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Choking occurs when a foreign object becomes lodged in the throat or windpipe, blocking the flow of air. In adults, a piece of food often is the culprit. Young children often swallow small objects. Because choking cuts off oxygen to the brain, administer first aid as quickly as possible. The universal sign for choking is hands clutched to the throat. If the person doesn't give the signal, look for these indications: Inability to talk Difficulty breathing or noisy breathing Inability to cough forcefully Skin, lips and nails turning blue or dusky Loss of consciousness
Friedreich's ataxia is an inherited disease that damages your nervous system. The damage affects your spinal cord and the nerves that control muscle movement in your arms and legs. Symptoms usually begin between the ages of 5 and 15. The main symptom is ataxia, which means trouble coordinating movements. Specific symptoms include Difficulty walking Muscle weakness Speech problems Involuntary eye movements Scoliosis (curving of the spine to one side) Heart palpitations, from the heart disease which can happen along with Friedreich's ataxia People with Friedreich's ataxia usually need a wheelchair 15 to 20 years after symptoms first appear. In severe cases, people become incapacitated. There is no cure. You can treat symptoms with medicines, braces, surgery, and physical therapy.
A new and safer method of inserting a Foley catheter suprapubically. The technique allows the insertion to be carried out in an Outpatient setting, thus saving time, cost and effort. By using the Seldinger technique, the product reduces the chances of bowel or bladder perforation and resultant morbidity.
The product has been chosen by The NHS National Technology Adoption Centre to help facilitate adoption of the product.
See www.mediplus.co.uk for more information
In this video, Dr. Joe Bresee, with the CDC Influenza Division, describes swine flu - its signs and symptoms, how it's transmitted, medicines to treat it, steps people can take to protect themselves from it, and what people should do if they become ill.
Barrett's esophagus is a complication of chronic (long lasting) and usually severe gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD), but occurs in only a small percentage of patients with GERD. Criteria are needed for screening patients with GERD for Barrett's esophagus. Until validated criteria are available, it seems reasonable to do screening endoscopies in GERD patients who cannot be taken off acid suppression therapy after two to three years. The diagnosis of Barrett's esophagus rests upon seeing (at endoscopy) a pink esophageal lining that extends a short distance (usually less than 2.5 inches) up the esophagus from the gastroesophageal junction and finding intestinal type cells (goblet cells) on biopsy of the lining. There is a small but definite increased risk of cancer of the esophagus (adenocarcinoma) in patients with Barrett's esophagus.
In a small but promising Phase II clinical trial of breast cancer treatment, cryoablation killed 25 early-stage tumors in 13 women. The tumors ranged in size from .5 cm (very small) to 5.8 cm (very large), with an average size of 1.7cm. Patients were first given a local anesthesia with mild sedation before physicians used ultrasound with or without computed tomography (CT) imaging to guide needle-like probes to deliver very low temperature gas to the tumor site. The ultra-cold gas forms a ball of ice around the probe tip, then expands and destroys surrounding tumor cells. A harmless saline solution was first injected into the chest wall and skin of the breast to protect the tissue surrounding the tumor from the freezing effects. Patients experienced very little pain and most healed completely within six months with no complications and with little or no scarring. The cryotherapy margins of each participant were biopsied immediately after the procedures, and all were negative, with no evidence of cancerous tissue. All 13 patients were without recurrence at an average of 18 months and up to five years following the procedure. These results are promising, but larger studies with lengthier follow-up are needed to determine whether cryotherapy as effective as lumpectomy. A study involving cryoablation of mouse tumors at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center found that the freezing procedure also works like a vaccine, boosting the immune system to reduce the likelihood of recurrence. Just how quickly the tumor was frozen made a difference: a 30-second freeze killed tumors and also boosted the immune system, inhibiting metastases to the lungs. A slower freezing lasting several minutes destroyed tumors just as effectively, but actually suppressed the immune system, resulting in greater metastases to the lungs.
Curettage, electrosurgery, and laser surgery are more likely than cryotherapy to leave scars, so they are usually reserved for hard-to-remove or recurring warts. If you have a large area of warts, curettage may not be an effective treatment. Some surgical treatments may be too painful for some children.
Hypoglycemia is a common and serious medical emergency which may occur in both daibetic and non-diabetic patients. The signs and symptoms of hypoglycaemia may be present in many individuals, but may also be masked in several individuals due to a condition called hypoglycaemia induced autonomic failure. This presentation aims to deal with the causes, clinical features, diagnosis and management of various causes of hypoglycaemia. The causes of hypoglycaemia may be divided into hypoglycaemia in ill or medicated individuals and hypoglycaemia in previously asymptomatic individuals. A variety of causes are discussed under both headings. Management of hypoglycaemia is also discussed in detail. There is also a brief discussion about management of insulinoma.