Tropical Travel Trouble 005 RUQ Pain and Jaundice
LITFL • Life in the Fast Lane Medical Blog LITFL • Life in the Fast Lane Medical Blog - Emergency medicine and critical care medical education blog
aka Tropical Travel Trouble 005
Guest Post: Dr Branden Skarpiak – Global Health Fellow, Department of Emergency Medicine. UT Health San Antonio
A 35 year old male presents to your emergency room for right upper quadrant pain that has gotten worse over the last 2-3 days. He also describes associated nausea, vomiting, and fevers. He denies other abdominal pain, or change in his bowel or bladder habits. His wife notes that he has started to “look more yellow” recent...
Source: Life in the Fast Lane - March 19, 2018 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Neil Long Tags: Clinical Cases Tropical Medicine amebic amoeba amoebiasis amoebic dysentery amoebic liver abscess bloody diarrhoea e.dispar e.histolytica entamoeba histolytica Source Type: blogs
It’s in the Urine
"I just put a young woman in her mid-30s back in room 9," the triage nurse said. I made a mental note that that was the GYN room. The nurse continued, "She feels bad, fatigued, and just not right in her stomach." The obvious question flew from my mouth. "Is she pregnant?""I have the urine, but the quality controls are being run now, so it will be a few minutes."I glanced at the EMR before heading back to the room: normal vitals, no fever, no medications, a couple of kids, no surgeries, last period three weeks before. Not much there to go on, but I could see her while waitin...
Source: Lions and Tigers and Bears - February 28, 2018 Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs
Medgadget ’s Best Medical Technologies of 2017
We reported a surge in the use of augmented reality in healthcare at the end of 2016, with the trend continuing in 2017. Notably, Microsoft’s HoloLens was successfully used for spinal surgery applications by a surgical navigation company named Scopis. There are several advantages to this system including reduced radiation exposure of patients, improved screw placement accuracy, and decreased surgery times.
It has been an exciting year for healthcare with many advances in how diseases are diagnosed, treated, and cured. Medical devices are constantly becoming smaller, smarter, cheaper, more precise and user friendly...
Source: Medgadget - December 26, 2017 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Editors Tags: Exclusive Source Type: blogs
BiliSpec, Tested in Malawi, Diagnoses Jaundice in Children for Cheap
A cheap and easy to use device invented by students at Rice University has shown, in a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, that it can detect jaundice from a small blood sample. Currently, lab equipment and disposable cartridges are used to detect jaundice early and accurately, but this is often too expensive and difficult to maintain in many places around the world. The BiliSpec device quantifies the level of bilirubin present in the sample similar to how diabetics currently use glucometers to measure their blood sugar levels, which doesn’t require much technical skill, can be perfo...
Source: Medgadget - December 7, 2017 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Editors Tags: Diagnostics GI Pediatrics Public Health Source Type: blogs
Funtabulously Frivolous Friday Five 212
LITFL • Life in the Fast Lane Medical Blog
LITFL • Life in the Fast Lane Medical Blog - Emergency medicine and critical care medical education blog
Just when you thought your brain could unwind on a Friday, you realise that it would rather be challenged with some good old fashioned medical trivia FFFF…introducing Funtabulously Frivolous Friday Five 212 – a “where in the world” edition from Dr Mark Corden – paediatric fellow in Melbourne.
Question 1
Where in the world was insulin discovered?
www.diabetes.co.uk
+ Reveal the Funtabulous Answer
expand(document.getElementById('ddet1478966...
Source: Life in the Fast Lane - November 3, 2017 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Neil Long Tags: Frivolous Friday Five appendicectomy artificial ear bionic ear claudius aymand cochlear implant frederick banting Graeme Clark hyperbilirubinaemia insulin Leonid Rogozov mestivier phototherapy pierre eymard Sister J Ward sodi Source Type: blogs
Optical Fiber Pajamas Light Up to Treat Jaundice in Newborns
Kids born with jaundice have to spend a good deal of time in an illuminated incubator before they can metabolize bilirubin hepatically. Nobody likes this, as the child has to be taken away from the parents to spend time inside a glass box.
At the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa), a new illuminated fabric has been developed that can be used to make baby pajamas that literally blanket the child in light. There are technologies that resemble this, such as the Biliblanket, but Empa’s technology integrates optical fibers that are no wider than regular thread, right into traditional...
Source: Medgadget - November 1, 2017 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Editors Tags: Pediatrics Source Type: blogs
MKSAP: 32-year-old woman with weight loss, abdominal cramping, and loose stools
Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians.
A 32-year-old woman is evaluated for a 2-month history of weight loss, abdominal cramping, and loose stools. Her stools are malodorous, but she has not noted any blood associated with her bowel movements. Although her appetite is good, she has lost 3.2 kg (7.0 lb). She has an 8-year history of diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis.
On physical examination, temperature is normal, blood pressure is 146/92 mm Hg, pulse rate is 94/min, and respiration rate is 16/min. BMI is 19. Cardiopulmonary examination is normal. ...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - October 21, 2017 Category: General Medicine Authors: < a href="http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/mksap" rel="tag" > mksap < /a > Tags: Conditions Gastroenterology Rheumatology Source Type: blogs
Naturopaths: Able to turn even Epsom salt potentially deadly
Naturopathy and naturopaths are a fairly frequent topic on this blog —and for very good reason. If there is an example of a pseudomedical " discipline " that has been gaining undeserved " respectability, " it ' s naturopathy. It ' s licensed in all too many states, and physicians who have fallen under the spell of so-called " integrative medicine, " a specialty that rebrands science-based lifestyle medical interventions as somehow " alternative " or " integrative " and uses them as a vessel to " integrate " quackery into medicine, seem to have a special affinity for naturopaths. Indeed, so common has the presence of natu...
