Acute

Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is a common diagnosis throughout the world. In the US it affects approximately 1 in 1000 people and ranks as the 3rd most common cause of death in hospitalized patients. More than 80% of PEs are associated with DVTs in hospitalized patients with risk factors being recent trauma, surgery, immobility or obesity. While it can be entirely asymptomatic, nearly 25% of patients are thought to experience sudden death as their only manifestation of disease.1 Because of this…

Introduction: One of the most common and serious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract is Acute Pancreatitis. The suddenness of its onset, the illimitable agony which accompanies it, and the mortality attendant upon it, all render it the most formidable of catastrophes Clinicians have largely been unable to predict which patients with Acute Pancreatitis will develop severe disease. Uniformly, severity &scoring systems are cumbersome, typically require 48 hours to become accurate, and when the…

Does laughter really help with the healing process in the acute care setting? Stress has been known to increase facial temperature, pulse, and respiratory rate (Elloit,. 2002 p 23-27). So does laughter do the opposite? It has been known to elevate mood levels as noted by relieving induced depression and increasing pain tolerances (Elloit,. 2002 p 23-27). Even Florence Nightingale recommended that nurses try to alleviate pain and boredom by laughing, but does it help with healing? Patients go to…

Acute myocardial infarction is known to many as a heart attack. It occurs when blood flow is blocked to a part of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle (healthline.com). This is often a fatal incident for some people. However, many have survived a heart attack and now know their risks associated with this heart condition and have to monitor their daily lives. For the individuals that are aware of their heightened risk, they monitor their blood pressure, diet, cholesterol, and any…

In Acute asthma exacerbation, airways are inflamed and obstruction worsens making it a life threatening disease. Patients who die following an exacerbation of acute asthma have extremely inflamed airways. The pathophysiological mechanism of acute asthma involves certain episodes including cough, dyspnoea, wheezing, chest tightness, ARH, variable airflow obstruction or a combination of these signs and symptoms. On the other hand, chronic asthma is related to chronic inflammation and categorized…

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a malignant disorder affecting children and adults, peaking between the ages of 2 and 5 years old then rising slowly after the age of 50 (Pui, Robison, & Look, 2008). While effective treatments have raised the cure rate to over 80%, ALL remains the second leading cause of death from cancer in children (Mullighan et al., 2009). There are about 6,250 new cases of ALL with about 1,450 deaths, mainly affecting more males than females and more whites than African…

In the kitchen. In the bathroom. Possibly in a loved one’s bedroom. Products that have been tested on animals can be seen everywhere. These products can range anywhere from cosmetics to drugs to cleaning supplies. Companies involved with animal testing include Johnson & Johnson, Iams Pet Food, Kimberly-Clark with Kleenex, Mars Candy, and Trojan Condoms (8 Products). With individuals becoming more aware of the issue, the conditions in which these animals are kept and the treatment these animals…

Although medicine has significantly advanced, migraines still remain difficult to treat. Typically, migraines are treated using two approaches; acute/abortive and preventative care. Abortive treatment is indicated during a migraine attack and is targeted to stop symptoms by constricting blood vessels and blocking pain pathways in the brain.36 These medications are known as triptans and target the chemical serotonin. Not only are fluctuating serotonin levels linked to causing migraines, but they…

Acute Pancreatitis Clinical Presentation Clinical presentation can be classified into three main categories. The categories include the patients’ major complaints, which are those signs and symptoms which are easily identifiable, finding based on physical examinations as well as those that manifest themselves as a result of complications. The clinical presentation of the disease tends to be dependent on the severity of the inflammation occurring in the pancreas as well as the possibility of…

blood, but no other symptoms are present. Asymptomatic gout doesn’t require treatment typically. The second stage is known as acute gout, this is where intense pain and inflammation occurs in the joints. Acute gout attacks can come on in the space of a few hours and last up to a week. The third stage is called Interval gout, which is the time in between acute gout attacks where no symptoms are present and the joint has returned to a normal state. The fourth and final stage…