WMJ : official publication of the State Medical Society of Wisconsin
-
Strangulation accounts for 10% of all violent deaths in the United States. Many people who are strangled survive. These survivors may have minimal visible external findings. ⋯ Accurate documentation in the medical chart is essential to substantiate a survivor's account of the incident. Medical providers are a significant community resource with the responsibility to provide expert information to patients and other systems working with survivors of strangulation. This case study reviews a strangulation victim who exhibited some classic findings.
-
The term "tuberculosis" (TB) refers to infection with the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis that has progressed to active disease. This disease is a public health threat because it is caused by a microorganism that is potentially fatal for humans, and transmission is commonly through the inhalation of airborne droplets expelled by infectious persons with active disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are more than 8 million new cases of TB each year, 2 million deaths from the disease each year, and that one-third of the world population is infected with M. tuberculosis and at risk for active disease. ⋯ Early diagnosis permits expedited treatment and limitation of spread. An effective TB laboratory program plays an essential role in the early and accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment of TB. This article examines that role.
-
As a result of recent publications in the lay press, individuals have started to ask physicians and other medical personnel about the availability of screening CT for lung cancer. Many imaging centers, perhaps without full knowledge of the complex issues involved, have capitalized on this enthusiasm by instituting CT screening programs. Whether a health care provider offers screening CT or not, physicians and other medical personnel need to be informed about recent developments in CT screening for lung cancer in order to advise patients. This article reviews the significance of lung cancer as a cause of death, the causes of lung cancer and how it can be prevented, the types and frequencies of different lung cancers, the conditions of effective screening, the biases associated with screening, and past and present lung cancer screening trials.
-
Review Case Reports
Atypical presentation of subarachnoid hemorrhage: case report and review of the literature.
Subarachnoid hemorrhage is a threatening condition often associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The risk of rebleeding and ischemic complications can be markedly reduced when the prompt diagnosis of cerebral aneurysmal rupture is made. The sudden onset of severe headache with or without neurologic deficit raises the clinical suspicion, however atypical symptoms exist making the diagnosis difficult. ⋯ A computed tomographic scan of the brain revealed a subarachnoid hemorrhage. Two intracranial cerebral aneurysms were identified by cerebral angiography and subsequently treated. The diagnosis and treatment of subarachnoid hemorrhage is reviewed.