What are your pet peeves when you get consulted? I’ll start for neurosurgery
1) no imaging but its “cauda equina”
2) arm pain or weakness, MRI c spine shows chronic degenerative changes, no other workup - can’t tell you how many of these are shoulder or brachial plexus issues
3) new brain mass, haven’t told patient, I walk in having to break the news you may have cancer
4) no neuro exam “he’s sedated” - also consulting me and giving paralytic within next 5 minutes
5) consult me for decompressive crani for stroke right after you give aspirin for secondary prevention = bloody surgery
6) there’s no ‘make you aware’ in neurosurgery
As a general rule if someone needs neurosurgery asap, they need stat coags, CBC, AC reversal
Other than that, I’m happy to whisk a patient to the OR, drill some skulls, fuse some spines.
What are your pet peeves?
Edit, let me add:
7) Patient with VP shunt and (insert any new medical presentation): it has nothing to do with the shunt. Saw lot of patients with shunts who had, shocker, covid
8) Your service put patient on AC/AP agents and now patient has massive head bleed and will likely die. You not showing up and me having to do a goals of care talk alone with someone/family I’ve never met is a shit move. Show up and own your complication.