Med conversations: Recent Episodes
Davor, Rahul, Bec and Scott
Whether you are working in suburban Melbourne or a refugee camp in Bangladesh, bacterial meningitis is a diagnosis that sends shivers up doctor’s spines and makes lumbar puncture needles suddenly impossible to find. Join us as we demystify that most red-flag of infections, covering everything from what to order on the LP to impress the ID team, how to treat it, and how to differentiate it from encephalitis and other infections.
Tired of getting yellow cards from the infectious diseases team for prescribing meropenem for 3 months?
Sick of Scott appearing behind you with a cat o’ nine tails to administer the requisite antibiotic punishment?
Well this episode has it all – what is antimicrobial stewardship? why do so many people care about it? what can you do to avoid being on the pharmacy’s wanted list? Most importantly, we expertly blend in some music and cold openings for the first time. Jump in, the water is warm!
2023 got you feeling out of rhythm? Finding yourself a bit behind the beat when it comes to pacemakers? Pour yourself a frosty, frothy, fibre-filled glass of your favourite plum juice and strap on your electric earmuffs. We’re going charging on an audio adventure from cathode to anode with Scott and Rahul which will help you nail pacemakers with aplomb!
You know that feeling when you find a surprise $100 note in a coat pocket you haven’t worn for a while? Yeah, we don’t either. But we can imagine it feels kind of like discovering we have a MedConversations episode we forgot to publish! Open this 2022 time capsule with us and treat your tympanic membranes to Bec and Scott talking all* things hypothyroidism. We open up a can of worms talking history of the thyroid, and introduce you to our case Nala the poet with enough heavy-handed use of metaphors to make your Grade 6 teacher proud. If you last till the end, please tell us what you think of the surprise concluding performance.
*Some exclusions may apply
Intimidated about caring for immunosuppressed patients full of mibs, mabs or stem cell jabs? Here is the infection protection guide to investigate and manage your patient’s neutropenic slump – without resorting to well-evidenced super foods like goji berries or sheep placenta extract
Psychiatry registrar Dr Dean Whitty is back on the MedConversational airwaves again to talk with Bec about taming the black dog in our final ep of the three-part depression series. Dean’s soothing voice takes us on a nice guided tour … Continue reading →
The MedConversations crew may not fly the surgical flag very much but we love flying into the melee of perioperative management. So get peri with Bec and Scott as we dance around and about* the drug chart of the pre-op … Continue reading →
Weary traveller, let Rahul, Bec and Jupiter’s 79 moons be your guides as we haul you up the third and final segment of the hypertension series. At the summit we take you on a high pressure hike through the assessment … Continue reading →
This episode is for everyone who is sick of COVID-19 but needs to finally learn how to diagnosis and manage it, rather than how to out-argue your uncle about whether the plan-demic will end democracy. We go through diagnosis, testing, … Continue reading →
Nasty Bugs. You gotta treat ‘em! In this, truly, tremendous second antibiotic episode, Sleepy Scott, Deranged Davor, Crooked Bec (and Obama Zala) cover all the gram negative bacteria – from microbiology to antibiotics and resistance. Believe me, you’ll be tired … Continue reading →
This is part 2 of our series on depression. Davor and Dean chat about how to evaluate someone you think might have depression. As fascinating as part 1 was, this is much more clinically relevant. Filled with Dean’s wisdom and … Continue reading →
This episode is a bit of new thing we’re trying – interviews with our friends! As we’ve progressed in our careers, we’ve all started specializing and become increasingly unqualified to talk about large swathes of medicine. On the flipside, our … Continue reading →
Welcome seeker. All the bacteria. All the antibiotics. Join us on our ambitious multi-episode trek to summarise all bacteria and their treatment starting this episode with gram positives. Your journey will teach the ancient wisdom that tazocin does not fix … Continue reading →
Curious about what all those party drugs you’ve been taking with your grandma down at the local aged care facility are? Wondering why you always need to cough after you’ve taken your morning ramipril? Jump on board the high pressure … Continue reading →
