Our brains, especially that of a newborn, is dependent on glucose as the primary source of energy. Like most of their other bodily functions, glucose regulation is immature at birth. High glucose demand from rapid growth and high metabolic rates make newborns highly susceptible to neonatal hypoglycemia. Low birthweight babies, preterm babies and babies bornContinue reading “How to Treat Neonatal Hypoglycemia”
Category Archives: Calculations
How to Dose Vancomycin: 3 Kinetic Values You Need to Know
…and what to do with them Confidence in dosing vancomycin comes from a solid understanding of vancomycin kinetics. It’s not as complicated as it seems. I will walk you through the 3 key kinetic parameters needed to dose vancomycin: We’re not going to go back to class. We know how to get these values byContinue reading “How to Dose Vancomycin: 3 Kinetic Values You Need to Know”
4 Proven Strategies to Avoid Mistakes with Pediatric Patients
Let me save you the heart ache of a medical error in a neonate or pediatric patient. Understanding how to prevent common pediatric medication errors is crucial in safeguarding our youngest patients. This isn’t a discussion of how to determine appropriate dosing in infants and pediatric patients. We have many reliable and established resources likeContinue reading “4 Proven Strategies to Avoid Mistakes with Pediatric Patients”
How to Dose Vancomycin: When Protocols Fail
Standard vancomycin dosing will not work for every patient. Let me walk you through 3 often overlooked patient characteristics that suggests the need for closer scrutiny and off-protocol dosing. This isn’t a post about how to perform detailed vancomycin calculations. It’s about learning how anticipate and be responsive to the body mechanics of patients toContinue reading “How to Dose Vancomycin: When Protocols Fail”
Statistics: How to Calculate Specificity in 3 Steps
Specificity is descriptive of a test. It describes the probability that the test will correctly not detect a diagnostic marker in a patient where it is truly absent. Calculating statistical specificity can be done in 3 simple steps. Sensitivity and specificity are often explained together. I think this is mostly done by convention even thoughContinue reading “Statistics: How to Calculate Specificity in 3 Steps”
Statistics: How to Calculate Sensitivity
To perform a diagnostic test we take body samples and measure the presence and quantity of a specific substance. We then compare that value to standardized ranges to help rule in or rule out the presence of pathology. One way we do this is by calculating sensitivity. A diagnostic test is accurate when: This doesContinue reading “Statistics: How to Calculate Sensitivity”
Anion Gap & Neutrality: Filling in the Knowledge Gap
The anion gap is a calculation that measures the balance of select negative and positive charges (anion and cations respectively) in plasma. Anion gap is critical for the assessment of acid -base disorders which is an umbrella diagnosis that has many causes including renal failure, toxicities, sepsis and diabetic ketoacidosis. Though the name suggests thereContinue reading “Anion Gap & Neutrality: Filling in the Knowledge Gap”
How to Calculate Osmolarity in 4 Easy Steps
Osmolarity is a measure of concentration. Concentration, regardless of the different units that can be used, is the ratio of mass and quantity. When concentration is expressed as osmolarity, mass is the number of osmoles and quantity is volume in liters. When is Osmolarity Useful Osmolarity permeates many aspects of medicine: Homeostasis The concept ofContinue reading “How to Calculate Osmolarity in 4 Easy Steps”
Alligation Calculations Made Easy using Intuitive Equations
Alligation is a mathematical technique used to determine the quantity of 2 concentrations needed to create a desired concentration. The desired concentration will have a value somewhere in the range of the 2 starting concentrations. There are 2 ways to perform alligation calculations: This unit focuses on the use of intuitive equations. Take a lookContinue reading “Alligation Calculations Made Easy using Intuitive Equations”
How to Perform Alligation Calculations: Grid Method
When faced with complex dosing problems, understanding alligation calculations can be crucial for determining the right proportions of solutions in pharmaceutical preparations. Clinical scenario: The neonatologist orders D12% for a 2 day old neonate. What would you do? Chat GPT or Google? On a 2 day old? Even the most trusted clinical calculators have theContinue reading “How to Perform Alligation Calculations: Grid Method”