Some thoughts on this: Firstly, it might be personal preference, but I am not keen on this kind of campaign as I feel like it trivialises cancer. Sometimes the serious message gets lost because people are sharing pics of cats or whatever and the important context is gone.

“Should I give them more fluid?”

Extremely common question during AKI referrals from junior docs.

⛔️ Fluid management is tricky, often misunderstood, & can cause huge iatrogenic harm ⛔️

We try to convey important principles in THREAD 👇

#tipsfornewdocs #medtwitter #tweetorial

Currently too often patients with high creatinine are given too much IV fluid, driven by an AKI ➡️ fluid reflex

We’ve seen 7 litres be given in one shift.

Medics & surgeons, juniors & seniors, it seems everyone loves to reach for extra IV fluid (especially if urine output poor)

Why does huge volume IV fluid ‘resuscitation’ consistently occur?

Lots of reasons, including FALSE beliefs:
🛑 IV fluid always “treats AKI”
🛑 Hypotension = hypovolaemia
🛑 Lactate >2 means fluid deficiency
🛑 Septic patients are very hypovolaemic

The rule with IV fluids and AKI is to remember this 5 word phrase:

💥 💥 Aim for euvolaemia, then stop💥 💥

Fluid status is like Goldilocks - hypovolaemia is bad for the kidneys BUT excess volume is also harmful for renal function and will cause other complications too.

It is easy to say “target euvolaemia” - but we agree it is more difficult to do!

Fluid status assessment is certainly made harder by a belief that we must only rely on a snapshot assessment of examination features which are NOT specific / sensitive / reliable to elicit like.…

Anxiety resides in 4 spaces:

1. The space inside you
2. The space between you and another
3. The space between others
4. The space inside another.

A powerful de escalation tools is to first locate the anxiety. Where is it?

Often the answer is 'all 4.' Yikes!

1/

Anxiety is contagious, we spread it and escalate it unless we know how to manage it.

This was perhaps my biggest lesson as a trauma chaplain - the very hard work of not catching someone's anxiety.

2/

When I caught it, I was no good to them. I no longer saw what was going on, I was now 'infected' by my own triggers, assumptions, the story I tell myself. I was all wrapped up in myself.

But when I managed my anxiety, I was able to be calm, aware and fully present to them.

3/

Even in the very worst moment of their lives, even if they had me by the shoulders screaming, 'how could God allow this to happen?'

4/

Incidentally, early in chaplaincy, I thought this was an actual question. Because I was anxious, I was more infected by my need to answer than I was to simply be calm and present with them in their pain.

5/

@MSF was allowed to enter #Mekelle on 16 Dec & here is their account 👇

"no basic supplies. The local hospital was running at 30 to 40 %, with very little medication"

This is why one of the reason why we demand unfetters #HumanitarianCorridor
#TigrayGenocide

#Adigrat "The situation was very tense & its hospital was in a terrible condition. Most of the health staff had left, there were hardly any medicines &there was no food, no water and no money"
#StopWarOnTigray
#TigrayGenocide
#HumanitarianCorridor
#EritreaOutOfTigray

After 1 month since @AbiyAhmedAli declared victory

"#Adwa & #Axum. There we found a similar situation: no electricity & no water. All the medicines had been stolen from #Adwa general hospital & the hospital furniture & equipment were broken"

#StopWarOnTigray
#TigrayGenocide

"Beyond the hospitals, around 80 or 90 per cent of the health centres that we visited between Mekele and Axum were not functional, either due to a lack of staff or because they had suffered robberies"

#StopWarOnTigray
#TigrayGenocide
#EritreaOutOfTigray
@UN @POTUS @StateDept

"1 woman had been in labour for 7 days without being able to give birth. Her life was saved because we were able to transport her to #Mekele"

It is really heartbreaking to imagine how many of our mothers & sister have lost their lives.

#StopWarOnTigray
#TigrayGenocide
@UN