Rapid Response RN

On this special PodSwap Episode, you will be hearing from Nurse Mo from the Straight A Nursing Podcast! She does an amazing job breaking down all the pharmacology of medications we use for Rapid Sequence Intubation or RSI.

Rapid sequence intubation, a procedure performed to emergently intubate a patient with an intact gag reflex in cases of acute respiratory failure and/or cardiovascular collapse. As a nurse working in the emergenc...

Are you considering a career as a nurse practitioner? Do you want to go back to school to transition into an advanced practice nursing role? Join host Sarah Lorenzini and guest Dr. Sandra Pagenta, DNP, as they discuss opportunities available in nursing and how to decide if the nurse practitioner path is the right one for you.

Dr. Sandra Pagenta reflects on the evolution of her nursing career, from her early days as an RN to her curr...

Every day that you complete a shift is a day to celebrate because nursing is undoubtedly one of the hardest professions in the world, especially in the last few years. Burnout rates are extremely high, and for good reason, but there are ways to keep your passion for nursing even after decades in the field.

In this milestone 100th episode of Rapid Response RN, host Sarah Lorenzini celebrates 20 years of being a nurse and *still* lovi...

Treating hyponatremia, a condition characterized by low sodium levels in the blood, can be both complicated and quite risky.. Disruptions to the delicate balance of sodium in the body can lead to a spectrum of outcomes, from an asymptomatic presentation to life-threatening seizures, coma, and death.

Through the patient story of Mrs. Saltman, host Sarah Lorenzini explains the role of sodium in the body, breaking down the science of o...

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, also known as “broken heart syndrome,” is hard to diagnose because its symptoms mimic more common conditions like acute coronary syndrome. This stress-induced cardiomyopathy presents a mysterious challenge to nurses, as you’ll hear in today’s patient story.

Host Sarah Lorenzini shares the case of a patient who went from experiencing shortness of breath and nausea to a serious cardiac emergency. She breaks d...

Part two of our crashing asthmatic series continues with a comprehensive look into what exactly happened in last week’s nightmare patient case. 

Host Sarah Lorenzini dives into the pathophysiology of status asthmaticus, explaining the physiological changes in the airways during severe asthma attacks and what makes these cases resistant to standard treatment. She also breaks down treat options for patients approaching the asthma...

Severe asthma leads to cardiac arrest in today’s gripping patient story. Brooklyn, an ER Nurse joins host Sarah Lorenzini to discuss a nightmare case of a young asthmatic patient and her team’s desperate fight to stabilize him.

Despite various interventions, from albuterol, magnesium, BiPap, ketamine, and more, the patient's condition deteriorated, requiring intubation and ultimately transfer to an ECMO center to save the patient’s ...

Do you know how to recognize a wide or narrow pulse pressure and what each finding tells you about your patient? Following last week's discussion on the shock index, host Sarah Lorenzini introduces pulse pressure as another essential tool in the nurse's assessment arsenal.

In this episode, Sarah outlines how to measure and interpret pulse pressure. She shares two patient stories to illustrate how variations in pulse pressure can ind...

Looking at HR or Blood Pressure alone as determinants of how stable the patient is can lead us astray.  The Shock Index allows us to detect when patients are declining… while they are still compensating. Shock Index = HR/SBP… but how can we use this tool? 

A patient’s vital signs can appear normal, meanwhile they’re on the brink of shock. This was exactly the case of Mr. Fields, a patient admitted to the ER after falling o...

Are you familiar with BRASH syndrome? The complex interplay of Bradycardia, Renal Failure, Atrioventricular Block, Shock, and Hyperkalemia forms a collection of clinical signs known as BRASH syndrome. One condition leads to another which leads to another, heightening the severity of symptoms. Fortunately, it’s easy to manage if you know what you are treating.

In this episode, Sarah Lorenzini breaks down the pathophysiology of BRASH ...

Timing is everything when it comes to strokes because every second without treatment impacts patient outcomes. If you’ve ever wasted time debating whether or not to call a stroke alert, you don’t want to miss this episode with Dr. Eric Wilson RN, AGNP-C, DNP, NREMT-P!

During his conversation with host Sarah Lorenzini, Eric emphasizes the urgency of recognizing stroke symptoms early, highlighting unilateral deficits and speech issues...

Cardiac output equals heart rate times stroke volume… but what does that really mean and how does it apply to the bedside? This formula (CO = HR x SV) is crucial for nurses to understand in the application of vasopressors and inotropes, so why is it so difficult to memorize their role in improving cardiac output?

This episode is dedicated to breaking down these life-saving medications so you can not only memorize their expected effe...

Did you listen to Joey’s story in last week’s mystery episode? If you did and guessed rhabdomyolysis as his diagnosis, congratulations! Joey’s muscle injury from playing a little too hard at football camp resulted in a release of muscle proteins that ultimately caused his kidneys to shut down, which led to his diagnosis and treatment for rhabdomyolysis.

In this episode, host Sarah Lorenzini examines the complexities of the condition...

Are you ready for some diagnosing fun?! In this episode, host Sarah Lorenzini will challenge your diagnostic skills with the mystery case of Joey, a 14-year-old patient who went from playing football at summer camp to being intubated in the ER.

Joey presented with an altered mental status, and was tachycardic, tachypneic and febrile. Once in the ER, he went into ventricular tachycardia, his blood pressure dropped significantly, and ...

As host Sarah Lorenzini insightfully explains, “think of autonomic dysreflexia symptoms as the body's way of telling you something is wrong.” Autonomic dysreflexia is a medical emergency that occurs in patients with a spinal cord injury, but it can be hard to recognize because of the body’s confusing responses to stimulation. That’s why it’s crucial for nurses to understand this syndrome and prevent patients from developing any lif...

Goals of care discussions are among the most difficult to navigate as a nurse, BUT there are ways to provide both comfort and clarity to patients and their families in these emotionally charged situations.

In this episode, host Sarah Lorenzini and Hospice Nurse AJ share tips and insights on how to approach these challenging discussions with sensitivity and respect, all while keeping patient’s wishes at the forefront of treatment. Fr...

Orienting as a new Nurse in the ICU is much like climbing your first big mountain — both require basic knowledge, passion, and the ability to learn quickly and adapt in a demanding environment. But without these attributes, you have an arduous, possibly insurmountable journey ahead of you.

In this episode, host Sarah Lorenzini and Sarah Vance RN delve into the controversial topic of new grads going straight into the ICU after gradua...

What’s your craziest, most shocking nursing story? In this episode, you’ll hear one of host Sarah Lorenzini’s most memorable stories as a rapid response nurse!

Sarah recounts her experience treating a severe case of a prolapsed rectum, describing the unconventional yet effective approach that not only resolved the medical dilemma but caught the attention of Rapid Response RN listeners, becoming the most shared episode of the podcast...

Foreign objects in the bladder, urinary retention, priapism. These are just a few of the urological emergencies host Sarah Lorenzini is discussing with Dr. Shailen Sehgal!

Nurses are the first line of defense in treating emergencies and play an important role in managing their care. In this episode, Dr. Shailen Sehgal explores these emergencies and shares great tips and tricks to treat conditions like testicular torsion, assess for ...