Ben Morton
@benmorton.bsky.social
Senior Clinical Lecturer @lstmnews.bsky.social
Crit Care Consultant @nhsuhlg.bsky.social
Editor @anaesjournal.bsky.social
Website: https://research.lstmed.ac.uk/en/persons/benjamin-morton-7
Research: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6164-2854
Crit Care Consultant @nhsuhlg.bsky.social
Editor @anaesjournal.bsky.social
Website: https://research.lstmed.ac.uk/en/persons/benjamin-morton-7
Research: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6164-2854
Mushroom season on the canal towpath by our house.
October 17, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Mushroom season on the canal towpath by our house.
Beautiful Autumnal colours in Worthington Park this evening
October 16, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Beautiful Autumnal colours in Worthington Park this evening
Congratulations to @sspencer.bsky.social for publishing the final paper of his PhD! This describes the complexity of patients with breathlessness in Malawi. Whilst vertical programmes are important for individual diseases like TB, more integrated approaches are urgently required
🧪🩺 #ansky #idsky
🧪🩺 #ansky #idsky
September 11, 2025 at 8:44 AM
Congratulations to @sspencer.bsky.social for publishing the final paper of his PhD! This describes the complexity of patients with breathlessness in Malawi. Whilst vertical programmes are important for individual diseases like TB, more integrated approaches are urgently required
🧪🩺 #ansky #idsky
🧪🩺 #ansky #idsky
Stick with the @aiannucci.bsky.social and go for this. There’s no lemons and it is certainly not difficult.
August 30, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Stick with the @aiannucci.bsky.social and go for this. There’s no lemons and it is certainly not difficult.
#Ansky - does your tea trolley training need spicing up? My colleagues @nhsuhlg-ri.bsky.social have piloted this sustainable approach which might help support skills retention (needs further work to be sure)
associationofanaesthetists-publications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
associationofanaesthetists-publications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
June 17, 2025 at 10:35 AM
#Ansky - does your tea trolley training need spicing up? My colleagues @nhsuhlg-ri.bsky.social have piloted this sustainable approach which might help support skills retention (needs further work to be sure)
associationofanaesthetists-publications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
associationofanaesthetists-publications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
It looks like he figured out how to do the ‘one line game’ and then just kept going and going…
April 20, 2025 at 8:53 AM
It looks like he figured out how to do the ‘one line game’ and then just kept going and going…
@gregdaviescomedian.bsky.social has an uncanny resemblance to Thomas Tuchel... Any German relations out there?
January 22, 2025 at 8:20 PM
@gregdaviescomedian.bsky.social has an uncanny resemblance to Thomas Tuchel... Any German relations out there?
If there is a very loud duck (for example acute kidney injury can be readily explained by sepsis) do we need to look for swans at this stage of management and treatment?
There are no hard and fast rules but do consider before the lab request goes in. Would it be better to watch and wait?
There are no hard and fast rules but do consider before the lab request goes in. Would it be better to watch and wait?
November 27, 2024 at 12:05 PM
If there is a very loud duck (for example acute kidney injury can be readily explained by sepsis) do we need to look for swans at this stage of management and treatment?
There are no hard and fast rules but do consider before the lab request goes in. Would it be better to watch and wait?
There are no hard and fast rules but do consider before the lab request goes in. Would it be better to watch and wait?
My colleague Will Angus did this after discussion about how we could/should apply in our consultant group chat. Thought was great and should share
November 27, 2024 at 7:54 AM
My colleague Will Angus did this after discussion about how we could/should apply in our consultant group chat. Thought was great and should share
This recent guidance is pretty helpful too I think
www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/...
Particularly like this figure
www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/...
Particularly like this figure
November 26, 2024 at 9:02 PM
This recent guidance is pretty helpful too I think
www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/...
Particularly like this figure
www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/...
Particularly like this figure
So is Xa for LMWH prophylaxis monitoring valid?
Well...
There is no established consensus on prophylactic range
There is poor evidence that Xa level answers the question “is the patient going to develop a DVT”
Current international guidelines do not recommend Xa use for this indication
Well...
There is no established consensus on prophylactic range
There is poor evidence that Xa level answers the question “is the patient going to develop a DVT”
Current international guidelines do not recommend Xa use for this indication
November 22, 2024 at 9:37 PM
So is Xa for LMWH prophylaxis monitoring valid?
Well...
There is no established consensus on prophylactic range
There is poor evidence that Xa level answers the question “is the patient going to develop a DVT”
Current international guidelines do not recommend Xa use for this indication
Well...
There is no established consensus on prophylactic range
There is poor evidence that Xa level answers the question “is the patient going to develop a DVT”
Current international guidelines do not recommend Xa use for this indication
We also know that Xa is only part of the clotting story. We've moved beyond the intrinsic and extrinsic pathways to cellular model these days but for some reason the exam questions don't seem to have caught up.
November 22, 2024 at 9:37 PM
We also know that Xa is only part of the clotting story. We've moved beyond the intrinsic and extrinsic pathways to cellular model these days but for some reason the exam questions don't seem to have caught up.
I'm not going to labour the point on TFTs, I merely highlight the relevant section of NICE guidelines:
www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng1...
www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng1...
November 22, 2024 at 9:37 PM
I'm not going to labour the point on TFTs, I merely highlight the relevant section of NICE guidelines:
www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng1...
www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng1...
What are the essential determinants of a (good) diagnostic test?
