Mnemonic device, is any learning technique that aids memory.

To improve long term memory,

mnemonic systems are used to make memorization easier. They do so by increasing the efficiency of the
process of consolidation.

The HYPERKALEMIA "Machine" - Causes of Increased Serum K+

M - Medications - ACE inhibitors, NSAIDS
A - Acidosis - Metabolic and respiratory
C - Cellular destruction - Burns, traumatic injury
H - Hypoaldosteronism, hemolysis
I - Intake - Excesssive
N - Nephrons, renal failure
E - Excretion – Impaired

MURDER
Signs and Symptoms of Increased Serum K+
M - Muscle weakness
U - Urine, oliguria, anuria
R- Respiratory distress
D - Decreased cardiac contractility
E - ECG changes
R - Reflexes, hyperreflexia, or areflexia (flaccid)

HYPONATREMIA
"You Are Fried"
F - Fever (low grade), flushed skin
R - Restless (irritable)
I - Increased fluid retention and increased BP
E - Edema (peripheral and pitting)
D - Decreased urinary output, dry mouth

Can also use this one:

SALT
S = Skin flushed
A = Agitation
L = Low-grade fever
T = Thirst

"CATS" of "HYPOCALCEMIA"
C - Convulsions
A- Arrhythmias
T - Tetany
S - Spasms and stridor

To remember which blood types are compatible, visualize the letter “O” as an orb representing the universe, because
type O blood is the universal donor blood. Patients with any blood type can receive it. But O also means “odd man
out”: Patients with type O blood can receive only type O blood. Think BEEP to remember the signs of minor
bleeding:
B: Bleeding gums
E: Ecchymoses (bruises)
E: Epistaxis (nosebleed)
P: Petechiae (tiny purplish spots)

Hypo/Hyperplasia
Having difficulty distinguishing hypoplasia from hyperplasia? When you see plasia in any word, think of "plastic."
Plastic, in turn, means forming or developing. As for hypo and hyper, that’s the easy part. Hypo means under, or
below normal. Hyper means excessive, or above normal. Thus, hypoplasia means underdevelopment, and
hyperplasia means overdevelopment.

A stand-up comedian who gets no laughs might say his audience has humoral immunity. But humor is the Latin
word for “liquid,” and humoral immunity comes from elements in the blood — specifically, antibodies. Contrast this
with cellular immunity, which comes about through the actions of T cells.
"FARM" for serum sickness: each letter stands for a key sign or symptom of serum sickness.
F: Fever
A: Arthralgias
R: Rash
M: Malaise

To remember the four causes of cell injury, think of how the injury tipped (or TIPD) the scale of homeostasis:
T: Toxin or other lethal (cytotoxic) substance
I: Infection
P: Physical insult or injury
D: Deficit, or lack of water, oxygen, or nutrients.

When asking assessment questions, remember the American Cancer Society’s mnemonic device CAUTION:
C: Change in bowel or bladder habits
A: A sore that doesn’t heal
U: Unusual bleeding or discharge
T: Thickening or lump
I: Indigestion or difficulty swallowing
O: Obvious changes in a wart or mole
N: Nagging cough or hoarseness.

Use the ABCD rule to assess a mole’s malignant potential:

A: Asymmetry--Is the mole irregular in shape?
B: Border--Is the border irregular, notched, or poorly defined?
C: Color--Does the color vary (for example, between shades of brown, red, white, blue, or black)?
D: Diameter--Is the diameter more than 6 mm?

Listening Heart Sound

APE TO MAN
Atrial, Pulmonic, Erb's point, Tricuspid, Mitral

Side effects of steroids. The 5 S's.

Sick- easier to get sick
Sad-causes depression
Sex-increases libido
Salt-retains more and causes weight gain
Sugar-raises blood sugar

5F's... Cholecystectomy
female
fair
fat
forty
fertile

R Respiratory
O Opposite
ph > PCO2 < Alkalosis
ph < PCO2 > Acidosis

M Metabolic
E Equal
ph> HCO3 > Alkalosis
ph< HC03 < Acidosis

Immediate tx of MI, think MONA:

M Morphine sulfate
O Oxygen
N Nitroglycerin
A ASA

Treatment of CHF, think UNLOAD FAST:

U sit Upright
N Nitro
L Lasix
O Oxygen
A Aminophylline
D Digoxin

F Fluids- decrease
A Afterload - decrease
S Sodium - decrease
T Tests: dig level, ABG, K+

