I Love These Amazing Little Creatures
Last month, while hiking in Zion National Park, I had an amazing encounter that left me in awe. As I paused on a steep trail, surrounded by towering red cliffs, a flash of emerald caught my eye. There, hovering inches from my face, was a tiny hummingbird, its wings a blur of motion. I watched these tiny marvels zip around for over 30 minutes.
This encounter sparked my curiosity, leading me down a rabbit hole of fascinating hummingbird facts that I want to share with you:
- These feathered dynamos are true record-breakers. Despite being the smallest birds in the world (some weighing less than a penny!), their hearts can beat a staggering 1,260 times per minute during flight. That's 21 beats per second!
- Their aerial prowess is unmatched. Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly backwards and hover in place, thanks to wings that flap 50-80 times per second. It's like they have built-in helicopter rotors!
- Their metabolism is off the charts. To fuel their high-energy lifestyle, hummingbirds consume half their body weight in nectar daily. Imagine if we ate that much!
- But here's a surprise - at night, these hyperactive birds enter a torpor state, slowing their metabolism to near-hibernation levels. It's like they have a daily mini-winter!
- Some species are incredible long-distance travelers, migrating over 3,000 miles. Picture a creature smaller than your thumb flying from New York to Los Angeles!
- Their dazzling colors aren't from pigments but from light refraction in their feathers - nature's own prism effect. And those tiny eyes? They can see ultraviolet light invisible to us, perceiving a world we can only imagine.
Although this encounter at Zion was brief, it opened my eyes to these amazing tiny birds. So the next time you have the opportunity to watch a hummingbird, take a moment to appreciate the incredible marvel buzzing before you!
Now, let's get straight into the newsletter...
Welcome to the 84th edition of ResusNation!
Measure Blood Pressure in an LVAD Patient
Have you ever tried to take the blood pressure of a patient with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD)? In some cases it's impossible to get a blood pressure using conventional methods. In the video above I discuss the method to getting a reliable blood pressure for patients with an LVAD, but spoiler alert you're going to need a Doppler and a manual sphygnomanometer.
Watch the video here for more on this.
Watch ResusX:ReUnion This Week!
If you didn't watch ResusX: ReUnion then you missed an amazing experience wtih 3 days of education and over 50 faculty members. Fortunately for you, we got the whole incredible event on video and will be sharing it with you this Friday. We are dilligently working on the videos from the conference to digitally enhance the audio and video quality for playback on your laptop, tablet, or phone. Every minute of the conference will be yours to enjoy and watch on replay.
On Friday we are opening registration for ReUnion:Replay and will be offering a very special deal for all newsletter subscribers. If you want to watch the best resuscitation conference of 2024 then do not miss your opportunity to watch ResusX:ReUnion on replay.
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Does Chest Tube Size Matter?
In this episode, Dr. Salina Wydo dives into the debate over chest tube size—does it really impact patient outcomes in trauma care? Recorded at the ResusX: Golden Hour conference, Dr. Wydo explores the pros and cons of large-bore chest tubes versus small-bore pigtail catheters. She discusses the data behind each method, tackling questions of efficacy, complications, and patient comfort. Whether you’re a fan of the traditional surgical approach or intrigued by less invasive options, this discussion offers valuable insights for anyone working in emergency and trauma care.
Check out this video now and watch the entire ResusX: Golden Hour conference for more content Dr. Patino, Dr. Gutierrez, and our other all-star faculty!
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