Author Archives: Tony Breu

Why can hypertriglyceridemia cause pancreatitis? In this episode, The Curious Clinicians dive into a question that occurred to Avi when he was a resident at the VA, sitting in morning report. We break down why elevated serum triglyceride levels, or hypertriglyceridemia, can cause acute pancreatitis.  The first association between pancreatitis and elevated lipids was proposedContinue reading “Episode 56 – Trigging Out”

Why doesn’t hemolysis cause acute kidney injury as easily as rhabdomyolysis? Whenever we see a patient with rhabdomyolysis one of the biggest concerns is acute kidney injury (AKI). We reflexively go from looking at the creatinine kinase (CK) to looking at creatinine. But we see a lot of hemolysis and don’t have the same reflex.Continue reading “Episode 55 – A Cute Pigment”

What conditions affected Abraham Lincoln? There are certain figures in history whose health has fascinated medical historians and engendered a lot of speculation. Vincent Van Gogh’s affinity for the color yellow was discussed in episode 4. Other examples are Ludwig van Beethoven and the cause of his deafness and the uncertainty surrounding the death ofContinue reading “Episode 54 – A Lincoln Theory”

Why does pulmonary embolism cause hypoxemia? It almost seems unnecessary to ask why an acute pulmonary embolism causes hypoxemia. There’s a clot in the lungs; of course there is going to be an issue with oxygenation. But, as soon as you begin to interrogate the physiology, it becomes quite clear there is a lot moreContinue reading “Episode 53 – Very/Qurious Hypoxemia”

How does Wenckebach happen? Wenckebach is a fascinating cardiac rhythm. It is a form of heart block with progressive, beat-to-beat prolongation of the PR interval. Eventually, after this progressive PR prolongation, one of the P waves fails to conduct. After this non-conducted P wave, the cycle repeats with a return to the original PR intervalContinue reading “Episode 52 – Way Back Wenckebach”