The HYPERKALEMIA "Machine" - Causes of

Increased Serum K+
M - Medications - ACE inhibitors, NSAIDS
A - Acidosis - Metabolic and respiratory
C - Cellular destruction - Burns, traumatic injury
H - Hypoaldosteronism, hemolysis
I - Intake - Excesssive
N - Nephrons, renal failure
E - Excretion Impaired
MURDER
Signs and Symptoms of Increased Serum K+
M - Muscle weakness
U - Urine, oliguria, anuria
R- Respiratory distress
D - Decreased cardiac contractility
E - ECG changes
R - Reflexes, hyperreflexia, or areflexia (flaccid)
HYPONATREMIA
"You Are Fried"
F - Fever (low grade), flushed skin
R - Restless (irritable)
I - Increased fluid retention and increased BP
E - Edema (peripheral and pitting)
D - Decreased urinary output, dry mouth
Can also use this one:
SALT
S = Skin flushed
A = Agitation
L = Low-grade fever
T = Thirst
"CATS" of "HYPOCALCEMIA"
C - Convulsions
A- Arrhythmias
T - Tetany
S - Spasms and stridor
To remember which blood types are compatible,
visualize the letter O as an orb representing the
universe, because type O blood is the universal
donor blood. Patients with any blood type can
receive it. But O also means odd man out:
Patients with type O blood can receive only type
O blood. Think BEEP to remember the signs of
minor bleeding:
B: Bleeding gums
E: Ecchymoses (bruises)
E: Epistaxis (nosebleed)
P: Petechiae (tiny purplish spots)

Hypo/Hyperplasia
Having difficulty distinguishing hypoplasia
from hyperplasia? When you see plasia in
any word, think of "plastic." Plastic, in turn,
means forming or developing. As for hypo
and hyper, thats the easy part. Hypo means
under, or below normal. Hyper means
excessive, or above normal. Thus, hypoplasia
means underdevelopment, and hyperplasia
means overdevelopment.
A stand-up comedian who gets no laughs
might say his audience has humoral
immunity. But humor is the Latin word for
liquid, and humoral immunity comes from
elements in the blood specifically,
antibodies. Contrast this with cellular
immunity, which comes about through the
actions of T cells.
"FARM" for serum sickness: each letter
stands for a key sign or symptom of serum
sickness.
F: Fever
A: Arthralgias
R: Rash
M: Malaise
To remember the four causes of cell injury,
think of how the injury tipped (or TIPD) the
scale of homeostasis:
T: Toxin or other lethal (cytotoxic) substance
I: Infection
P: Physical insult or injury
D: Deficit, or lack of water, oxygen, or
nutrients.
When asking assessment questions,
remember the American Cancer Societys
mnemonic device CAUTION:
C: Change in bowel or bladder habits
A: A sore that doesnt heal
U: Unusual bleeding or discharge
T: Thickening or lump
I: Indigestion or difficulty swallowing
O: Obvious changes in a wart or mole
N: Nagging cough or hoarseness.
Use the ABCD rule to assess a moles
malignant potential:
A: Asymmetry--Is the mole irregular in
shape?
B: Border--Is the border irregular, notched, or

poorly defined?
C: Color--Does the color vary (for example,
between shades of brown, red, white, blue,
or black)?
D: Diameter--Is the diameter more than 6
mm?
Listening Heart Sound
APE TO MAN
Atrial, Pulmonic, Erb's point, Tricuspid, Mitral
Side effects of steroids. The 5 S's.
Sick- easier to get sick
Sad-causes depression
Sex-increases libido
Salt-retains more and causes weight gain
Sugar-raises blood sugar
5F's... Cholecystectomy
female
fair
fat
forty
fertile
R Respiratory
O Opposite
ph > PCO2 < Alkalosis
ph < PCO2 > Acidosis
M Metabolic
E Equal
ph> HCO3 > Alkalosis
ph< HC03 < Acidosis
Immediate tx of MI, think MONA:
M Morphine sulfate
O Oxygen
N Nitroglycerin
A ASA
Treatment of CHF, think UNLOAD FAST:
U sit Upright
N Nitro
L Lasix
O Oxygen
A Aminophylline
D Digoxin
F Fluids- decrease
A Afterload - decrease
S Sodium - decrease
T Tests: dig level, ABG, K+