Assistive devices -- Canes:

C Cane
O Opposite
A Affected
L Leg

Signs of a Cholinergic Crisis, think SLUD:

S Salivation
L Lacrimation
U Urination
D Defication

Memory Trick:Need to remember which kind of beta blocker has which action?
B1 Blocks the heart (you have only one heart)
B2 Blocks the lungs (you have two lungs)
CRAINIAL NERVES. im pretty sure most of you heard of these.
Nerves Functions

I Olfactory -Oh -Sensory -Some

II Optic- Oh -Sensory -Say
III Occulomotor -Oh -Motor -Mary
IV Trochlear -To -Motor -Money
V Trigeminal -Touch -Both -But
VI Abducens -And -Motor -My
VII Facial -Feel -Both -Brother
VIII Acoustic (vestoblochlear) -A -Sensory -Says
IX Glosopharyngeal -Green -Both -Bad
X Vagus -Veggie -Both -Business
XI Spinal Accessory- Soon At -Motor -Mary
XII Hypoglosal -Harvest- Motor -Money

Oh oh oh to touch and feel a green veggie soon at harvest

EYES
Another way to remember the eyes is:
You look OUt with Both eyes.
Take the Right dose so you won't OD [overdose].
The only one that is Left is OS.
· Both eyes=OU, Right eye=OD, Left eye=OS.

It is about fetal accelerations and decelerations!!!

Just remember VEAL CHOP
Variable Cord compression
Early Head compression
Accelerations OK
Late Placental insufficiency

Heart sounds:
S3= Heart fail-ure (3 syllables)
S4=Hy-per-ten-sion (4 syllables)
And the effects of anticholinergics:
Can't see
Can't pee
Can't spit
Can't --defecate

Nine-point Postpartum Assessment...

BUBBLEHER
B- Breasts
U- Uterus
B- Bladder
B- Bowel function
L- Lochia
E- Episiotomy
H- Homan's sign
E- Emotional Status
R- Respiratory System
LDL ("bad" cholesterol)
L=Lowdown
D=Dirty
L=lipoprotein

This one really helped me in the cardiac system when you need to know when you hear a murmur like on
Mitral regurgitation you hear it on systole.
(H)ARD ASS MRS. MSD
ARD = Atrial regurgitation diastole
ASS = Atrial stenosis systole
MRS = Mitral regurgitation systole
MSD = Mitral stenosis diastole

The 5 P's of circulation loss in a limb.

Pain, Pallor, Pulselessness, Parasthesia, Poikilothermia

Heres one I learned about EKG

Snow over Grass- white over green
smoke over fire- black over red
and ground in the middle- brown

I finally know what METHODS mean on DISCHARGE PLANNING.

M-edicine
E-xercise
T-reatment
H-ealth Teaching
O-ut patient follow-up or check-up
D-iet
S-ex(sexual activity)

Side effects & adverse reactions to immunizations:

F- Fever
I- Itching
S- Stiffness
H- Headache
E- Edema
R- Redness
F- Fussy
L- Localized Tenderness
A- Appetite decrease
G- General Aches Pains

WHUTN- "Whutnthehell?"
W- Wheezing
H- Hypotension
U- Uticaria
T- Tachycardia
N- Nasal Decongestion
Assess for treatable causes of changes in cognition and behavior. The mnemonic DEMENTIA can be used to
remember potential causes:
D: Drugs and alcohol—including over-the-counter drugs
E: Eyes and ears—disorientation due to visual/auditory distortion
M: Medical disorders—e.g., diabetes, hypothyroidism
E: Emotional and psychological disturbances—e.g., mood or paranoid disorders
N: Neurological disorders—e.g., multiinfarct dementia
T: Tumors and trauma
I: Infections—e.g., urinary tract or upper respiratory tract
A: Arteriosclerosis—leading to heart failure, insufficient blood supply to heart and brain, and confusion

***GRANULOCYTES are Never Eat Bananas.

Normal (Neutrophils)
Monkeys (Monocytes)
Like to (Lymphocytes)
Eat (Eosinophils)
Bananas (Basophils)

Parkinson's Medications: "Ali Loves Boxing Matches"

A-Amantadine
L- Levodopa
B- Bromocriptine
M-MAO inhibitors

The 4 H's that invalidate a neuro exam:

Hypotension
Hpoxia
Hypoglycemia
Hypothermia*

3 ICP waveforms: A is awful, B is bad and C is common

Glasgow Coma Scale: #'s go low to high, with head to toe: eye, mouth, motor
1. Eye opening (1-4)
2. Verbal response (1-5)
3. Best Motor response (1-6)
Glasgow Coma Scale: If they're <8, they intubate!

