All About Positive Health

One day, I was consulted by a frightened patient and her relatives for bleeding from mouth. Her mouth was full of blood and hardly she could speak. Foul smelling odor was coming out of her mouth. No one could volunteer the cause of this bleeding. This is perhaps generic to India and particularly to Orissa; where doctor has to diagnose without much lead from the patient. Anyway, I thought it to be perhaps due to gingivitis, an inflammation of gum; which is much more common here. I examined the mouth with much difficulty as the patient could hardly open it; and saw a bleeding mass in the hard palate. The lady, as usual in rural Orissa is habituated to tobacco and on further inquiry she admitted that the lesion is of long duration. That was provisionally diagnosed to be a cancer of hard palate. Tobacco is the main culprit.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Harmful Effects Of Tobacco (thepclinic.com)

Now-a-days accident is the major cause of death world wide. Again majority are due to road accidents. On time resuscitative measures play a larger role in the survival of the victim. Many passerby do not respond fearing a  legal hassle. But that is not the fact now but many are not aware of it.  In “ABCD” of resuscitation of a victim, A stands for air way, B for breathing, C for circulation and D for death when ABC fail. These are looked into on the priority basis in that order. Air way cleaning is the first step as patient can not take respirationoxygen and can not withstand oxygen lack for more than three minutes.  Next in the hierarchy comes circulation which is to be maintained for adequate perfusion of brain and other vital organs. If all these are not looked into promptly D for death will be inevitable. Though mentioned in a order, all those can be followed simultaneously.
Circulation, the third in the hierarchy is often not adequately taken care of. This is because non availability of blood when there is severe blood loss. Many ambulances neither carry blood nor have trained persons to administer it. In India the situation is still worse in a sense that arranging blood even in a hospital setting is difficult,that to many hospitals do not have the facility to collect and store blood.

In this setting researchers are in search of a blood substitute which could maintain the  the circulation, carry oxygen as well as be non reactive to the human. Typically the haemoglobin in the red blood cells are responsible for caring oxygen to the target cells. So,  many polymers were developed and tested to resuscitate a patient from haemorrhagic shock due to severe blood loss requiring six to eight units in first twelve hours. Many polymers failed to fulfill the target. Recently a haemoglobin based polymer has been synthesized and available for use in developed countries. Though some reactions have been observed in its use, the benefits clearly outweigh the risks. I do not know if it is available in India. I think we will have to wait for some more time to get it at least in national highway side areas. Also, I  think  nanotechnology  may be the future hope for development of more efficient oxygen carrying fluid. if it is blocked and the foreign material may choke the air way. The next is to establish respiration as brain is very much sensitive to lack of

Related articles by Zemanta

• Artificial Blood: Coming Soon to An Artery Near You (singularityhub.com)

ESOPHAGEAL VARICES.

Bleeding from upper intestine ,most commonly from an ulcer in stomach and duodenum causes black stool .Black stool is due to action of acid (hydrochloric)on the hemoglobin (present in the red blood cells).That is substantiated by occult blood test of a stool sample.
The exact disease of stomach and duodenum can be determined by endoscopy.Amongst various other causes of bleeding cancer of stomach, esophageal varices and tear of upper end of stomach are important.
Bleeding blood vessels in an ulcer can be sealed endoscopically and further blood loss be prevented. Along with that acid suppression also important.Some times it may be required to transfuse blood to the patient.
Analgesics are most common triggering factor for ulceration and subsequent bleeding.To prevent this dreaded complication analgesics to be taken when it is essential and informing doctor for previous acid peptic disease while getting treatment is absolutely necessary.

Stomach Ulcer

http://www.linkedIn.com/in/drppanda