Nederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde
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Lemierre's syndrome is a rare condition mostly secondary caused by an oropharyngeal infection with Fusobacterium necrophorum. We report a 62-year-old man with a classic case of Lemierre's syndrome, most likely caused by a diminished immunity as a result of an underlying chronic lymphatic leukemia.
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The first case report describes an extremely prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) in a patient with no history of increased bleeding tendency. Heparin use was excluded. The APTT mixing study combined with the medical history suggests a deficiency in one of the non-essential coagulation factors. ⋯ Aberrations in the process of haemostasis can be efficiently screened using a platelet count, an APTT, a PT and a thorough physical examination combined with a thorough medical history taking. Common causes of prolonged PT and/or APTT are the use of oral anticoagulants or heparin, vitamin K deficiency and liver disease. Other causes include coagulation factor deficiencies, coagulation factor inhibitors and diffuse intravascular coagulation.
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Two male patients, aged 75 and 47 years, suffered from dyspnoea in the terminal phase of their disease, COPD and lung cancer, respectively. Both were given palliative sedation. The palliative consultation team was consulted when problems occurred. ⋯ A symptom is refractory when it causes unbearable suffering and conventional modes of treatment are not effective or timely. Knowledge of this guideline, early anticipation of possible scenarios and communication with the patient and his family contribute to good care. The palliative consultation team can help physicians with these decisions, preferably by starting at an early stage.
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Many medical doctors have become famous writers or poets. The two professions do have similarities: both have a professional preference for people in a crisis situation, both need to come close to their subject while maintaining a certain distance, the relationship between the individual and the general plays a central role in the practice of medicine and writing, writing and healing are similar in many ways and stories play an important role for both doctors and writers. We discuss these similarities in this article.
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Virginia Apgar (1909-1974), born in New Jersey, managed to continue medical school despite the financial crisis of 1929, continued for a brief time in surgery and subsequently became one of the first specialists in anaesthesiology. In 1949 she was appointed to a professorship, the first woman to reach this rank at Columbia University in New York. ⋯ From 1959 she worked for the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (now March of Dimes), to expand its activities from prevention of poliomyelitis to other aspects of preventive child care, such as rubella vaccination and testing for rhesus antagonism. She remained single; in her private life she enjoyed fly fishing, took lessons in aviation and was an accomplished violinist.