WhiteBoard Medicine - Emergency And Critical Care

Arterial blood gas (ABG) or venous blood gas (VBG)—which should you actually use in clinical practice?
In this episode, we break down the key differences between ABG and VBG in a clear, practical way so you can understand when each test is appropriate in emergency and critical care settings. While ABGs are often considered the gold standard, VBGs can provide clinically useful information in many situations—with less risk and greater ease.
We cover:
What ABGs measure and how to interpret them
What VBGs tell you and how they differ
Key differences in pH, CO₂, lactate, and oxygenation
The accuracy and limitations of VBG compared to ABG
When a VBG is sufficient—and when an ABG is essential
Common pitfalls in blood gas interpretation
This is a high-yield, bedside-focused discussion designed for medical students, residents, nurses, respiratory therapists, and physicians in emergency medicine and critical care.
🎥 Watch the full video version here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl5gQZL_eP8
📚 Download the full study guide + access our complete emergency critical care curriculum:https://www.patreon.com/c/WhiteBoardMedicine
Our Patreon includes:• Study guides for every video• Mini-courses (ventilation, shock, RRT & more)• Practice questions• Ad-free videos• A structured ICU curriculum
Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Clinical decisions should be made by licensed healthcare professionals using their clinical judgment, institutional protocols, and current evidence. Whiteboard Medicine assumes no responsibility for clinical outcomes.

In this episode, we break down mechanical ventilation from start to finish—designed specifically for your first week in the ICU.
Mechanical ventilation can feel overwhelming early on, with multiple settings, modes, alarms, and physiologic concepts all happening at once. In this episode, we walk through a structured, bedside-relevant framework to help you understand what actually matters when managing ventilated patients.
We cover:• Core mechanical ventilation principles and physiology• Ventilator modes and how to approach them clinically• Common ventilator alarms and troubleshooting strategies• Peak vs plateau pressure and ventilator interpretation• Spontaneous breathing trials and ventilator liberation• How to present a ventilated patient clearly and confidently on rounds
This episode is built around a simple, high-yield framework:setup → interpret → troubleshoot → liberate → present
Whether you're a medical student, resident, nurse, respiratory therapist, or practicing clinician, this serves as a complete crash course in ICU mechanical ventilation.
Chapters:
0:00 - 26:47 - FiO2, PEEP, RR, TV, inspiratory pressure
26:48 - 41:01 - Ventilator Modes, Alarms, Troubleshooting
41:02 - 1:03:18 - Peak and Plateau Pressures
1:03:19 - 1:27:53 - RSBI, Spontaneous Breathing Trials, T Piece, Liberation
1:27:54 - 1:46:19 - How to Present Mechanical Ventilation on Rounds
🎥 Watch the full video version here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vpsp2XHb4S0
🔗 Download the full study guide + access our complete emergency critical care curriculum:https://www.patreon.com/c/WhiteBoardMedicine
Our Patreon includes:• 📄 Study guides for every video• 🎓 Mini-courses (ventilation, shock, RRT & more)• ❓ Practice questions• 🚫 Ad-free videos• 🧠 A structured ICU curriculum
⚠️ Disclaimer:This content is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace clinical judgment, professional training, or institutional protocols. Always use clinical context and consult appropriate guidelines when making patient care decisions.

Respiratory failure is one of the most common and high-stakes problems in emergency and critical care medicine — but understanding the different types can be confusing.
In this episode, we break down Type 1–4 respiratory failure into a simple, structured framework you can actually use at the bedside. We focus on the key distinction between hypoxemic vs hypercapnic respiratory failure, how to interpret ABGs, and how to recognize the underlying physiology driving each type.
Whether you're a medical student, resident, nurse, respiratory therapist, or practicing clinician, this episode is designed to help you move beyond memorization and build a practical, bedside approach to respiratory failure.
We cover:• Type 1 respiratory failure (hypoxemic) — causes and physiology• Type 2 respiratory failure (hypercapnic) — ventilation failure and CO₂ retention• Type 3 respiratory failure — perioperative atelectasis and reduced lung volumes• Type 4 respiratory failure — shock-related respiratory failure• ABG interpretation and how to differentiate respiratory failure types• Common ICU and ED causes including ARDS, COPD, pulmonary edema, and neuromuscular disease• A structured framework for bedside recognition and management
📺 Watch the full video version here:👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tZNINGVFkE
📚 Master emergency critical care with our full curriculum, study guides, and practice questions:👉 https://www.patreon.com/c/WhiteBoardMedicine
Study guides • Mini-courses • Practice questions • Structured ICU curriculum • Ad-free videos
⚠️ Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Clinical decisions should always be made based on individual patient circumstances and in accordance with current guidelines and institutional protocols.

