Show notes: Sepsis pathways are the first move — not the finish line. The real danger is failure to reassess and missing non-response.Episode 5 — Sepsis · When the Pathway Is Wrong

Sepsis pathways save lives — but they can also create a false sense that the job is done.

In this episode, we explore a common trap: doing the sepsis pathway correctly, then relaxing… while the patient continues to deteriorate. We focus on the part that actually keeps patients alive: reassessment, response to treatment, source control, and actively considering sepsis mimics.

You’ll learn:

• Why pathways are a beginning, not an endpoint

• The most dangerous error in sepsis: failure to reassess

• How to judge response: physiology and trajectory, not tick-box completion

• Why source control matters more than “more time”

• Sepsis mimics that trigger the screen but need different escalation

Educational content only — not a substitute for local guidelines or senior clinical advice. For reassessment prompts, escalation tools, and case walkthroughs, visit the AcuteCast app.

https://acute-cast--jgoncalo7.replit.app

Show notes: Breathlessness is a syndrome, not a diagnosis. Avoid anchoring on COPD and learn the safe four-way thinking: COPD, HF, PE, sepsis.

Episode 4 — The Breathless Patient · COPD, Heart Failure, PE, or Sepsis?

Breathlessness is dangerous not because it’s rare — but because it’s common. And common presentations are where clinicians stop thinking too early.

In this episode, we tackle the “COPD trap”: when a history of COPD closes your differential too soon. Using a night-shift scenario, we reframe breathlessness as a syndrome, not a diagnosis, and build a practical four-way decision approach: COPD, heart failure, PE, or sepsis.

You’ll learn:

• Why COPD is a risk factor, not an automatic answer

• What matters most early: physiology, chest findings, and trajectory

• The traps: wheeze = COPD, sats = safety, normal CXR = reassurance

• How seniors use discriminating questions to keep differentials open

• When to escalate before certainty based on physiology

Educational content only — not a substitute for local guidelines or senior clinical advice. For structured breathlessness frameworks, red flags, and case walkthroughs, visit the AcuteCast app.

https://acute-cast--jgoncalo7.replit.app

Show notes: Broad complex tachycardia at 2am: treat first, label later. VT until proven otherwise, and why “he’s talking” isn’t stability.Episode 3 — Broad Complex Tachycardia: Treat First, Label Later

Broad complex tachycardia is one of the most stressful rhythms you’ll see on call — because it feels like a test. On nights, you don’t want a test.

In this episode, we break down the safest on-call mindset for broad complex tachycardia: treat first, label later. We focus on risk asymmetry (why VT is the safest default assumption), what matters more than morphology in the first minutes, and how seniors separate signal from noise on the ECG.

You’ll learn:

• Why “he’s talking, so he’s stable” is a dangerous phrase

• How to assess tolerance fast: perfusion, trend, and physiology

• Decision-critical ECG features: AV dissociation, capture beats, fusion beats

• Bounded actions that reduce risk: pads on early, escalate early, reassess continuously

• The junior vs senior thinking shift that prevents catastrophic errors

Educational content only — not a substitute for local guidelines or senior clinical advice. For structured interpretation guides, red flags, and full case walkthroughs, visit the AcuteCast app.

https://acute-cast--jgoncalo7.replit.app