Updates from My ACLS Course on Twitter

Twitter is a microblogging service where people answer the question "What are you doing?" via 140-character messages from their cellphone, laptop or desktop. The service can also be used to report from a medical conference -- see 2 examples with my updates from the NEJM Horizons Conference and the 2008 Annual Meeting of American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI).

Twitter works well for creating a searchable, "no login required" archive of notes. As a bonus, you can use it later for blogging ideas.

A hash tag is the little code preceded by a "#" that people use to indicate the topic about which they are Twittering. The idea is to ensure that tweets on the same topic can be found and aggregated more easily. Simply search for a particular hashtag on search.twitter.com. In order to make the Twitter postings (or "tweets") easily searchable, I included the hash tag "#ACLS" with each tweet.

Here are my updates from the ACLS course (the oldest post is at the bottom, the newest at the top):

	AllergyNotes #ACLS A Squidoo page about ACLS, BLS and PALS: http://www.squidoo.com/onli... 12:47 PM Dec 5th from web
	AllergyNotes #ACLS "Passed ACLS at the top of the class. Not much to brag about - it's my 3rd time" -- Clarification: 3rd renewal not 3 attempts to pass. 12:45 PM Dec 5th from web

	AllergyNotes #ACLS official reference: Circulation Vol. 112, Issue 24 Supplement; December 13, 2005 http://tinyurl.com/6p7oh8 12:05 PM Dec 5th from web
	AllergyNotes #ACLS is Advanced cardiac life support http://tinyurl.com/6rcsht 12:04 PM Dec 5th from web
	AllergyNotes #ACLS Will publish the combined Twitter updates on CasesBlog next week: http://casesblog.blogspot.com/ 12:03 PM Dec 5th from web

	AllergyNotes #ACLS The new books are much thinner but they have moved the info to the enclosed CD. 12:03 PM Dec 5th from web
	AllergyNotes #ACLS Another resource by a cardiologist: ACLS 2005 versus ACLS 2000: my cheat sheet from 2000 is here http://tinyurl.com/6hbsst 12:02 PM Dec 5th from web

AllergyNotes #ACLS Ran at least 12 codes in teams in all different team positions -- much better training and fact retention than running it alone. 12:00 PM Dec 5th from web

AllergyNotes #ACLS team positions: leader, chest compressions, breathing, IV access and medications, monitor and shock, scribe. Rotate through each one. 11:59 AM Dec 5th from web

	AllergyNotes #ACLS EMS trainers assembled a team of 6 and each of rotated through different positions in the team. 11:57 AM Dec 5th from web
	AllergyNotes #ACLS For V-Fib, start shock at 200 J biphasic, 360 J monophasic, no escalation in the dose. 11:56 AM Dec 5th from web
	AllergyNotes #ACLS Don't check pulse after shock even if successful on the monitor -- continue CPR for 2 minutes, then check pulse. 11:55 AM Dec 5th from web
	AllergyNotes #ACLS Ratio breathing : chest compressions is 30 : 2 11:54 AM Dec 5th from web
	AllergyNotes #ACLS Another free online resource although a bit outdated: http://tinyurl.com/64f5k5 11:53 AM Dec 5th from web
	AllergyNotes #ACLS PEA mnemonic Pulseless Electrical Activity in -- think of Possible causes, Epineprine, Atropine. 11:53 AM Dec 5th from web

AllergyNotes #ACLS Amiodarone and Atropine doses are cut in half if the patient has pulse, e.g. Atropine 0.5 mg in bradycardia but 1 mg in asystole. 11:52 AM Dec 5th from web

	AllergyNotes #ACLS 5Hs and 5Ts: http://tinyurl.com/66uakf 11:49 AM Dec 5th from web
	AllergyNotes #ACLS 5Hs and 5Ts differential diagnoses should be considered with almost all algorithms, copied at the bottom of the flash cards. 11:48 AM Dec 5th from web
	AllergyNotes #ACLS They simplified the algorithms since 2005. 11:46 AM Dec 5th from web
	AllergyNotes #ACLS All my ACLS updates will be tagged with #ACLS 11:46 AM Dec 5th from web
	AllergyNotes #ACLS Some ACLS pointers will follow. Six Second ECG Simulator is a good resource http://www.skillstat.com/Fl... 11:46 AM Dec 5th from web
	AllergyNotes #ACLS Passed ACLS with flying colors at the top of the class. Not much to brag about - it's my third time... :-) http://tinyurl.com/645c4o 11:44 AM Dec 5th from web

Video: Twitter in Plain English by CommonCraft.

References:
Twitter Updates from the Severe Asthma Workshop at the 2008 Annual Meeting of American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI)
Twitter Dispatches from the New England Journal of Medicine's Horizons Conference. The Efficient MD.
I will be attending NEJM Horizons Conference to push the boundaries of traditional medical publishing, suggestions welcomed
Allergists Can Use Twitter Microblogging Service to Send Patient Reminders
Using Twitter to Microblog a CME Meeting
A Doctor's Opinion: Why I Started Microblogging on Twitter