Episode on radiculopathy! Davor, Bec and Scott sit down and chat about nerve roots. Well, to be honest, it’s more like Davor relentlessly interrogates Bec and Rahul about radiculopathy for an hour. Although ethically questionable, it appears to have worked … Continue reading →
We’re back with a mammoth topic. Often consigned to a 1-liner in the past history – it’s time to find out just how little you know about the silent killer. Much like the mounds of hair that accumulate in your … Continue reading →
Low back pain! Rahul and Davor discuss one of the most common presentations in medicine. What are the most common causes? What are the most serious causes? Who do you image? What on earth does Rahul mean when he says … Continue reading →
There’s been a lot of demand for off in the weeds neurology podcasts. Luckily we have our arcane neurology specialist Davor ‘The Slovenian Sledgehammer’ Pavlin-Premrl ready and waiting. Rahul and Davor discuss cartesian dualism and hysteria, and then after about … Continue reading →
We’re back in the COVID era all the way from dirty Melbourne to breathe around your masks and cough on your food. Have you been fighting with your bed-partner about excessive nocturnal noise emissions? Struggling to stay alert whilst reviewing … Continue reading →
Drugs. Death. Hidden infections. Bad mix tapes.No, you’re not tripping out on LSD at your uncle’s mail-order bride wedding, you’re just listening to MedConversations’ latest educational podcast packed full of infective endocarditis wisdom and copyright infringing references to one of … Continue reading →
If you naively thought that part 2 of glomerulonephritis would never come and you could spend the rest of your summer wallowing in glorious ignorance of those confusing glomerulonephritidis then you were wrong. Here are the rest of the nephritic … Continue reading →
Davor’s back doing his Davor thing and sprucing neurology to the world (whether they want to hear about it or not). So, if the holiday blues have you feeling numb to the world or passion for the new year has … Continue reading →
Has your troubled history of pot plant homicide led to legal action over your plant carer registration AND/OR your grandmother giving up on you and gifting all her cuttings to her previously second favourite grandchild? We can’t help you with … Continue reading →
Dust off your ear horn, ruffle up your ruffles and prepare your first-born son for a painful but career-favouring transition. Bec and Scott are back and hitting every high note as they croon, roar and trill their way through hypercalcaemia
Get your amphora ready to catch some of the golden stuff and see if you have the blood and the protein to raise some nephrologist eyebrows. We’ve heard the requests of the people and taken on GN in an epic … Continue reading →
Think you might have what it takes to join the extraordinary league of gentle-people against epilepsy? Well you’ll need some training first. Come join Davor and Rahul for a shake-down of the epilepsy world. P.S. I tried my best to … Continue reading →
Charge your batteries and prepare for a shock to the brain. Today we witness the return of a MedConversations legend, Davor who joins Rahul to get your jumbled signals back in alignment about first seizures. Hot take, listen in for … Continue reading →
Join Medconversations for an melodramatic tale of a plucky Siamese fighting fish and one man’s journey to virological purity inspired by his faith in the Good Lord above. Along the way you’ll finally learn how to interpret hepatitis B serology.
Free your mind from the tyranny of the Lamestream media and discover the TRUTH about diffuse parenchymal lung disease (ILD) with your snowflake bustin’ hosts Rahul and Scott! Its a long one, so buckle down with your extra doomsday preppin’ … Continue reading →
Merry Christmas from Medconversations with our long awaited ep on inflammatory bowel disease. Fake a smile and pretend its just the gift you wanted as Scott and Rahul explore the length of the disease from the mouth to the azathioprine. … Continue reading →
You know when people invite you to dinner and tell you not to bring anything, but actually if you got your act together and brought a salad they’d be really glad? MET calls and interns are kind of like that. … Continue reading →
Pour yourself a hydralyte on the rocks to sip while you absorb this latest ep, and don’t get salty while Bec and Scott drone on about their Drone-At-Home™ program and quasi-current affairs.