Assistive devices -- Canes:

C Cane
O Opposite
A Affected
L Leg
Signs of a Cholinergic Crisis, think
SLUD:
S Salivation
L Lacrimation
U Urination
D Defication
Memory Trick:Need to remember which
kind of beta blocker has which action?
B1 Blocks the heart (you have only one
heart)
B2 Blocks the lungs (you have two lungs)
CRAINIAL NERVES. im pretty sure most
of you heard of these.
Nerves Functions
I Olfactory -Oh -Sensory -Some
II Optic- Oh -Sensory -Say
III Occulomotor -Oh -Motor -Mary
IV Trochlear -To -Motor -Money
V Trigeminal -Touch -Both -But
VI Abducens -And -Motor -My
VII Facial -Feel -Both -Brother
VIII Acoustic (vestoblochlear) -A -Sensory
-Says
IX Glosopharyngeal -Green -Both -Bad
X Vagus -Veggie -Both -Business
XI Spinal Accessory- Soon At -Motor -Mary
XII Hypoglosal -Harvest- Motor -Money
EYES
Another way to remember the eyes is:
You look OUt with Both eyes.
Take the Right dose so you
won't OD [overdose].
The only one that is Left is OS.
Both eyes=OU, Right eye=OD, Left
eye=OS.
It is about fetal accelerations and
decelerations!!!
Just remember VEAL CHOP
Variable Cord compression
Early Head compression

Accelerations OK
Late Placental insufficiency
Heart sounds:
S3= Heart fail-ure (3 syllables)
S4=Hy-per-ten-sion (4 syllables)
And the effects of anticholinergics:
Can't see
Can't pee
Can't spit
Can't --defecate
Nine-point Postpartum Assessment...
BUBBLEHER
B- Breasts
U- Uterus
B- Bladder
B- Bowel function
L- Lochia
E- Episiotomy
H- Homan's sign
E- Emotional Status
R- Respiratory System
LDL ("bad" cholesterol)
L=Lowdown
D=Dirty
L=lipoprotein
This one really helped me in the cardiac
system when you need to know when
you hear a murmur like on Mitral
regurgitation you hear it on systole.
(H)ARD ASS MRS. MSD
ARD = Atrial regurgitation diastole
ASS = Atrial stenosis systole
MRS = Mitral regurgitation systole
MSD = Mitral stenosis diastole
The 5 P's of circulation loss in a limb.
Pain, Pallor, Pulselessness, Parasthesia,
Poikilothermia
Heres one I learned about EKG
Snow over Grass- white over green
smoke over fire- black over red
and ground in the middle- brown
I finally know what METHODS mean on
DISCHARGE PLANNING.
M-edicine
E-xercise

T-reatment
H-ealth Teaching
O-ut patient follow-up or check-up
D-iet
S-ex(sexual activity)
Side effects & adverse reactions to
immunizations:
F- Fever
I- Itching
S- Stiffness
H- Headache
E- Edema
R- Redness
F- Fussy
L- Localized Tenderness
A- Appetite decrease
G- General Aches Pains
WHUTN- "Whutnthehell?"
W- Wheezing
H- Hypotension
U- Uticaria
T- Tachycardia
N- Nasal Decongestion
Assess for treatable causes of changes
in cognition and behavior. The
mnemonic DEMENTIA can be used to
remember potential causes:
D: Drugs and alcoholincluding over-thecounter drugs
E: Eyes and earsdisorientation due to
visual/auditory distortion
M: Medical disorderse.g., diabetes,
hypothyroidism
E: Emotional and psychological disturbances
e.g., mood or paranoid disorders
N: Neurological disorderse.g., multiinfarct
dementia
T: Tumors and trauma
I: Infectionse.g., urinary tract or upper
respiratory tract
A: Arteriosclerosisleading to heart failure,
insufficient blood supply to heart and brain,
and confusion
***GRANULOCYTES are Never Eat Bananas.
Normal (Neutrophils)
Monkeys (Monocytes)
Like to (Lymphocytes)
Eat (Eosinophils)
Bananas (Basophils)

