Red blood cells are usually kept between 2 and 6 degrees Celsius. This is the standard in Europe. But what if they get colder? Much colder. What if they get exposed to temperatures below zero? This is a real concern. Sometimes, blood cells get too cold, especially when they are being transported to hospitals. This can happen before they are even used in a transfu...
Brain tumours can make it tough for doctors to decide if a patient is safe to drive. There are no clear rules for this situation. So, a group of experts got together to figure out some guidelines. They used a method called the Delphi technique. This method helps experts reach an agreement on complex issues. It is a way to gather opinions and refine them until a conse...
The world of heart health is always changing. One big question is about people who get a new heart valve through a special procedure. This procedure is called transcatheter aortic valve replacement. After this, doctors usually suggest taking a single antiplatelet pill for life. This is if the patient does not need blood thinners or two types of antiplatelet pills. Bu...
Ovarian cancer is a serious health issue that affects many women. One way doctors try to catch it early is by looking at something called cancer antigen 125, or CA-125. This is a protein that can be found in higher amounts in the blood of people with ovarian cancer. The problem is that the guidelines for what counts as a high level of CA-125 were made using data from...
DNA tests are becoming popular for understanding heart health. These tests can reveal if you have a higher chance of developing heart disease due to your genes. They can also show how your body might respond to certain medications. This is exciting because it allows people to access this information without first visiting a doctor. However, doctors are divided on ho...
Imagine waking up from surgery on your face or neck, hoping for a swift recovery. Wouldn't it be great if there was a proven way to speed up healing and reduce complications? Enter Enhanced Recovery After Surgery, or ERAS. This isn't some magical cure, but a set of guidelines designed to boost recovery. ERAS isn't just about what happens in the operating roo...
Heat stroke is a serious condition that can happen when someone is exposed to high temperatures. It can be caused by extreme heat or even by physical activity in hot weather. This is a big deal because climate change is making heat waves more common. So, it's important to know how to spot heat stroke and what to do about it. First, let's talk about what heat stroke ...
Bowel movements, often considered a taboo subject, can actually provide valuable insights into your overall health. Unlike many, you don't always need to poop daily. There is a wide range of what is considered "normal" when it comes to going to the bathroom. Normal can mean a poop schedule that doesn't change much. If you usually go once a day, but then ski...
As people age, maintaining a healthy blood pressure becomes a balancing act. Seniors often face high blood pressure, known as hypertension, and low blood pressure when standing up, called orthostatic hypotension (OH). The body’s regulation system starts to slow down, making it tough to find that perfect balance. This is crucial because fragile seniors are more prone ...
Doctors traditionally use tricky rule-based systems to review medical reports, and even though these methods work, they take a lot of time and can lead to errors, especially with unstructured data like doctors' notes. Enter large language models (LLMs), which are making waves in the medical field. They can swiftly grasp medical jargon and assist with critical tasks s...