an itinerant observer

Not too long ago I was on call as the resuscitation room supervisor. At the beginning of my shift I had no idea that the day was going to leave such a deep impact - one that would perhaps remain etched on my conscience for the rest of my life... The full narrative was published by Annals of Emergency Medicine and may be viewed at  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0196064416301883 [from   Narrative Medicine ] CREDITS : About the Author: Dr. Fareed Ahmed , recently graduated from the Emergency Medicine Residency Programme at AKU. He has also completed a Masters in Clinical Research from AKU.   Acknowledgement: A version of this narrative was first published by the Annals of Emergency Medicine .  Editorial Note:  This is from a 'phase II' continuation of Narrative Medicine at AKU - what started as a Workshop-based initiative on January 20 th , 2016. The editorial work was performed by  the Writ...

I am an emergency physician, and dealing with life threatening emergencies such as sudden cardiac arrest is something I do daily. I am not a storyteller, but today I am going to tell you a story that changed my life and my attitude toward being an emergency physician altogether. It  is the story of my mother.... The full narrative was published by  Annals of Emergency Medicine  and may be viewed at   https://authors.elsevier.com/ a/1UDwsib7DumPQ [from   Narrative Medicine ] CREDITS : About the Author: Dr.  Mirza Noor Ali Baig completed his MBBS in 2006. Since January 2013 he has been an Instructor in the Dept. of Emergency Medicine at the Aga Khan University Hospital. His areas of interest include medical emergencies and timely resuscitation.  Acknowledgement: The full narrative was published by  Annals of Emergency Medicine  and is available to be viewed at   https://authors.elsevier.com/ a/1...

I am the parent. Scared and uninformed, I sit beside my sick child in the ER, hoping she will be okay. I am worried. Is this the last time that I get to spend with my daughter? Will our lives ever be the same? Or is this just something we will smile about years down the road. I don’t fully understand what’s wrong, and I cannot see far beyond the weakened state of my child. In this blooming, buzzing confusion of medicines, readings, numbers, and smells I sit powerless, with my whole life in the hands of a set of scrubs. But I cannot stay silent, so I look to the meticulous practitioner in front of me and ask “ Will my child be okay ?” I notice the doctor flinch and reassure me without eye contact. It’s imperfect reassurance, but this is all that matters to me right now. If the doctor says it will be fine, it will be. Why would he say it otherwise?  I do wish to have information; I do wish to know the state of the medical situation. I do wish to understand my child’s c...

“What the hell are you doing doctor, are you insane?” shouted the consultant at his trainee who was presenting a case, while standing in the resuscitation bay of the Emergency Department (ED), surrounded by nurses, patients and their family members. I was shocked and intimidated while observing this man scold a trainee doctor. He was tall, dressed formally in a red tie and a pristinely white starched lab coat. One look at him and anybody would have quickly noticed that he exuded authority. The poor trainee, visibly shaken, was trying to hold on to the medical files and other instruments from slipping out of his hands. He was also trying dearly to hold on to his wits, I could tell. The ED is a dynamic place that sees several consultants at any one time, called there for expert opinion on patients. But the ones that catch my attention the most tend to be the crankiest and meanest of the lot. How they cope with their lives outside of the hospital mystifies me. Being the ED superv...

“When the brain’s potential is fully unleashed, there can be few if any limitations. Anyone who tells you otherwise isn’t up-to-date with the latest scientific findings on the brain…for the brain’s potential is the human potential." – Author James Morcan Inspired by the possibilities for progress in neuroscience; young doctors, students and teachers unveiled a range of original thoughts and proposals at the Ignite event, part of the National Health Sciences Research Symposium, Mind and Brain conference. The human brain controls all the body’s thoughts, feelings and actions. It determines what it means to be human and is the source of all our creative and innovative impulses. The central importance of the brain to the body means that the field of neuroscience – the study of the mind, brain and nervous system – holds enormous potential to improve the world around us. With just five minutes each to stir the audience, the seven presenters explored a range of questions inclu...

Innovative app wins top prize at AKU’s first-ever Hackathon Four innovative solutions in emergency medicine receive awards Innovators at Pakistan’s first-ever medical hackat​hon at the Aga Khan University have proposed new ways of tackling challenges facing Pakistan’s emergency rooms (ER). HistorER , the winning team at the Hackathon, came up with a unique QR (quick response) code system to address a persistent challenge faced by ER doctors. Patients are often brought to emergency by family members or by bystanders who are not aware of their medical history. In the absence of critical information, doctors face delays in performing life-saving procedures.     The HistorER team has suggested that every person carry a medical card with a QR code with vital details: blood group, allergies, current medication and previous operations. Scanned, the QR code would provide doctors immediate access to information and the ability to ini...

Day 1 of expedition: On which all, except me, start the ascent to Rakaposhi base camp. Photo of Rakaposhi taken from the apple orchard of the Minapin guest house When I woke up the day our expedition was to start, I felt a bit odd. I couldn’t quite pin point the oddity. I ignored the intangible (not quite bordering on distress at that stage), changed into my tracks and went out for a run, as is my norm. I wanted to get my joints freed up enough so the ascent wouldn’t come as too much of a shock. Surprisingly, I couldn’t run much as I lacked energy, so I returned to the guest house where preparation was afoot, somewhat counter-intuitively, for a hearty breakfast for the eager mountaineers. A simple low fat, high starch/protein meal might be the better approach at the beginning of an ascent, but not being a professional trekker who was I to say that aloud. Seeing the parathas , omelets, scrambled eggs and toast did nothing for my appetite. Au contraire, it made...