Week 2: Captivating Events

Hello all,

So the 'Master Spreadsheet' with all the data is on its way to completion. I just have to go through about 200 individual patient records (population size has to be large), scroll through the "history/physical" section for each one, check the lab results for each one, and input the necessary parts for each one into the chart. Not time consuming at all.

In the meantime, there were some interesting things which happened this week. On Wednesday, a couple of urologists gave a presentation on kidney stones: what they are, how they happen, how they are treated, and how to prevent them. They are pretty much stones made up of chemical crystals that separate out from urine. These stones begin to form in the calyx (a cup-shaped part of the kidney). They either stay in the kidney, or move into the urinary tract, where they can block the flow of urine and cause pain.

One of the main reasons kidney stones form is dehydration: if you don't drink enough water, you won't have enough urine to dilute chemicals, forming crystals which develop into stones. In addition, eating foods which contain a lot of protein or salt can lead to kidney stones. There are also kidney infections which can slow down urine flow, or change the acidity in the urine, thereby causing stones. Although the symptoms of kidney stones depend on the stone's size and location, many stones cause sudden/severe pain and bloody urine. Others cause nausea or burning urination. Some say that kidney stones hurt more than gettting shot. There are a few ways to remove the stones, such as using sound waves to break up the stone into smaller pieces so they can be passed through the urinary tract (Shock Wave Lithotripsy), and making an incision on the back so smaller stones can be surgically removed (Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy).

Here's a diagram of where the stones may be.



This talk, although unrelated to my main project, was interesting because the urologists pointed out that obesity was a big factor in many patients who had kidney stones. So I did a little research and found that diabetes and kidney stones are linked. Type 2 diabetes may likely cause urine to be very acidic, which in turn can lead to the development of stones.

On Thursday, my mentor, Sumit, and I attended a meeting about the ongoing diversion in Banner locations across the valley. A diversion happens when all the beds in a hospital are occupied, and incoming ER patients are redirected to a different hospital. This raises the concern that critically ill patients may not be able to get the timely medical care they need. To minimize such occurences, nurses from various departments came together to see which patients can be discharged in order to make more room for new patients. We had to leave the meeting early, before any conclusions, but I'm sure they made some space to fit in more patients.

Oh, and I also had lunch with a bunch of doctors in the Physician's Lounge (Sumit let me in), which was pretty cool.

I think I'll have a few surprises for you next week. Be sure to check in!