Parkinson's Medications:
"Ali Loves Boxing Matches"
A-Amantadine
L- Levodopa
B- Bromocriptine
M-MAO inhibitors
The 4 H's that invalidate a neuro exam:
Hypotension
Hpoxia
Hypoglycemia
Hypothermia*
3 ICP waveforms: A is awful, B is bad
and C is common
Glasgow Coma Scale: #'s go low to high,
with head to toe: eye, mouth, motor
1. Eye opening (1-4)
2. Verbal response (1-5)
3. Best Motor response (1-6)
Glasgow Coma Scale: If they're <8, they
intubate!
To remember DECEREBRATE posturing,
it is abnormal extension. Their hands
look like the flippers of a seal - Think
DESEALEBRATE!
Pinpoint pupils: Drugs, drops & nearly
dead
Drugs: opiates
Drops: meds for glaucoma
Nearly dead: damage in the pons area of
the brainstem
Dilated pupils: Fear, Fits & Fast Living
Fear: panic, extreme anxiety
Fits: seizures
Fast Living: cocaine, crack, phencyclidine
(PCP)
The pathophysiology of ARDS:
Assault on the respiratory system
Respiratory distress
Decreased lung compliance
Severe respiratory failure
Diagnostic criteria of ARDS
Acute onset

Ratio (PaCO2/FiO2) <200

Diffuse infiltration
Swan-Ganz wedge pressure (PAWP) <18mm
Hg
Acute respiratory failure (ARF) Type II
(hypoventilation) criteria: 50/50 Rule
PaCO2 >50
PaO2 <50 (on >50% oxygen)
Alpha 1 Receptor stimulation: arteries
& arterioles
Causes vasoconstriction when stimulated
which increases afterload
dobutamine (Dobutrex) stimulates beta 1
receptors (increase contractility & CO/CI)
Treatment of all acute coronary
syndromes (unstable angina, NSTEMI or
STEMI): OADH
Open coronary arteries
Here, think MONA greets all MI's:
Morphine
Oxygen
Nitroglycerin
Aspirin (CHEWED)
Anticoagulate & antiplatelet
Destress the heart (with beta blockers;
limited activity for 12h)
Hemodynamic stability
Complications of thrombolytic
therapy: The 3 B's
Bleeding
Brady's (dysrhythmias)
Bloodclots (d/t excessive thrombin)
Complications of cardiopulmonary
bypass (CPB): The 3 H's
Hypothermia (to decrease O2
consumption)...Effects SVR (vasoconstriction)
and causes myocardial depression
(decreases contractility)
Hemodilution (to improve
macrocirculation)...fluid shifting (thirdspacing), e-lyte imbalances (K+, Mg+ & Ca+
+ often need replacing!)
Heparinzation (to prevent clots in
circuit)...monitor aPTT.
Signs and symptoms of cardiac

tamponade (Beck's Triad): The Three D's

Distant heart sounds
Distended jugular veins
Decreased pulse pressure (think of a narrow
pulse pressure as opposed to a wide one)
Atrial Arrhythmias: ABCDE
Adenosine/amiodorone or anticoagulate (if
Afib/Flutter has been present >48h)
Beta blockers
Calcium channel blockers
Digoxin
Electrocardiovert (if <48h)
For ventricular arrhythmias: AL
Amiodorone
Lidocaine
8 A's for Hepatotoxic Drugs (Check
SGPT/SGOT)
Antituberculosi
Anticonvulsant
S - sodium Luminal
G - gabapentin
P - phenytoin
T - tegretol
Anticancer
Aspirin
Alcohol
Antifamily (contraceptice pills)
Acetaminophen
Aflatoxins

Breast self examination (i made a song

out of this)
1 little 2, little 3 little fingers
Do BSE 7 days after menses
Press nipple once check for discharge
Call your doctor
I'm sure you will do it more...
STANDARD ROOM PRECAUTION
A -irborne (PTB, SARS, Antrax)
B -lood and body fluids - AIDS, Hepa B
C -ontact - open wounds, lesions
D - roplet - Diphtheria, Pneumonia, Pertussis
E - nteric - GIT infections
RIGHT SIDED HEART FAILURE
A norexia and ascites
B loating and indigestion
C ardiomegaly
D istended neck vein
E dema-peripheral
F acial puffiness
G allop
H epatomegaly
I tchiness
J aundice
HYPERTHYROIDISM (GRAVE'S)
G oiter
R avenous appetite
A gitation and nervousness
V S increased
E xophthalmos
S kin is moist & heat intolerance:)