Source: Respectful Insolence - October 6, 2017 Category: Surgery Authors: oracknows Source Type: blogs
Novel Smartphone App for Bilirubin, Pancreatic Cancer Screening
Pancreatic cancer patients have one of the lowest five-year survival rates, due in large part to the disease going undiagnosed in its early and intermediate stages. There are no overt symptoms during the critical early period, and non-invasive screening tools for identifying early pancreatic tumors before they metastasize have yet to be developed and translated into clinical use.
A team of researchers at the University of Washington has recently developed a novel smartphone app, which enables straightforward, non-invasive screening for pancreatic cancer and other diseases based on image analysis. The app, named BiliScreen,...
Source: Medgadget - August 31, 2017 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Iris Kulbatski Tags: Diagnostics GI Medicine Net News Source Type: blogs
Doctors grow up so fast, don ’t they?
“Doctor, I need some orders for this patient. Can you do that soon so that I can get started?”
I was just bringing up a preterm infant to NICU due to concerns for maternal infections. Yes, it was July 3, 2016 — my first official day of residency where I was no longer “just” a medical student. I was a doctor!
My initial reaction was to look around me, thinking (and hoping) that the nurse was talking to some “other” doctor. I was terrified of putting these orders. Should I start the baby on amp and gent? If so, how much? Should I round up the dosing? Does he need IV fluids? When should I check a bilirub...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - May 31, 2017 Category: General Medicine Authors: < a href="http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/shubham-bakshi" rel="tag" > Shubham Bakshi, MD < /a > Tags: Physician Pediatrics Source Type: blogs
MKSAP: 28-year-old man with elevated liver chemistry test result
Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians.
A 28-year-old man is evaluated in follow-up for elevated liver chemistry test results, which were performed to assess a 3-month history of fatigue. He has no history of liver disease and has not had abdominal pain or fever. His medical history is significant for a 3-year history of diarrhea. Following a physical exam, lab results, and abdominal CT, what is the most appropriate next step in management?
On physical examination, vital signs are normal; BMI is 24. Spider angiomata and jaundice are absent. Abdominal ...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - March 18, 2017 Category: Journals (General) Authors: < a href="http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/mksap" rel="tag" > mksap < /a > Tags: Conditions GI Source Type: blogs
MKSAP: 68-year-old woman with progressive abdominal distention
Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians.
A 68-year-old woman is evaluated for a 3-month history of gradually progressive abdominal distention. Her medical history is notable for a 20-year history of obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension. She also has had a 10-year history of elevation of serum aminotransferase levels, which was attributed to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. She does not consume alcohol. Her medications are metformin, lisinopril, low-dose aspirin, and simvastatin.
On physical examination, vital signs are n...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - December 24, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: < a href="http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/mksap" rel="tag" > mksap < /a > Tags: Conditions GI Source Type: blogs
Doctors are teachers too
Madame Theriault refused a rectal exam but agreed to get me some stool cards, the first one the next morning, Saturday. Sadie, the lab tech, had enough blood to send off a B-12, folate and iron studies. We agreed to be in touch Saturday morning and Tuesday. If she gets worse, she will go to the emergency room.
The man who felt bad all over had a bilirubin twice the upper limit, his liver enzymes were elevated and although he didn’t have a fever, his white blood cell count was elevated. I explained to him and his wife that his bile ducts were plugged and he was being poisoned from inside by all that bile and there may eve...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - November 30, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: < a href="http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/a-country-doctor" rel="tag" > A Country Doctor, MD < /a > Tags: Physician Primary care Source Type: blogs
MKSAP: 68-year-old woman with gradually progressive abdominal distention
Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians.
A 68-year-old woman is evaluated for a 3-month history of gradually progressive abdominal distention. Her medical history is notable for a 20-year history of obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension. She also has had a 10-year history of elevation of serum aminotransferase levels, which was attributed to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. She does not consume alcohol. Her medications are metformin, lisinopril, low-dose aspirin, and simvastatin.
On physical examination, vital signs are n...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - September 24, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: < a href="http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/mksap" rel="tag" > mksap < /a > Tags: Conditions GI Source Type: blogs
ONC Announces Winners Of FHIR App Challenge
The ONC has announced the first wave of winners of two app challenges, both of which called for competitors to use FHIR standards and open APIs.
As I’ve noted previously, I’m skeptical that market forces can solve our industry’s broad interoperability problems, even if they’re supported and channeled by a neutral intermediary like ONC. But there’s little doubt that FHIR has the potential to provide some of the benefits of interoperability, as we’ll see below.
Winners of Phase 1 of the agency’s Consumer Health Data Aggregator Challenge, each of whom will receive a $15,000 award, included the following:
Green ...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - August 3, 2016 Category: Information Technology Authors: Anne Zieger Tags: Clinical Decision Support Digital Health Direct Project EHR Electronic Health Record Electronic Medical Record EMR Healthcare HealthCare IT HL7 Hospital EHR Hospitals Interfaces mHealth Consumer Health Data Aggregator Challenge Source Type: blogs
