Phencyclidine (PCP) was developed in the 1950s as an intravenous anesthetic but, due to the side effects of confusion and delirium, its development for human medical use was discontinued. In its pure form, it is a white crystalline powder that readily dissolves in water or alcohol and has a distinctive bitter chemical taste. On the illicit drug market, Phencyclidine contains a number of contaminants as a result of makeshift manufacturing, causing the color to range from tan to brown, and the consistency to range from powder to a gummy mass. It is available in a variety of tablets, capsules, and colored powders, which are either taken orally or snorted. The liquid form of phencyclidine is actually phencyclidine base dissolved most often in ether, a highly flammable solvent. For smoking, phencyclidine is typically sprayed onto leafy material such as mint, parsley, oregano, or marijuana.

Craft man’s new ear from rib cartilage and the skin on his forearm

U.S. biotech firm Bioquark recently got approval to move forward with its ReAnima Project, in which it will try to reverse brain death in patients on life support

Simple interrupted suturing is the most basic and most important of the suturing techniques.

Each year, thousands of babies in the U.S. are born addicted to opiates. And the problem is getting worse.

Developmental Milestones: Baby Talk from First Sounds to First Words

Here's a quick simple way to determine if a pH disturbance is respiratory or metabolic.

Pneumonia is an infection that inflames the air sacs in one or both lungs. The air sacs may fill with fluid or pus (purulent material), causing cough with phlegm or pus, fever, chills, and difficulty breathing. A variety of organisms, including bacteria, viruses and fungi, can cause pneumonia.

Frontotemporal dementia (frontotemporal lobar degeneration) is an umbrella term for a diverse group of uncommon disorders that primarily affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain — the areas generally associated with personality, behavior and language. In frontotemporal dementia, portions of these lobes shrink (atrophy). Signs and symptoms vary, depending upon the portion of the brain affected. Some people with frontotemporal dementia undergo dramatic changes in their personality and become socially inappropriate, impulsive or emotionally indifferent, while others lose the ability to use language.

This medication is used to treat certain types of serious (possibly fatal) irregular heartbeat (such as persistent ventricular fibrillation/tachycardia). It is used to restore normal heart rhythm and maintain a regular, steady heartbeat. Amiodarone is known as an anti-arrhythmic drug. It works by blocking certain electrical signals in the heart that can cause an irregular heartbeat.

Furosemide is a prescription drug. It’s available in two forms that you take by mouth: a tablet and a solution. It’s also available as an injectable solution, which is given by a healthcare provider. The furosemide tablet is available as the brand-name drug Lasix. It’s also available as a generic drug. Generic drugs usually cost less. In some cases, they may not be available in every strength or form as the brand-name version.

Modern treatment of seizures started in 1850 with the introduction of bromides, which was based on the theory that epilepsy was caused by an excessive sex drive. In 1910, phenobarbital (PHB), which then was used to induce sleep, was found to have antiseizure activity and became the drug of choice for many years. A number of medications similar to PHB were developed, including primidone.

Watch a successful venipuncture on an 82 year old patient with a history of failed IV access. Veinlite makes one-stick venipuncture possible on even the most challenging patients.

This is a demonstration of the scapula manipulation method of relocating a dislocated shoulder

This is an introduction to ventilator settings like FIO2, PEEP, Flow rate,trigger,TV, and RR. I also discuss how these settings relate to CO2 and O2 control and to complications like oxygen toxicity and barotrauma with an emphasis on physiology.

Lupus hair loss and alopecia explained

Learn the CBC once and for all!

Some of these advancements include the use of robots to perform the surgery and the use of computer mapping scanners and software and even 3D printers to make the artificial knee implant. We are also seeing a lot of different advances being made by the medical device manufacturers.Some of these changes are designed to make the devices more durable than the 10 to 20 years they are currently rated to last. This is important when younger patients who are years away from being considered elderly have a total knee replacement, they will typically need another artificial knee implanted at a later date since they are likely to outlive the implant, which doesn’t always happen with elderly patients.

Gastroschisis is a birth defect of the abdominal (belly) wall. The baby’s intestines stick outside of the baby’s body, through a hole beside the belly button. The hole can be small or large and sometimes other organs, such as the stomach and liver, can also stick outside of the baby’s body. Gastroschisis occurs early during pregnancy when the muscles that make up the baby’s abdominal wall do not form correctly. A hole occurs which allows the intestines and other organs to extend outside of the body, usually to the right side of belly button. Because the intestines are not covered in a protective sac and are exposed to the amniotic fluid, the bowel can become irritated, causing it to shorten, twist, or swell.

Decompression is a surgical procedure that is performed to alleviate pain caused by pinched nerves (neural impingement). During a lumbar decompression back surgery, a small portion of the bone over the nerve root and/or disc material from under the nerve root is removed to give the nerve root more space and provide a better healing environment. There are two common types of spine surgery decompression procedures: Microdiscectomy Lumbar Microdiscectomy Microdiscectomy Surgery Video A microdiscectomy (a microdecompression) is typically performed for pain from a lumbar herniated disc. The surgery is considered reliable for leg pain caused by the herniated disc, most commonly called sciatica by patients, and most commonly referred to by medical practitioners as a radiculopathy. Read more about Microdiscectomy Surgery