A 27 year-old woman felt a sting on the back of the right leg while pulling on her tracksuit pants. She investigated further and discovered a small black spider, with a red-stripe on its back, crawling around in her tracksuit pants.
Doctor X has just assessed a 44 year-old male who thinks he was bitten or stung by something under his house three days ago. The initial discomfort was mild and localized to his right forearm. However the pain traveled up his arm over the next few hours.
aka Toxicology Conundrum 005 A 20 year-old male was walking in rural New South Wales (Australia!) when he noticed a brown-coloured snake. He was startled and stepped backwards onto a tree branch which snapped under his weight. He then saw…
The phone rings as you sit down for lunch. You are asked for advice concerning a drowsy 2 year-old boy who was brought in to a Children's Emergency Department by his worried parents.
Toxicological conundrum on the pharmacological effects of Strychnine toxicity
It's Christmas, and you're called by a doctor who has recently arrived in Australia from the UK. He is in North Queensland looking after a 23 year-old female swimmer who doesn't look at all well...
Funtabulously Frivolous Friday Five 112 - Just when you thought your brain could unwind on a Friday, some medical trivia FFFF.
References and Links CCC – RRT Indications CCC – RRT principles in fluid management CCC – RRT Types CCC – RRT terminology and nomenclature CCC – RRT troubleshooting CCC – Renal Literature Summaries DerangedPhysiology.com CVVH: Continous Veno-Venous Hemofiltration circuit diagram…
Renal Replacement Therapy (RRT) Terminology and Nomenclature
Gastric lavage is a GI decontamination technique that aims to empty the stomach of toxic substances by the sequential administration and aspiration of small volumes of fluid via an orogastric tube. Previously widely favoured method that has now been all but abandoned due to lack of evidence of efficacy and risk of complications.
Organophosphate Poisoning: common cause of poisoning in the developing world; covalent bonding with inactivation of acetylcholinesterase; results in cholinergic crisis
the radioactive isotope polonium-210 was implicated in the death of former KGB/ FSB operative Alexander Litvenko;
also has potential for use in nuclear terrorism as a 'dirty bomb'