Articles
Diagnosing Pneumonia on Chest X-Ray
Pneumonia, which is defined as inflammation of the lung, is a common cause of morbidity and mortality around the world. Every year between 0.5% and 1% of adults in the U.K. will develop community-acquired pneumonia. Pneumonia is characterised by exudation and...
Drugs in Pregnancy
Drugs are now used in over half of all pregnancies and the prevalence of their use is steadily increasing. Some of the most commonly prescribed drugs include analgesics, antiemetics, antimicrobials and antihistamines. In addition to this the use of social and illicit...
Interpreting Abnormal Liver Function Tests
Dealing with a patient with abnormal liver function tests (LFTs) in the primary care setting is an extremely common clinical scenario. Approximately 20% of all LFTs are abnormal, of which less than 10% can be explained by existing disease. LFTs are not specific to...
The Mysterious Sweating Sickness
The Middle Ages are renowned for being a turbulent and difficult period of history. War, famine and disease occurred throughout the period and one of the most devastating pandemics in history, the Black Death, occurred in the mid 14th century. The Black Death was not...
Arterial Line Placement
Arterial line placement is a very common procedure in critical care and emergency medicine settings. The most common indications are: Haemodynamic instability requiring continuous direct BP monitoring Titration of vasopressors (or other cardioactive drugs) Need for...
The Dancing Plague of 1518
In the summer of 1518 in the city of Strasbourg, Alsace, a woman by the name of Frau Troffea took to the streets and started to dance. She continued to dance day and night without stopping. No one knows why she started but within a few days others started to join in....
What is Eosinophilic Oesophagitis?
Eosinophilic oesophagitis, which is sometimes abbreviated to EoE in American publications, is an allergic inflammatory condition of the oesophagus that involves eosinophils. It was first discovered as a clinical entity around 20 years ago but has only recently become...
What’s New in Trauma? (ATLS 10th Edition Updates)
The Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) program was introduced in the 1980s to address the need for higher-quality trauma care, particularly in the “first hour” after injury, following an incident in which an orthopaedic surgeon crashed his plane in a rural setting....
Survival Tips for Night Shifts
In the 14 years or so that I worked regular night shifts in the Emergency Department, I’m not sure I can honestly say that I ever fully adapted to them. It is well recognised that there is an increased risk of poor decision-making and errors at night, and it is,...
Exchange Opportunities for Medical Students
As they navigate through Medical School, students are exposed to a varying number of opportunities, and among them gentle invitations to explore the medical perspectives of other nations. From in-class interactions with their colleagues from different parts of the...