Call up your injection crew and gather around the gramophone, it’s time for Scott and Rahul to bring you the good news about Hepatitis C – there’s a cure and we’ve distilled it here ready for an acoustic injection. Keep … Continue reading →
You’ll be hiccuping with joy as Bec and Scott waltz you through chronic renal failure to the soothing strains of Medconversations’ favourite regional dialect.
Missing a bit of Scott and Rahul in your life? Satisfy your morning stiffness by taking a bite out of this dissection of Giant Cell Arteritis.
Which exposure would NOT be an indication for Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) in an Australian (low HIV prevalence) context? A man presents after sharing needles with another man who he believes may be HIV positive. A woman presents following receptive … Continue reading →
Dont forget your PrEP and barrier protection for this intimate all-male episode as Scott and Rahul take you through the racey fundamentals of HIV – from virology and antivirals to the unadulterated thrill of municipal libraries. And keep the knowledge … Continue reading →
Ever pondered whether you might suit the professorial lifestyle? This episode, featuring special guests Dr. Adam Brown and Dr. Nitesh Nerlekar, will run through what the appeals of including research in your career are and some basics on how to … Continue reading →
Scratch the itch: let’s get biliary. Join Bec and Scott on a scintillating exploration of the key TLA’s of gastro: PBC, ANA, AMA, PSC, IgM and LFTs. Test yourself with the Quizlet And here’s a summary of the topic from … Continue reading →
Wash your hands before and after Scott and Bec lead you through this sticky podcast on staph aureus bacteraemia. Just like your momma tried and failed to teach you.
Davor and Scott take you through the code stroke process. We couldn’t find any funny relevant pictures, so here’s a photo of some unsung medconversations heroes instead.
Scott and Bec do their best to reign in an excited Davor as he rambles on about stroke syndromes
After a long break in the middle of a two part episode we’re back! Hoping to equip you with the skills to differentiate between boy, girl and ascitic fluid.
If you’re jonesing for some teaching on rheumatic fever, we’ve got the podcast for you. Link dump: Clinical manifestations of rheumatic fever by time course
Rahul is temporarily back in our fair island nation, so here’s a cis-pacific podcast on cirrhosis. Part two will follow eventually, but like the course of this chronic disease, you probably know that the natural history of MedConversations can sometimes … Continue reading →
Another breathtaking pedagogical podcast from the MedConvos team as we wheeze our way through an approach to asthma. Link dump: Asthma handbook – all you need to know (especially good for management) (The quizlet will be with … Continue reading →
Frequently thought of, infrequently seen. Have a listen so you too can chip in with “could it be sarcoid?” at roughly appropriate times.
Movement disorders – one of the last bastions of medicine where clinician is king. Listen to this podcast and learn how to make this important diagnosis equipped with little more than a keen eye Here’s the quizlet
This one’s a shout out to the new interns, the soon-to-be interns and anyone who needs a refresher. But mostly it’s for the pharmacists, who are worried about using up the national stocks of purple ink. Quiz yourself here
Ah, the rich tapestry of the great imitator. Here we talk about 15th century nationalism, disgustingly unethical experiments and Nietzsche. And syphilis. Revision quizlet is here. Also, speaking of transmission…help spread the word on MedConversations and shoot us a review … Continue reading →
Today we discuss swiss traditional dress. High-waisted skirt, embroidered blouse, shawl, and a nice kropfband to show off that shapely toxic thyroid adenoma. You’ll hear there’s a new voice joining us for this one – meet Scott, our delightful physician-in-training … Continue reading →
Does neuro ring your bell? Bell’s Palsy vs stroke vs other. The facial droop standoff. Please do join us.