Mechanical ventilation is a core skill in critical care and emergency medicine—but the ventilator can feel overwhelming when you’re first learning it.
In this episode, we break down the essential ventilator settings—PEEP, FiO₂, respiratory rate (RR), and tidal volume (TV)—in a way that’s simple, practical, and directly applicable at the bedside.
We focus on building a clear mental model of how the ventilator works, including:
What PEEP does for oxygenation and alveolar recruitment
How FiO₂ impacts oxygen delivery
How respiratory rate controls ventilation and CO₂ removal
How tidal volume relates to lung-protective ventilation
How these settings interact in real ICU and ED patients
Whether you’re a medical student, resident, nurse, respiratory therapist, or practicing clinician, this episode is designed to help you move from memorizing settings → actually understanding them.
🎥 Watch the full video version here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jazfwCDS4vg
🔥 Download the study guide for this episode + access the full emergency critical care curriculum:https://www.patreon.com/c/WhiteBoardMedicine
Study guides • Mini-courses • Practice questions • Structured ICU curriculum • Ad-free content
⚠️ Disclaimer:This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Clinical decisions should be based on independent clinical judgment, institutional protocols, and current guidelines.

Understanding stressed vs unstressed volume is one of the most important—and most misunderstood—concepts in hemodynamics and shock.
In this episode, we break down how venous capacitance, mean systemic filling pressure (MSFP), and venous returnactually work, and why they matter for managing critically ill patients in the ICU and emergency department.
We focus on translating physiology into practical bedside understanding, including:
What stressed and unstressed volume actually represent
How MSFP drives venous return
Why vasopressors (like norepinephrine) increase effective circulating volume
How fluids vs vasopressors impact preload differently
Applying this framework to septic shock, hemorrhagic shock, and distributive states
If you’ve ever wondered why fluids or vasopressors work (or don’t), this episode gives you the physiology behind it.
🎥 Watch the full video version here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ubYO-XI5Mw
🔥 Get the study guide for this episode + full emergency critical care curriculum:https://www.patreon.com/c/WhiteBoardMedicine
Study guides • Mini-courses • Practice questions • Structured ICU curriculum • Ad-free content
⚠️ Disclaimer:This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Clinical decisions should be based on independent clinical judgment, institutional protocols, and current guidelines.

In this episode, we break down non-invasive fluid assessment at the bedside, focusing on IVC ultrasound, VExUS (Venous Excess Ultrasound Score), and the passive leg raise (PLR).
We walk through how to evaluate fluid responsiveness vs fluid tolerance, when each tool works (and when it fails), and how to integrate these approaches into a practical, physiology-based framework for critically ill patients.
This episode tackles one of the most common and challenging decisions in critical care: when to give fluids—and when to stop. By combining ultrasound-based assessment with dynamic testing like the passive leg raise, we outline a more complete approach to hemodynamic assessment in the ICU and emergency department.
If you’re a clinician managing acutely ill patients, this episode will help you move beyond guesswork and toward more precise, bedside-driven fluid decision-making.
🎥 Watch the full video here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Raaog7Z6yEI
🚀 Support WhiteBoard Medicine + Get Full Access
Get the full study guide for this episode + complete emergency critical care curriculum:https://www.patreon.com/c/WhiteBoardMedicine
Our Patreon includes:• 📄 Study guides for every episode• 🎓 Mini-courses (ventilation, shock, RRT & more)• ❓ Practice questions• 🚫 Ad-free content• 🧠 A structured ICU curriculum
⚠️ Disclaimer
This content is for educational purposes only and is not intended to provide medical advice. Clinical decisions should be made based on individual patient circumstances, institutional protocols, and clinician judgment. This content does not represent the views of any affiliated institutions.

In this episode, we break down ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) and how mechanical ventilation can contribute to lung damage in critically ill patients.
We walk through the core mechanisms of VILI—including volutrauma, barotrauma, atelectrauma, and biotrauma—and then build a deeper understanding using the concepts of driving pressure and mechanical power. These frameworks help connect individual ventilator settings to the total energy delivered to the lungs and the risk of injury.
This episode focuses on a key shift in thinking: moving beyond isolated ventilator parameters toward a more integrated, physiology-based approach to lung-protective ventilation at the bedside.
If you manage ventilated patients in the ICU or emergency department, this will help you better understand why lung injury occurs—and how to minimize it.
🎥 Watch the full video here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fUSRomVjUw
🚀 Support WhiteBoard Medicine + Get Full Access
Get the full study guide for this episode + complete emergency critical care curriculum:https://www.patreon.com/c/WhiteBoardMedicine
Our Patreon includes:• 📄 Study guides for every episode• 🎓 Mini-courses (ventilation, shock, RRT & more)• ❓ Practice questions• 🚫 Ad-free content• 🧠 A structured ICU curriculum
⚠️ Disclaimer
This content is for educational purposes only and is not intended to provide medical advice. Clinical decisions should be made based on individual patient circumstances, institutional protocols, and clinician judgment. This content does not represent the views of any affiliated institutions.

