Mnemocine

This mnemonic was contributed by Ahmad al-Ajhuri. Thanks.

Restless legs syndrome: To assist a clinician in diagnosis, the acronym URGE can
prove helpful in remembering the four core symptoms of RLS.

U: urge or sensation to move the legs
R: rest or stillness of the legs worsens the urge to move
G: going is good (at least temporary relief of the urge occurs with movement)
E: evening or nighttime worsening of symptoms
————–
PHILIP M. BECKER: RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME. In: Sleep: A Comprehensive
Handbook, Edited by T. Lee-Chiong. 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Which of the following is the best management for this patient’s incontinence?

This mnemonic graduated from the wiki-mnemo-lab. Feel free to contribute and help develop some of the other mnemonics on the same website.

It is not exactly a mnemonic, but a good way to remember some details about triple screen test.

To increase the sensitivity for detecting chromosomal abnormalities labs use the Triple Screen Test.

TRI-ple screen test is used for TRI-somy 18 and TRI-somy 21 (both 18 and 21 are TRI-somies and can be divided by 3). TRI-ple screen is test for MSAFP, estriol and beta-hCG.

In TRI-somy 18 everything is low.

TRI-somy 21 can be present like 2+1, which means that the first 2 are low and the second one is high (there is a + sign in front 1, which shows that the levels are high). Now, the question is, how to remember which one of MSAFP, estriol and beta-hCG is high. In Down syndrome there is a high amount of beta-amyloid (cause for Alzheimer’s Dz before 40 years of age). The other beta thing that is increased in Down syndrome is beta-hCG. Now, there is no way to forget what I just said.

Just a little point: in spina bifida AFP is high. Think that AFP leaks out trough the openings in the spinal column (the term spina bifida comes from Latin and literally means “split” or “open” spine) and its level is high. In Down syndrome the AFP level is down. This is kind of easy to remember.

The contributor of this medical mnemonic is Sean. Thank you!

For patients who present to the ED with altered mental status you should always BeGiN FLUIDS

B1 (thiamine deficiency)
Glucose (hypoglycemic)
Naloxone (opioid intox)
FLUIDS (dehydration)

Note: although AMS (Altered Mental Status) might be due to hyperosmolar hyperglycemia in type II DM, raising the blood glucose by 100 pts will not significantly worsen their condition, while failing to treat hypoglycemia can have profound consequences.

Achalasia–>Absence of relaxation.

Both liquid and solids dysphagia–>Barium swallow will show–>Bird peak–>Rx with Botulinum toxin (for pts who cannot tolerate more invasive procedures), or Balloon dilation=Pneumatic dilation (cost effective procedure that provides symptomatic relief).

CCB is another way of Rx. Secondary Achalasia may arise from Chaga’s disease. Achalasia is associated w/ increased risk of esophageal Carcinoma. Complication: Reflux of food–>aspiration Sx.

BDxT (best Dx test) is manometry showing failure of the LES to relax, as well as the absence of peristaltic waves in the upper esophagus. However endoscopy is required to ensure that there is no malignancy.

I am not a huge fan of the ABCs mnemonics. There are so many of them, so you can easily get confused. However, for Achalasia ABC seems to work fine. Let me know what you think and how to improve this mnemonic. Thanks!

Hello everyone. I apologize for the inconvenience. Mnemocine website is not down, it just goes through a slight makeover. Please, check back in a few days. Thank you. Until the new posts are up and running visit this website for mnemonics.