We promised to put more stuff up here, and we have -- although we have an awful lot more stuff to sort through. But we're working on it, and we'll try to get stuff up as fast as we can. Coming soon: Information on AWS Triage for all you ER folks!
OK, finally got the proofreading done on our Case Studies. It took a while because Dr. DePetrillo was tied up and Mr. McDonough is always careful never to practice medicine without a license. I think these are a really great learning tool -- we were originally going to do a whole book of them, but I think they actually work better on the web.
I pulled these out of the material from our Reference Manual. There's a great little table showing symptoms which can easily be confused with AWS, another showing factors in history associated with alcohol dependence, and a third covering physical signs associated with alcohol dependence.
This little manual (about 30 pages) discusses quality assurance issues in alcohol withdrawal treatment. We're thinking about doing some excel spreadsheets to help you with the math, but we've haven't gotten around to it yet. Still, even if you don't do the math, there's a lot of good information in here, especially for nurses with a responsibility for QA. It also serves as a darn good guide to "best practices" in AWS treatment. It does not require you to be using our system for AWS treatment — if you are thinking about making changes, this might be a good place to start.
This is a list (about 15 pages) of the major pathologies associated with alcohol dependence, and was originally written as a chapter for our yet-to-be-published Reference Manual. Since this manual was to include entire chapters on some of the subjects discussed (such as alcohol and pregnancy), the level of detail is sometimes modest, but it's a very nice checklist of alcohol-related health problems, useful to the clinician and perhaps for patient education. The language is fairly technical, but the cummulative effect of reading through the entire list is a bit stunning, and might motivate some patients to consider seeking treatment.
Just note: converting PowerPoints to HTML works great, sorta, but involves some very elaborate Microsoft code. How great it works thus depends on your browser, your operating system, and your astrological sign. If the HTML version isn't working, check out the PowerPoint version.
This is a PowerPoint presentation we did at an ISPN conference in Arizona a few years back. It gives you a more complete run-down on our system and outlines our approach to pharmacotherapy.
And another one done originally way back when, but updated recently. This one covers pharmacotherapy in a little more detail, but is also more concise, designed for a quick educational presentation. It comes with notes for the presenter.
The following presentation is just one slide, but if you're interested in neurotransmitter chemistry and alcohol, it's certainly worth a look.
What it Means: The neurotransmitter slide made my eyes cross at first, but then I remembered what it all means. Neurotransmitters are listed down the middle. On the left are symptoms of alcohol intoxication. On the right are symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. The up arrows indicate increased activity and the down arrows indicate decreased activity. And if you want a better explanation, contact us and we'll point you right at Dr. DePetrillo, who can explain it in much more detail (and who will draw diagrams of molecules on cocktail napkins if given any encouragement whatsoever).
It's not vital (fortunately) to know all the details of neurotransmitter chemistry and physiology to effectively treat AWS. The main reason Dr. DePetrillo created this slide was to show that no fewer than five neurotransmitter systems (that we know of) are involved in alcohol withdrawal, making extremely unlikely that all withdrawal symptoms should be treated with only one drug.
The following is a QA report Dr. DePetrillo and two co-authors wrote on an inpatient substance abuse treatment facility in Rhode Island many moons ago. The facility is now long ago closed (due in part to some of the QA shortcomings discussed in the report). If you have an interest in or responsibility for QA, the report might serve as a good model for an audit, although hopefully your conclusions will be a bit more positive!
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All material on this website is for informational purposes only. Readers are encouraged to confirm the information contained herein with other sources. Patients and consumers should review the information carefully with their professional health care provider. The information is not intended to replace medical advice offered by physicians. The authors will not be liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, exemplary, or other damages arising therefrom.