Previously few weeks, I’ve encountered 4 fascinating, eye-opening, and/or offbeat medical information tales that I’d wish to share with fellow Forbes readers:
1) Every day toothbrushing is nice for ICU sufferers
Every day toothbrushing of sufferers within the ICU (intensive care unit) will help forestall them from creating pneumonia whereas within the hospital. This may be particularly useful for sufferers on mechanical ventilators (“respiration tubes”), and has been related to “lower ICU mortality rates, shorter ICU length of stay, and fewer days of mechanical ventilation.”
Toothbrushing is an easy and low-cost medical intervention that may save lives!
The common-or-garden toothbrush might save the lives of many ICU sufferers.
2) Electrical shocks to surgeon’s brains can enhance their efficiency
Light use of “transcranial direct present stimulation” of the cerebellum of the mind can help surgeons more easily learn delicate motor skills, akin to utilized in trendy robotic surgical procedure. The surgeons’ brains are stimulated in a non-invasive vogue by way of electrodes hooked up to their pores and skin.
Here’s a quick video from the researchers at Johns Hopkins College displaying the system in motion: “Could an Electric Nudge to the Head Help Your Doctor Operate a Surgical Robot?“
In concept, this system may be utilized in different arenas beside surgical procedure.
3) French physicians efficiently ship a baby born as an ectopic being pregnant
A 37-year previous pregnant lady got here to her native emergency room with belly ache. She was discovered to have a uncommon belly ectopic being pregnant, during which the fetus had developed throughout the mom’s belly cavity slightly than throughout the uterus. (One way or the other, the fetus was in a position to set up a viable provide of blood and vitamin by way of a placenta hooked up to the peritoneal lining of the mom’s stomach.)
Though the overwhelming majority of ectopic pregnancies are deadly to the fetus (and if untreated additionally deadly to the mom), her physicians had been in a position to efficiently surgically deliver the fetus at 29 weeks gestation. After two months within the neonatal intensive care unit, the infant was in a position to go dwelling with its mom.
The New England Journal Of Medication article has a dramatic MRI image of the fetus whereas nonetheless within the mom’s stomach.
(Notice: The profitable supply of this explicit uncommon type of ectopic being pregnant shouldn’t be utilized by US legislators as a motive to disclaim acceptable medical care to sufferers with life-threatening nonviable ectopic pregnancies.)
4) Gross sales of “morning after” capsules spike after New 12 months celebrations
In keeping with analysis in The BMJ, gross sales of those emergency contraception medicines within the US rise by approximately 10% following New Year Eve and New Year day festivities. That is greater than on different holidays akin to Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, and Independence Day.
The BMJ notes, “New 12 months’s Eve celebrations are related to elevated sexual exercise, which is much less more likely to be protected because of elevated alcohol consumption. New 12 months’s Eve can be linked to greater charges of sexual assault and restricted entry to different types of contraception because of restricted opening hours of clinics, medical workplaces and outlets.”
So it is a warning for everybody to watch out of unprotected sexual encounters (or undesirable sexual advances) in the course of the upcoming vacation.
I hope everybody has a protected and completely satisfied New 12 months vacation and I look ahead to returning in 2024!