Work-up for lower abdominal pain begins with resuscitation and exclusion of critical diagnoses: AAA (Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm); Mesenteric Ischemia; Perforation; SBO (small bowel obstruction); ectopic pregnancy
Sodium bicarbonate is an important antidote in the treatment of the critically ill poisoned patient. This contrasts with the general approach to acidosis due to other conditions, where sodium bicarbonate…
The term Calcium (Ca2+) antagonist is applied to drugs that inhibit the influx of Ca2+ ions without affecting inward Na+ or outward K+ currents to a significant degree. Other labels are Ca-entry blocker or Ca-channel blocker.
Begin work-up by ruling out emergent/urgent conditions and evaluating/charting the absence of red flags that can signal the presence of an emergent condition. Then consider other visceral causes of low back pain. If no red flags are present and patient does not need further work-up, then the likely default diagnosis is benign mechanical (lumbar strain) Low Back Pain
Risk factors for Aortic Aneurysm: smoking, male sex, age, pre-existing atherosclerosis, obesity, Hyperlipidemia, HTN (Hypertension), Family History
The distribution of blood within the circulation is a function of vascular caliber. Venous tone regulates the volume of blood returned to the heart, hence, stroke volume and cardiac output.…
Abdominal Compartment Syndrome occurs when elevated intra-abdominal pressure (IAP), or, intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH), leads to new organ dysfunction. The incidence of abdominal compartment syndrome in the ED has not been reported, but in studies of trauma patients, the incidence is between 1% and 14%.
SIRS (Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome) is Inflammatory response to a non-infectious insult (pancreatitis, burn, surgery…)
![Read more about the article Conduction Blocks at the AV Node (AV Blocks) [With Examples]](https://manualofmedicine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Excerpt-AV-Blocks-768x623.jpg)
When there are conduction problems at the AV node or bundle of His, conduction of impulses between the atria and ventricles is affected. This can take several forms or ‘degrees’.…
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) serves as a template for the synthesis of nucleic acids. Ribonucleic acid (RNA) executes protein synthesis and thus permits cell growth. Synthesis of new DNA is a…