São Paulo medical journal = Revista paulista de medicina
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Cardiac pain may radiate to the face and lead patients to seek dental care. Dentists may contribute towards the diagnosing of ischemic heart disease and thus refer patients for cardiological evaluation. ⋯ A 50-year-old female patient was referred to a dentist for evaluation of a suspected temporomandibular disorder after repeated visits to medical emergency departments due to excruciating facial and left temporal pain associated with exertion. The pain would start in the chest and radiate to the neck, face and left temporal region. The patient's chief complaint was the facial pain; hence, she sought dental care. The dental examination revealed an edentulous upper jaw and partially edentulous lower jaw with full upper prosthetic set of teeth and decreased vertical dimension. X-ray of facial bones did not reveal any bone abnormalities. A diagnosis of temporomandibular disorder was made. However, she was referred for cardiological evaluation, since her pain was starting in the chest and because she had a past medical history of surgical treatment for coronary artery disease. A diagnosis of angina pectoris was made, the therapeutic regimen was optimized and her angina was brought under control.
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Use of topical negative pressure over difficult-to-heal wounds has been studied. The objective of this study was to analyze the effects from negative pressure in the treatment of complex wounds. ⋯ Use of the vacuum method is safe and efficient for preparing wounds for surgical closure. It allows for an improvement of local wound conditions, and healthy granulation tissue develops with control over local infection.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Modified radical mastectomy sparing one or both pectoral muscles in the treatment of breast cancer: intra and postoperative complications.
Modified radical mastectomy is widely utilized in breast cancer treatment. However, no prospective comparison has yet been made between the Madden technique (preservation of the pectoralis minor muscle) and the Patey technique (resection of this muscle). The aim of this work was to compare these two modified radical mastectomy techniques, by analyzing their degrees of difficulty and complications. ⋯ The removal of the pectoralis minor muscle did not influence any of the variables studied. Therefore, either technique can be performed, at the surgeon's discretion.