relationships with patients and their families. I’ve gotten to treat both parents and their kids. I’ve even got to take care of a pregnant woman, deliver her baby, then take care of both her newborn and herself post-partum. The range of practice is wide, and the… Continue reading

    End of Intern Year

    So it’s come to this day, the end of internship year. There’s no doubt that there were some rough days and sleepless nights during the past 365 days, but there were also many days when I came home with a smile knowing I did something significant for someone else. As for my co-residents, I have really enjoyed working with them… Continue reading

    Cellulitis

    ERYSIPELAS – caused by strep
    1. Penicillin, Amoxicillin, Ampicillin (covers strep specificallly) CELLULITIS – caused by strep and staph
    No Abscess or pustular drainage – likely MSSA, MSSE
    1. Cephalexin, Dicloxacillin – PO, for minor infxn
    2. Oxacillin, Nafcillin, Cefazolin – IV, for more severe infxn
    Abscess or purulent drainage present – likely MRSA, MRSE
    3. TMP/SMX (Septra), Clindamycin, Doxycycline… Continue reading

    Eyelid Swelling

    Anatomy Zeis gland = sebaceous gland of eyelash (external)
    Moll gland = apocrine gland of external eyelid
    Meibomian gland = sebaceous gland of internal eyelid Pathology Infxn of Meibomian = internal hordeolum (internal stye)
    Infxn of Zeis or Moll = external hordeolum (external stye)
    Blocked Meibomian that is not infected (no pain, no erythema) = Chalazion Internal hordeolums can resolve… Continue reading

    Dos and Don’ts for Residency Application and Interview

    It’s that time of the year again… interview season. It didn’t seem that long ago that I was interviewing here and meeting my current colleagues for the first time. Today, I find myself on the other side of the dinner table, interviewing candidates who I will potentially work with next year. I’ve gotten to read many applications, and met many… Continue reading

    Hobby

    Hey folks, I know I haven’t blogged in a while, but I am still here, surviving my intern year. Residency has been pretty busy thus far, but there hasn’t been a day gone by where I haven’t come home feeling I’ve had a productive day. My intern experience thus far has been pretty inpatient-heavy. I’ve had two months of internal… Continue reading

    How to Dress for a Residency Interview

    During the residency interview, it’s important to dress to impress. While you can act and speak professionally, wearing jeans or a mini skirt to an interview can ruin the program’s impression of you. For every interview you go to, it’s important to bring two types of outfits:
  • Business Casual – to wear to the dinner with residents the night before interview.
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    Back Burner

    With rounds, daily progress notes, grand rounds, afternoon clinics, day calls, night calls, morning reports, presentations, and teaching sessions, there are several things that had to be put on the back burner these past two months into residency, and blogging happened to be one of them, as you’ve probably noticed from my hiatus. The other is working out and eating… Continue reading

    Learning Curve

    There’s so much I wanted to write about, like my experience during orientation, my first day of residency, Lyra’s 3rd month “birthday,” my first overnight on-call shift as a resident physician, my first paracentesis, and my struggles finding my way around the hospital system. However, it’s been 4 weeks since I started orientation and 2 weeks since I starting seeing… Continue reading