To remember DECEREBRATE posturing, it is abnormal extension. Their hands look like the flippers of
a seal - Think DESEALEBRATE!

Pinpoint pupils: Drugs, drops & nearly dead

Drugs: opiates
Drops: meds for glaucoma
Nearly dead: damage in the pons area of the brainstem
Dilated pupils: Fear, Fits & Fast Living
Fear: panic, extreme anxiety
Fits: seizures
Fast Living: cocaine, crack, phencyclidine (PCP)

The pathophysiology of ARDS:

Assault on the respiratory system
Respiratory distress
Decreased lung compliance
Severe respiratory failure

Diagnostic criteria of ARDS

Acute onset
Ratio (PaCO2/FiO2) <200
Diffuse infiltration
Swan-Ganz wedge pressure (PAWP) <18mm Hg

Acute respiratory failure (ARF) Type II (hypoventilation) criteria: 50/50 Rule

PaCO2 >50
PaO2 <50 (on >50% oxygen)

Alpha 1 Receptor stimulation: arteries & arterioles

Causes vasoconstriction when stimulated which increases afterload
dobutamine (Dobutrex) stimulates beta 1 receptors (increase contractility & CO/CI)

Treatment of all acute coronary syndromes (unstable angina, NSTEMI or STEMI): OADH
Open coronary arteries

Here, think MONA greets all MI's:

Morphine
Oxygen
Nitroglycerin
Aspirin (CHEWED)

Anticoagulate & antiplatelet

Destress the heart (with beta blockers; limited activity for 12h)
Hemodynamic stability

Complications of thrombolytic therapy: The 3 B's

Bleeding
Brady's (dysrhythmias)
Bloodclots (d/t excessive thrombin)

Complications of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB): The 3 H's

Hypothermia (to decrease O2 consumption)...Effects SVR (vasoconstriction) and causes myocardial depression
(decreases contractility)
Hemodilution (to improve macrocirculation)...fluid shifting (third-spacing), e-lyte imbalances (K+, Mg+ & Ca++
often need replacing!)
Heparinzation (to prevent clots in circuit)...monitor aPTT.

Signs and symptoms of cardiac tamponade (Beck's Triad): The Three D's
Distant heart sounds
Distended jugular veins
Decreased pulse pressure (think of a narrow pulse pressure as opposed to a wide one)
Atrial Arrhythmias: ABCDE
Adenosine/amiodorone or anticoagulate (if Afib/Flutter has been present >48h)
Beta blockers
Calcium channel blockers
Digoxin
Electrocardiovert (if <48h)

For ventricular arrhythmias: AL

Amiodorone
Lidocaine

8 A's for Hepatotoxic Drugs (Check SGPT/SGOT)

Antituberculosi
Anticonvulsant
S - sodium Luminal
G - gabapentin
P - phenytoin
T - tegretol
Anticancer
Aspirin
Alcohol
Antifamily (contraceptice pills)
Acetaminophen
Aflatoxins

Breast self examination (i made a song out of this)

♫ ♪ ♪ ♫1 little 2, little 3 little fingers

Do BSE 7 days after menses
Press nipple once check for discharge
Call your doctor
I'm sure you will do it more...♫ ♪ ♪ ♫

STANDARD ROOM PRECAUTION

A -irborne (PTB, SARS, Antrax)
B -lood and body fluids - AIDS, Hepa B
C -ontact - open wounds, lesions
D - roplet - Diphtheria, Pneumonia, Pertussis
E - nteric - GIT infections

RIGHT SIDED HEART FAILURE

A norexia and ascites
B loating and indigestion
C ardiomegaly
D istended neck vein
E dema-peripheral
F acial puffiness
G allop
H epatomegaly
I tchiness
J aundice
HYPERTHYROIDISM (GRAVE'S)
G oiter
R avenous appetite
A gitation and nervousness
V S increased
E xophthalmos
S kin is moist & heat intolerance:)