Pneumothorax

As soon as I put my stethoscope on her chest, I noted the complete absence of breath sounds. I got paralyzed for a few seconds, but I had to face it; that petrifying moment of being unsupervised, finally came. This patient had a pneumothorax; her O2 sat was 86 and RR 29. Undeniably, this situation called for a quick decision. We did not have time to wait for the attending to evaluate her. Based on my knowledge and training, I decided to do a chest decompression. My fellow resident…

Emergency medicine is a fast-paced, team-oriented specialty where you can have an enormous impact on your patients for emergency physicians are experts at diagnosing and managing patients for quite literally anything. This would be my idea of a "dream-job"; and no, this isn't because of popular stereotypes of asians having these types of jobs although, I do have to admit that this is an unusual choice in comparison to others who might want to be teachers, chefs, police officers, etc. In my eyes…

Police officers need to train and be proficient in tactical medical training as it may save their life. In today’s society the difference between life and death could be a matter of seconds. Law enforcement officers should train in tactical medicine and be proficient in it as it may save their life. In 2014, there was 133 line of duty deaths in law enforcement. Of those 133 deaths, 47 were due to gunfire (ODMP, 2014). While all death is certain at some point in our life, some of these…

Silica dust produced from rock and sand, and coal dust are the most common dusts to cause pneumoconiosis. Some Suppurative and Necrotic conditions of the Lower Respiratory Tract include Pyothorax, Pneumothorax, and Abscess of the Mediastinum. Pyothorax or also known as Empyema, is where pus gathers in between the lungs and inner surface of the chest wall. Pyothorax (J86.0, J86.1), usually develops after pneumonia. The pus can not be coughed out but…

valves, dissections and aneurysms in the aorta and scoliosis or kyphosis in the spine (Genetics Home Reference, 2012). Sunken or protruding chest walls can lead to irregular accumulations of air in the chest cavity which can result in a spontaneous pneumothorax (Genetics Home Reference, 2012). With this information as reference, exploration of the genograms, ecomaps and context can now provide insight into the affects of this disease on the family structure of R.C. and…

SUBCLAVIAN VEIN ANATOMICAL LANDMARK Site of needle insertion is 1 cm inferior to the junction of the middle and medial third of the clavicle at the deltopectoral groove. Approach Supraclavicular - is not preferred because of high incidence of pneumothorax Infraclavicular - is the most common approach. POSITION Supine with slight retraction of shoulder Trendelenberg reduces the chance of occurrence of VAE…

The ABCDE framework (Resuscitation Council 2005) is an acronym that is used for assessment and treatment for critically ill patients. It is a framework that is widely recognised and when used correctly can form the basis for a rapid, yet systematic and therefore thorough initial assessment (Jevon 2010; Page and McKinney 2012). It also assists in determining the seriousness of the condition and helps to prioritise the interventions needed (Page and McKinney 2012; Thim et al. 2012). It is…

Vital signs are objective measures of physiological function that are used to monitor acute and chronic disease and thus serve as a basic communication tool about patient status.1 Vital signs consist of the measurements of heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and body temperature. Vital signs are used to monitor patient’s health status and also to monitor their recovery from certain diseases. Numerous physiological and pathological changes may occur with age and alter vital signs.1…

ENDOCRINAL GLANDS Patients with anorexia nervosa have a number of abnormalities in endocrine function. Secretion rates of cortisol are generally elevated,and metabolic clearance rates are decreased, with the result that the half-life of cortisol may be prolonged in malnourished individuals. The clinical significance of this elevated cortisol level is unknown, but it may be involved with loss of bone density in anorexia nervosa(Lo Sauro et al., 2008). Alterations in growth hormone are also…

I cared for the patient who suffered blunt chest trauma and who was in respiratory distress. My patient was middle aged male who fell off his motorcycle and, as a result of the fall, obtained multiple rib fractures and pneumothorax. CT scan and chest X-ray indicated that he also had bilateral lung atelectasis at the bases. The breathing pattern was irregular, characterized by shallow, rapid respirations at the rate of 30-40 breaths/minute. His oxygen saturation fluctuated between 78-83% on room…