Don't Just Read the Guidelines

In this episode, Rich and Pip discuss vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. They critique a recent paper that has shown that VITT has been around before vaccines against Covid-19. Importantly, they discuss which patients should be tested for spontaneous VITT- and HIT-like syndromes, and discuss a recent case. The paper is: Schönb

In this episode, Pip and Rich discuss the FRAIL-AF study: Joosten et al. Safety of Switching From a Vitamin K Antagonist to a Non–Vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulant in Frail Older Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: Results of the FRAIL-AF Randomized Controlled Trial. Circulation. 2024;149:279–289. This trial randomised the switching of elderly frail patients who were esta

In this, the first episode of a new podcast, "Don't Just Read the Abstract", Drs Pip Nicolson and Rich Buka take a deep dive into the PACER trial: Platelet Transfusion before CVC Placement in Patients with Thrombocytopenia. After a quick round up of other trials that have sparked their interest, Pip and Rich discuss about the study aims and outcomes, before interviewing Dr Floor va

This episode is a first for me. I speak to Angie, a patient who I first looked after in 2021 whilst she was receiving chemotherapy for AML. She went on to have a successful stem cell transplant and is ready to share her story. There are so many unexpected lessons here and it's a must listen for anyone involved in caring from haemato-oncology patients. You also need to listen to t

In this episode, I talk to Sophie Evans. Sophie is an internal medicine trainee and budding haematologist in the southwest of England and has a real interest in the importance of stories in medicine. We met after she took part in the BSH Crucible Prize where she presented her ideas along with beautiful hand-drawn images on her slides. We discuss narrative-based medicine as well as

In this episode, I chat to Jane Rutherford, a haematology speciality doctor in Inverness. As part of a team of 5 consultants, 2 advanced nurse practitioners, and herself, she covers both NHS Highland and NHS Western Isles, an area comprising over 15,000 square miles and a population of over 350,000 people. Life can be a real challenge - from dealing with snow drifts, tidal islands,

Gordon Caldwell is a recently retired NHS medical consultant who has worked all over the UK. His passion is quality in healthcare and he has spearheaded efforts to improve efficiency in the NHS. He is an advocate for improving the use of IT to diminish the need for repetitive tasks and has started a campaign called #CutTheCrap. This has the aim of liberating healthcare staff from b

Mark Thomas is an Associate Professor in Cardiology at the University of Birmingham and an Honorary Consultant Cardiologist at University Hospitals Birmingham. Mark is very interested in the pharmacology of coronary artery disease, data science, and artificial intelligence. Here we have a wide ranging discussion about antiplatelets drugs as well as artificial intelligence. You ca

“If breastfeeding did not already exist, someone who invented it today would deserve a dual Nobel Prize in medicine and economics.” Keith Hansen Dr Wendy Jones MBE is a pharmacist with over 40 years’ experience supporting breastfeeding mothers. Who website www.breastfeeding-and-medication.co.uk is an awesome resource which includes an unbelievable amount of information for b

Eddie Cliff is an Australian haematology registrar with academic interests in health policy, lymphoid malignancies, and public health. He is currently at Harvard doing a fellowship with PORTAL (Program on Regulation, Therapeutics and Law), to help advocate for lower prices for drugs and make them more accessible. In this podcast we talk about healthcare funding, health policy, cl