BrainWaves #137 Neurologists as medical actuaries

MedLink Neurology Podcast is delighted to feature selected episodes from BrainWaves, courtesy of James E Siegler MD, its originator and host. BrainWaves is an academic audio podcast whose mission is to educate medical providers through clinical cases and topical reviews in neurology, medicine, and the humanities, and episodes originally aired from 2016 to 2021.

Originally released: April 25, 2019

For patients who survive cardiopulmonary arrest but do not wake up, neurologists are called to the bedside to prognosticate. And the question of “How much will this patient recover?” is not unlike “What is the benefit of aggressive therapy to await possible recovery?” In that way, you might consider neurologists to be the actuaries of hospital medicine. In this week's program, we review the clinical and diagnostic data that neurologists incorporate into their model for outcome prediction following anoxic brain injury.

Produced by James E Siegler. Music courtesy of Swelling, Soft and Furious, Rafael Archangel, Lovira, and Dark Room. Sound effects by Mike Koenig and Daniel Simion. BrainWaves' podcasts and online content are intended for medical education only and should not be used for clinical decision-making. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @brainwavesaudio for the latest updates to the podcast.

REFERENCES

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We believe that the principles expressed or implied in the podcast remain valid, but certain details may be superseded by evolving knowledge since the episode’s original release date.