COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is a progressive disease that makes it hard to breathe. Progressive means the disease gets worse over time. COPD can cause coughing that produces large amounts of a slimy substance called mucus, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and other symptoms. Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of COPD. Most people who have COPD smoke or used to smoke. However, up to 25 percent of people with COPD never smoked. Long-term exposure to other lung irritants—such as air pollution, chemical fumes, or dusts—also may contribute to COPD. A rare genetic condition called alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency can also cause the disease.

Start in RLQ (so you don’t miss a giant spleen). Get your fingers set then ask patient to take a deep breath. Don’t dip your fingers or do anything but wait. When patient expires, take up new position. Note lowest point of spleen below costal margin, texture of splenic contour, and tenderness If spleen is not felt, repeat with pt lying on right side. Gravity may bring spleen within reach. “LET THE SPLEEN PALPATE YOUR FINGERS AND NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. THERE IS NO GOLD, SO DON’T DIG!”

An enlarged spleen may cause: No symptoms in some cases. Pain or fullness in the left upper abdomen that may spread to the left shoulder. Feeling full without eating or after eating only a small amount from the enlarged spleen pressing on your stomach. Anemia. Fatigue. Frequent infections. Easy bleeding.

An untreated hepatic abscess is nearly uniformly fatal as a result of complications that include sepsis, empyema, or peritonitis from rupture into the pleural or peritoneal spaces, and retroperitoneal extension. Treatment should include drainage, either percutaneous or surgical. Antibiotic therapy as a sole treatment modality is not routinely advocated, though it has been successful in a few reported cases. It may be the only alternative in patients too ill to undergo invasive procedures or in those with multiple abscesses not amenable to percutaneous or surgical drainage. In these instances, patients are likely to require many months of antimicrobial therapy with serial imaging and close monitoring for associated complications.

Epidural hematoma (EDH) is a traumatic accumulation of blood between the inner table of the skull and the stripped-off dural membrane. EDH results from traumatic head injury, usually with an associated skull fracture and arterial laceration.The inciting event often is a focused blow to the head, such as that produced by a hammer or baseball bat. In 85-95% of patients, this type of trauma results in an overlying fracture of the skull. Blood vessels in close proximity to the fracture are the sources of the hemorrhage in the formation of an epidural hematoma. Because the underlying brain has usually been minimally injured, prognosis is excellent if treated aggressively. Outcome from surgical decompression and repair is related directly to patient's preoperative neurologic condition. [1]

Kidney Stone Breaking Device video, very interesting

Types of multiple myeloma. Multiple myeloma is the most common type of plasma cell cancer. The bones and bone marrow are the main sites where myeloma cells (abnormal plasma cells) are produced. The myeloma cells can form tumours, called plasmacytomas, in many bones in the body.

Intramedullary nailing of the tibia with suprapatellar entry and semi-extended positioning makes it technically easier to nail the proximal and distal fractures. The purpose of this article was to describe a simple method for suprapatellar nailing (SPN). A step-by-step run through of the surgical technique is described, including positioning of the patient. There are as yet only a few clinical studies that illustrate the complications with this method, and there has been no increased frequency of intraarticular damage. Within the body of the manuscript, information is included about intraarticular damage and comments with references about anterior knee pain.

Epidermoid cysts, also called sebaceous, keratin, or epithelial cysts, are small, hard lumps that develop under the skin. These cysts are common. They grow slowly. They do not cause other symptoms and are nearly never cancerous. Epidermoid cysts are often found on the face, head, neck, back, or genitals

A pneumothorax occurs when some of the tiny air sacs (alveoli) in a baby's lung become overinflated and burst. This causes air to leak into the space between the lung and chest wall (pleural space). The most common cause of pneumothorax is respiratory distress syndrome. This is a condition that occurs in babies who are born too early (premature). The baby's lungs lack the slippery substance (surfactant) that helps them stay open. Therefore, the tiny air sacs are not able to expand as easily. If the baby is put on a breathing machine (mechanical ventilator), there is extra pressure on the baby's lungs, which can sometimes burst the air sacs.

Wow! amazing tool. The disturbingly fascincating fix of ingrown toenail

The ureter can become obstructed due to conditions such as kidney stones, tumors, infection, or blood clots. When this happens, physicians can use image guidance to place stents or tubes in the ureter to restore the flow of urine to the bladder. A ureteral stent is a thin, flexible tube threaded into the ureter.

ROBOTIC ASSISTED RADICAL NEPHRECTOMY

Wet dreams occur when you ejaculate during your sleep. The medical term for a wet dream is “nocturnal emission.“ Most wet dreams are reported in teenage boys and young men, and sometimes they occur well into adulthood.

Emergency contraception is a method of birth control you can use if you had sex without using birth control or if your birth control method did not work correctly. You must use emergency contraception as soon as possible after unprotected sex. Emergency contraception pills are different from the abortion pill. If you are already pregnant, emergency contraception pills do not stop or harm your pregnancy. Emergency contraception has also been called the "morning-after pill," but you do not need to wait until the morning after unprotected sex to take it. Emergency contraception is not meant to be used for regular birth control. Talk to your doctor or nurse about regular birth control to help prevent pregnancy. Nearly half of all pregnancies in the United States are unplanned.1

A Pfannenstiel incision /ˈfɑːnᵻnʃtiːl/ is a type of abdominal surgical incision that allows access to the abdomen. It is used for gynecologic and orthopedics surgeries, and it is the most common method for performing Caesarian sections today.

Intra-abdominal abscess continues to be an important and serious problem in surgical practice. Appropriate treatment is often delayed because of the obscure nature of many conditions resulting in abscess formation, which can make diagnosis and localization difficult. Associated pathophysiologic effects may become life threatening or lead to extended periods of morbidity with prolonged hospitalization. Delayed diagnosis and treatment can also lead to increased mortality; therefore, the economic impact of delaying treatment is significant.

A penile prosthesis is another treatment option for men with erectile dysfunction (ED). These devices are either malleable or inflatable. The simplest type of prosthesis consists of a pair of malleable (bendable) rods surgically implanted within the erection chambers of the penis. With this type of implant the penis is always semi-rigid and merely needs to be lifted or adjusted into the erect position to initiate sex. Today, many men choose a hydraulic, inflatable prosthesis, which allows a man to have an erection whenever he chooses and is much easier to conceal. It is also more natural.

The inflatable penile prosthesis consists of two attached cylinders -- a reservoir and a pump -- which are placed surgically in the body. The two cylinders are inserted in the penis and connected by tubing to a separate reservoir of saline. The reservoir is implanted under the rectus muscles in the lower abdomen. The Coloplast Titan Touch inflatable penile prosthesis is a self-contained, fluid-filled system made from Bioflex and silicone.

Thyroid nodules increase with age and are present in almost 10% of the adult population. Autopsy studies reveal the presence of thyroid nodules in 50% of the population, so they are fairly common. 95% of solitary thyroid nodules are benign, and therefore, only 5% of thyroid nodules are malignant.