We talk about validity and reliability
We talk about validity and reliability
November 22, 2024 at 9:37 PM
What are the essential determinants of a (good) diagnostic test?
We talk about validity and reliability
We talk about validity and reliability
Critical illness is a dynamic inflammatory process.
This image from a great paper called "the sepsis seesaw" (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19424209/) is really helpful to conceptualise this, demonstrating the hyper- followed by hypo-inflammatory response seen in sepsis
This image from a great paper called "the sepsis seesaw" (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19424209/) is really helpful to conceptualise this, demonstrating the hyper- followed by hypo-inflammatory response seen in sepsis
November 22, 2024 at 9:37 PM
Critical illness is a dynamic inflammatory process.
This image from a great paper called "the sepsis seesaw" (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19424209/) is really helpful to conceptualise this, demonstrating the hyper- followed by hypo-inflammatory response seen in sepsis
This image from a great paper called "the sepsis seesaw" (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19424209/) is really helpful to conceptualise this, demonstrating the hyper- followed by hypo-inflammatory response seen in sepsis
The focus of this rant is not on treating the underlying cause, but on mitigation of iatrogenic harm.
Firstly we explore the ARDSnet ventilation strategy:
litfl.com/ardsnet-vent...
We use ulnar length, age and sex to set tidal volume. There's different ways to do this, key thing is to standardise
Firstly we explore the ARDSnet ventilation strategy:
litfl.com/ardsnet-vent...
We use ulnar length, age and sex to set tidal volume. There's different ways to do this, key thing is to standardise
November 20, 2024 at 10:20 AM
The focus of this rant is not on treating the underlying cause, but on mitigation of iatrogenic harm.
Firstly we explore the ARDSnet ventilation strategy:
litfl.com/ardsnet-vent...
We use ulnar length, age and sex to set tidal volume. There's different ways to do this, key thing is to standardise
Firstly we explore the ARDSnet ventilation strategy:
litfl.com/ardsnet-vent...
We use ulnar length, age and sex to set tidal volume. There's different ways to do this, key thing is to standardise
Most residents understand phagocytosis as the key mechanism for neutrophils but NETosis doesn't seem to have reached the medical school curriculum yet.
This is the process where neuts splurge their guts out to increase their surface area with "NETs" with migration from the blood into the tissues
This is the process where neuts splurge their guts out to increase their surface area with "NETs" with migration from the blood into the tissues
November 19, 2024 at 8:00 AM
Most residents understand phagocytosis as the key mechanism for neutrophils but NETosis doesn't seem to have reached the medical school curriculum yet.
This is the process where neuts splurge their guts out to increase their surface area with "NETs" with migration from the blood into the tissues
This is the process where neuts splurge their guts out to increase their surface area with "NETs" with migration from the blood into the tissues
When do these side effects occur?
Pretty quickly actually.
The dose response curve and therapeutic index for salbutamol are close together. I would argue closer together in critically unwell patients who are less able to tolerate further CVS instability
Pretty quickly actually.
The dose response curve and therapeutic index for salbutamol are close together. I would argue closer together in critically unwell patients who are less able to tolerate further CVS instability
November 18, 2024 at 5:58 AM
When do these side effects occur?
Pretty quickly actually.
The dose response curve and therapeutic index for salbutamol are close together. I would argue closer together in critically unwell patients who are less able to tolerate further CVS instability
Pretty quickly actually.
The dose response curve and therapeutic index for salbutamol are close together. I would argue closer together in critically unwell patients who are less able to tolerate further CVS instability
And now I'm neither allowed to move nor touch him. I think I have Stockholm syndrome of sorts.
November 17, 2024 at 8:44 PM
And now I'm neither allowed to move nor touch him. I think I have Stockholm syndrome of sorts.
There always has to be violence before he settles down. Really disconcerting, never sure if he's going to limit the attack to his nemesis (the tail) or if you are going to get caught in the cross-fire.
November 17, 2024 at 8:44 PM
There always has to be violence before he settles down. Really disconcerting, never sure if he's going to limit the attack to his nemesis (the tail) or if you are going to get caught in the cross-fire.
I'm pretty liberal in setting the 88-92% target. I do this particularly for patients with pre-existing chronic lung disease but will also apply it if patients with high oxygen requirements who may suffer toxicity and to get some nitrogen into their lungs - love a bit of West
November 15, 2024 at 5:58 PM
I'm pretty liberal in setting the 88-92% target. I do this particularly for patients with pre-existing chronic lung disease but will also apply it if patients with high oxygen requirements who may suffer toxicity and to get some nitrogen into their lungs - love a bit of West
And finally, you write the introduction
A guide below
A guide below
November 11, 2024 at 7:58 PM
And finally, you write the introduction
A guide below
A guide below
Next onto the discussion:
A guide below
A guide below
November 11, 2024 at 7:58 PM
Next onto the discussion:
A guide below
A guide below
Please see an overview slide below
November 11, 2024 at 7:58 PM
Please see an overview slide below
Broadly, for a clinical manuscript you have 3500 words to play with (exlcuding abstract, legends and references). These need to be distributed across the introduction, methods, results and discussion.
The distribution should look something like the formatting formula below
The distribution should look something like the formatting formula below
November 11, 2024 at 7:58 PM
Broadly, for a clinical manuscript you have 3500 words to play with (exlcuding abstract, legends and references). These need to be distributed across the introduction, methods, results and discussion.
The distribution should look something like the formatting formula below
The distribution should look something like the formatting formula below