437. A Candle in the Darkness – Philipp Bozzini and the Lichtleiter

In 1806, physician Philipp Bozzini introduced the Lichtleiter, a candle-lit, mirror-lined instrument designed for direct visual inspection of internal organs—an idea far ahead of its time and initially met with skepticism. Though dismissed by many contemporaries, the device is now recognized as the first true endoscope, establishing Bozzini as the founder of endoscopy.

Technological progress in medicine, as in other fields, emerges from the interplay of incremental refinement and decisive breakthroughs—those moments when a missing element is discovered and the path forward suddenly accelerates. The evolution of endoscopic surgery over the last century illustrates this well. Yet even today, the terminology surrounding procedures that employ scopes is often misunderstood. "Endoscopy" and "laparoscopy" are frequently used interchangeably, though they refer to distinct techniques, instruments, and purposes.

After listening to this episode, learners should be able to: - Outline the theory and physics of laser refractive surgery - Describe the differences between PRK, LASIK, and SMILE - List key indica1ons, exclusions, and essential pre-op tests - Explain common risks, benefits, and complications of laser eye surgery

After listening to this episode, learners should be able to: 1. Explain the anatomy and optics of the eye related to the optical axis of the eye 2. Describe common refractive errors 3. Explain how refractive errors are measured 4. Recognize important red flags for non-refractive causes of vision loss 5. Summarize current vision correction options

After listening to this podcast, learners will be able to: ● Describe the important features of medical history related to arterial ulcers and diabetic foot ulcers ● Recognize the important physical exam findings associated with arterial ulcers and diabetic foot ulcers ● Outline a treatment plan for patients with Arterial ulcers and diabetic foot ulcers

After listening to his podcast, learners will be able to: ● List four wound prep principles and five patient related factors for caring for patients with chronic wounds ● Describe the important features of the medical history related to venous ulcers ● Recognize the important physical exam signs associated with venous ulcers ● Outline a treatment plan for a patient with a chronic venous ulcer

Today, we will go over what cardiac tamponade is, how it results, and most importantly, how we diagnose and treat it. After listening to this podcast, you will be able to: 1. Define cardiac tamponade and explain its pathophysiology. 2. Describe the boundaries of the cardiac box and list the elements of Beck's triad. 3. Identify the key clinical features of cardiac tamponade and explain how to make the diagnosis. 4. Discuss the management of cardiac tamponade, including emergent interventions and definitive treatment strategies.

Today, we will learn how to diagnose and treat patients who have sustained rib fractures, as well as gain some practical knowledge on how to identify if a patient's problem is more urgent than simple rib fractures. After listening to this podcast, you will be able to: 1. Describe the anatomy of the ribcage and outline the mechanism of simple rib fracture in blunt force trauma. 2. Explain the mechanism of injury in rib fracture with pneumothorax, hemothorax and flail chest. 3. Outline the important elements of the history and physical examination in patients with rib fractures. 4. Outline the management of patients with rib fractures. 5. Outline the indications for surgical fixation of rib fractures.

In this episode, we will be focusing on the Whipple procedure itself and will not be covering pancreatic cancer patient presentation or investigations. Dr. David Shapiro's previous podcast on pancreatic cancer is a great resource for that information. Today we will talk about the procedure and look at a patient case. By the end of this podcast, listeners will be able to: • explain the surgical anatomy of the pancreas • describe the essential elements of the Whipple procedure • outline indications for a Whipple procedure

This episode was created by Katie Du, with content expertise provided by Dr. Trevor Schuler. By the end of today's episode, the learner will be able to: 1. Identify renal colic and differential diagnosis 2. Determine appropriate investigations when suspecting nephrolithiasis 3. Evaluate the need for stone treatment and referral to urology 4. Suggest appropriate stone prevention strategies