Benjamin Franklin once wrote a play. The two main characters were himself, and gout, and most of the dialogue is along the lines of “eh! oh! eh!”. If you want to learn about gout, probably just read that. But here’s a … Continue reading →
Join your irregularly irregular boys for a chat about atrial fibrillation. It’s sweet AF.
How to recognise the Captain of Death and show him the door. *Oldmonia will be discussed in a separate episode
Not as fun as dodgeball but slightly better than the beep test, the letters PE have taken on a different meaning since we started medicine.
Come and listen to our podcast on syncope…unless listening to amazing podcasts makes you vagal out Quiz yourself here
Make like John Howard and get to the patient quickly to reach this diagnosis ASAP…one of the most treatable leukaemias but has disastrous consequences if your tracksuit doesn’t get you there in time.
Why are the Simpsons yellow? Listen to this episode and you’ll find the answer to other similar questions, but not that one. Sorry. (But if you’re interested…here you go)
Management of diabetes with venomous lizard saliva and a glitterzone. Please join us. Oh, and you can quiz yourself right here
Unclear if glucose result from jam or blood? Davor steps us through an approach to DKA and gives an overview of the types of diabetes. Here’s the quizlet!
Cast away those home remedies and learn some evidence based medicine Check out the quizlet here.
We talk through what the plumbers of the medical world deal with every day. Here’s the quizlet
Bec tells us how to fight the winged scourge and why tonic water tastes so darn bitter Here’s the quizlet
Oh no there’s a lump! What I do?! Relax, sit back and have a listen as Davor and Bec walk you through lymphadenopathy Quizlet over here
Learn about exploding cars and intracellular cations. Rahul brings us a great case and teaches us the intricacies of this often neglected electrolyte.
Listen as proclaimed “cardiology lord” Rahul takes us through this surprisingly common and dangerous disease. Go through the quizlet at Medconversations.com when you’re done.
An awful disease particularly relevant in cold Melbourne. Promising therapies on the horizon though, and I like to think my scamming of the readathon as a 9 year old to get some sweet loot played a part. Here’s the quizlet … Continue reading →
Quizlet Link dump: Lung foundation stepwise management ladder Radiopaedia article on COPD X-rays
. In this episode Rahul teaches us about ecstatic bronchioles and the problems that they can cause
Why would anyone consume something called toxic rapeseed oil? We don’t know either, but apparently it can cause pulmonary hypertension. More useful facts lie ahead if you consume this episode instead. Here’s the quizlet
What to do when you’re on call overnight and someone’s naughty urinary tract isn’t producing the socially acceptable minimal amount of urine? Here’s the quizlet
So your heart failure sense is tingling, but how do you know for sure? Rahul and Davor take you through how to work up someone with suspected heart failure. Here’s the quizlet And some links: Good resources that show how … Continue reading →
Nowadays John Mayer and a tub of ice cream isn’t the only thing we have available to manage broke hearts. Hooray for evidence based medicine! Rahul takes us through when and where to use which therapies.
Why are people mean to each other? Why can’t we all be friends? We in no way address those questions, but we do have some lists that any self-respecting young doctor should have readily accessible. Here’s the quizlet
“Delirium: common and deadly, like hamburgers” – Rebecca Foskey Here is the relevant quizlet
Hyperkalemia is a nasty surprise often found on routine biochemistry. Who is putting all this extra potassium in our patients’ blood? We attempt to solve the mystery and tell you what to do about it. Here are some digitalis flashcards
We talk through how to approach a patient with a low haemoglobin who may or may not turn out to have a B12 deficiency.
On this podcast, we tell you about Dianne’s debilitating hand tremor and the basics of diagnosing tremor, as well as a bit about how Dianne’s problem might be managed. Here are some flashcards to practice with Link dumping ground: Video … Continue reading →
Our first podcast is about kidneys. To get you in the mood, we recommend you listen to this song. If that doesn’t work, we’re not sure what will. Renal disease is really common – we were shocked to learn that … Continue reading →