On Call With Dr. Rishi Kumar

I was pulled from my clinical duties as a cardiothoracic anesthesiologist to start my time as a critical care attending a bit early in light of COVID-19’s rampant spread throughout the greater Houston area. After completing my first week on service, I’ve come to realize how devastating this disease is from a medical and social …

With July right around the corner, I wanted to go over some tips for soon-to-be interns as they embark on their graduate medical education! Please check out the full post I wrote at the end of my intern year for more tips.

Of all characteristics, I think flexibility is perhaps the most desired attribute of an attending in academic medicine. Knowing how to balance trainee autonomy with protecting the patient, being a good educator, and providing timely feedback are all promoted by having a flexible approach to one’s practice. Drop me a comment with your thoughts on …

It’s been over six months since I’ve been an attending cardiothoracic anesthesiologist and intensivist! Listen to this episode where I discuss what I learned in that time as new faculty and things I did to be successful. Special shout out to my wonderful colleagues who were not only accepting of me, but have consistently provided …

Throughout the course of my collegiate and medical training, the manner in which I’ve studied has evolved tremendously. In this podcast, I’ll share this process and outline how I study these days. Check out this post with book references too! Learning is a highly individualized process, and as a result, study habits vary from person-to-person, …

Mechanical circulatory support (MCS) devices are becoming more prevalent and sophisticated with each passing year. In this episode, I’ll briefly cover some of the basics for intra-aortic balloon pumps (IABPs), Impella, CentriMag, ProtekDuo, TANDEMHEART, and ECMO. As always, drop me a comment with your questions and thoughts! Here are some of my other posts to …

Many healthcare workers become jaded by taking care of patients who regularly abuse drugs and seek more potent medications during their admissions (often times saying they have an “allergy” to more traditional analgesics). I’m not naive to this; however, as an anesthesiologist, I’m also very mindful of appropriate pain management in the OR and ICU …

As a follow-up to episode 003 where I discussed inotropes and pressors I routinely use as a cardiothoracic anesthesiologist and intensivist, in this episode, I’ll discuss some of the anti-hypertensives I use in the same settings. As always, drop me a comment below with questions!

Working in both the ICU and OR settings, I’ve come to learn the workflow and considerations unique to each environment. However, with all the required tasks one must complete, I feel like patient care is sometimes jeopardized. Join me in this episode where I discuss two of my biggest pet peeves related to patient care.

Despite all the positive aspects of working in healthcare, it doesn’t take long before one experiences mistakes and patient deaths. In this week’s podcast episode, I’ll delve into how I handle these two, independent situations by promoting a culture of forthcomingness, patient safety, honesty, and supporting (rather than scolding) each other.

As a cardiothoracic anesthesiologist, I have been trained extensively in cases which require cardiopulmonary bypass (“the heart-lung machine”). CPB is similar to VA-ECMO in many ways, but for the purposes of surgery, it allows the surgeons to have a motionless and bloodless field when combined with cardioplegic arrest. Listen to this week’s episode to learn …

Cardiovascular pharmacology in acute care settings involves a variety of medications ranging from vasopressors and inotropes to inodilators and inhaled pulmonary vasodilators. Listen in on this podcast as I discuss how I use agents like epinephrine, norepinephrine, vasopressin, milrinone, phenylephrine, calcium, methylene blue, and more in my practice. Keep in mind that I individualize everything …

Surgical scrub technicians (“scrub techs”) are incredibly important individuals in the course of an operation. They facilitate surgical workflow by providing instruments, positioning the patient, ensuring sterility, assisting with tissue retraction, etc. I remember when I first scrubbed in as a medical student on my ob/gyn core rotation, the entire operating room had drawn cross-hairs …

After taking a hiatus for over a year from podcasting as a critical care fellow, I’m finished with my formal training and ready to hit the ground running as an attending physician with the rebirth of my podcast. Notes: Restarting the podcast to continue sharing medical education and insight from a board certified cardiothoracic anesthesiologist …