In this episode, we break down sickle cell crisis and life-threatening complications, including vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC), acute chest syndrome (ACS), splenic sequestration, aplastic crisis, and infection.
We walk through the underlying pathophysiology of sickle cell disease, why these emergencies occur, and how to recognize and manage them in the emergency department and ICU. This is a high-yield, practical framework to help you quickly distinguish common presentations from life-threatening complications.
If you’re a medical student, resident, nurse, or practicing clinician, this episode will help you build a clear mental model for approaching sickle cell emergencies at the bedside.
🎥 Watch the full video here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZmQQ8zosdY
🚀 Support WhiteBoard Medicine + Get Full Access
Get the full study guide for this episode + complete emergency critical care curriculum:https://www.patreon.com/c/WhiteBoardMedicine
Our Patreon includes:• 📄 Study guides for every episode• 🎓 Mini-courses (ventilation, shock, RRT & more)• ❓ Practice questions• 🚫 Ad-free content• 🧠 A structured ICU curriculum
⚠️ Disclaimer
This content is for educational purposes only and is not intended to provide medical advice. Clinical decisions should be made based on individual patient circumstances, institutional protocols, and clinician judgment. This content does not represent the views of any affiliated institutions.

In this episode, we break down how to assess fluid status at the bedside using IVC ultrasound and VExUS (Venous Excess Ultrasound Score).
We walk through how to interpret IVC diameter and collapsibility, when it works (and when it doesn’t), and how VExUS expands your assessment by integrating hepatic vein, portal vein, and renal venous Doppler to evaluate venous congestion and fluid tolerance.
This episode focuses on one of the most important clinical challenges in critical care: determining fluid responsiveness vs fluid overload. We outline a practical, physiology-based framework you can apply immediately in the ICU and emergency department.
If you’ve ever struggled with deciding when to give fluids—or when to stop—this episode will help you move toward a more complete and clinically useful approach to hemodynamic assessment.
🎥 Watch the full video here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll9pIGLtVh0
🚀 Support WhiteBoard Medicine + Get Full Access
Get the full study guide for this episode + complete emergency critical care curriculum:https://www.patreon.com/c/WhiteBoardMedicine
Our Patreon includes:• 📄 Study guides for every episode• 🎓 Mini-courses (ventilation, shock, RRT & more)• ❓ Practice questions• 🚫 Ad-free content• 🧠 A structured ICU curriculum
⚠️ Disclaimer
This content is for educational purposes only and is not intended to provide medical advice. Clinical decisions should be made based on individual patient circumstances, institutional protocols, and clinician judgment. This content does not represent the views of any affiliated institutions.

In this episode, we break down mechanical power in mechanical ventilation and its role in ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI).
We walk through how ventilator settings—including tidal volume, respiratory rate, PEEP, and driving pressure—combine to deliver energy to the lungs, and why thinking in terms of total energy delivery may be key to preventing lung injury in critically ill patients.
Rather than focusing on individual ventilator settings in isolation, this episode provides a framework for understanding how these variables interact and how to apply this knowledge to optimize lung-protective ventilation at the bedside.
If you manage ventilated patients in the ICU or emergency department, this is an essential concept that connects physiology to real-world clinical decision-making.
🎥 Watch the full video here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4YZkQMDclI
🚀 Support WhiteBoard Medicine + Get Full Access
Get the full study guide for this episode + complete emergency critical care curriculum:https://www.patreon.com/c/WhiteBoardMedicine
Our Patreon includes:• 📄 Study guides for every episode• 🎓 Mini-courses (ventilation, shock, RRT & more)• ❓ Practice questions• 🚫 Ad-free content• 🧠 A structured ICU curriculum
⚠️ Disclaimer
This content is for educational purposes only and is not intended to provide medical advice. Clinical decisions should be made based on individual patient circumstances, institutional protocols, and clinician judgment. This content does not represent the views of any affiliated institutions.