According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, venous thromboembolism (VTE) or blood clots affects as many as 900,000 Americans annually. Moreover, around 100,000 people die from this disease each year, which makes it the leading cause of death in the US after cancer. Because of these alarming statistics, various campaigns about the risk of blood clots, such as the “Stop the Clot, Spread …
Tobacco is harmful to your health, no matter how you take it. However, the things you inhale have an impact on more than simply your lungs; they also have the potential to harm your entire body. Smoking or even vaping by Vape equipment can cause several long-term health problems as well as long-term consequences on your bodily systems. While smoking increases your risk of several issues over time, some of its physical impacts are seen immediately.
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It takes a lot of strength and power to move past a life-threatening experience. The same goes for those who will live with a chronic illness. Treatment often focuses on physical factors such as resuming normal activities and breathing normally again. However, let us not forget about mental health.
Many people who had a blood clot suffer from anxiety, depression, and even post-traumatic stress disorder. It might help to know that you are not alone if this is the case for you. Fortunately, there are organizations devoted to making mental health services more accessible.
Thrombosis Canada
Based in Canada, this …
It is strange to think how low public awareness about blood clots is when they are among the most common threats to the cardiovascular system. Luckily, there are people trying to change this.
The International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostatis says that one in four deaths across the globe is caused by blood clots. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has partnered with the National Blood Clot Alliance to make the public more aware of the issue through a public education campaign called “Stop the Clot, Spread the Word.”
It has been pointed out that there are more people dying from blood clots than AIDS, …
It is not an uncommon sight to find patients with hypertension presenting to the Emergency Department. Did you know that one in four Canadians is diagnosed with it? Chronic hypertension is also the leading cause of disability-adjusted life expectancy.
Hypertensive Emergencies
Heterogenous acute hypertensive disorders make up hypertensive emergencies. These afflictions require immediate diagnosis and treatment. Using the main guidelines used in the country, we can break down hypertensive emergencies into two groups:
Evidence of worsening or acute end-organ damage
Severe hypertension (dBP > 120-130 …
How is electrical storm managed in the emergency department?
We will discuss how the process goes for those with implantable multi-shock cardioverter-defibrillators, refractory ventricular fibrillation, and polymorphic ventricular tachycardia.
Electrical shock is the occurrence of at least three sustained ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia in a span of 24 hours. On the other hand, it is defined as three ventricular arrhythmia detections requiring ICD therapies in the same amount of time.
Kindly take note that this is not a comprehensive definition as it does not consider VT that is undetected or slower…
Are you familiar with the three acute aortic syndromes? If not, these are three diagnoses that are deemed to be on the same spectrum. They are, therefore, detected and treated in similar ways. They are the following:
Aortic dissection
This condition involves a rip on the intimal layer. Aside from that, it involves a false lumen and either retrograde or anterograde expansion. Among the three, this is the most common type that even accounts for 85-90% of all acute aortic syndromes.
Intramural hematoma
On the other hand, an intramural hematoma is caused by the vasa vasorum rupturing in the media. This …
We have previously discussed three trials from the early ‘90s. This list continues the theme by focusing on other studies conducted around that time.
ATLANTIS A
This trial evaluated the administration of tPA across several time windows from 0-6 hours. The primary result compared proportions of patients with a 4-point or greater improvement at 30 days and at the moment of presentation.
Researchers noted a 15% absolute difference favoring the placebo arm. There were also statistically significant absolute increases in mortality and symptomatic ICH among tPA recipients.
ATLANTIS B
This was an …
The early ‘90s witnessed the rise of thrombolytic RCTs for acute ischemic stroke. This article focuses on the impact of these trials on the development of the tPA time window for acute ischemic stroke treatment.
ECASS-1
The first tPA trial was a double-blinded RCT of acute ischemic stroke sufferers presenting within six hours of the onset of symptoms. Data analysis was conducted through modified intention to treat and intention-to-treat strategies.
There was a clinically relevant improvement in patients who took tPA, but it was not statistically significant. However, the modified analysis saw statistical …
Deep vein thrombosis can affect anyone regardless of age, although some people are at a higher risk than others. It is a relief to hear that this condition is treatable and preventable. One way to keep it at bay is through your diet. These tips will help you ward off DVT:
Drink a Lot Of Water
Dehydration is known to thicken the blood and increase the risk of blood clots. Women need to drink 91 ounces of water a day, while men require 125 ounces on average. There is a good chance that you are drinking enough water when your urine is clear or pale yellow. Darker urine can be an indication that you need to drink more.
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