Heat stroke, or hyperthermia, is where the body's internal temperature hits 104.9 F. Heat stroke occurs when someone has excessive exposure to hot weather elements, an increase in overall physical activity and lack of adequate fluid intake. All...
Paracentesis is a procedure performed both for diagnostic and treatment purposes. It involves removing fluid from the abdomen via a needle. Conditions such as cirrhosis of the liver, certain abdominal and pelvic malignancies and abdominal...
Blood platelets are fragments of cells. They are used by the body to help control bleeding. Low blood platelets is a condition called thrombocytopenia. When the platelets are low, bleeding takes longer to stop. When they are very low, spontaneous...
Potassium permanganate is a strong chemical that is commonly used as a bactericidal and fungicidal in air wash systems, drinking water, and cooling towers. It is a strong oxidizing agent. Because of this, it can cause profound damage to the human...
Urosepsis is a bacterial infection of the blood that arises as a complication of an untreated urinary tract infection. Bacteria from the bladder can travel up into a patient's kidneys where it can enter the bloodstream, causing urosepsis---also...
Heat stroke is a type of hyperthermia. It is a very serious condition that results in the body's internal temperature reaching a high, unhealthy and sometimes life-altering state. Heat stroke occurs when the body's internal core temperature...
An intussusception occurs when one part of the intestines folds into another part. According to Dr. Judith Sondheimer, professor emeritus at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in "Current Diagnosis & Treatment: Pediatrics,"...
Hypertension is a chronic vascular condition that has long-term effects on heart and blood vessel health. Pullups are a strenuous, muscular exercise that may lead to increased high blood pressure symptoms, and should thus be avoided if you have...
Platelets are cellular fragments within bone marrow and tissues that play an important role in stopping active bleeding. Neonatal thrombocytopenia refers to a low number of platelets in a baby's blood. According to the book, "Hematology: Basic...
Normally, there is a balance between the formation of clots and their destruction. But there are times when that balance is not maintained. Cancer, infections, atherosclerosis, certain medications and injury can all cause blood clots to be formed....
There are four main components of blood: red blood cells which aid in the exchange of blood gases; white blood cells that fight against disease and infection; platelets which are primarily responsible for blood clotting ability; and plasma which...
Rhabdomyolysis is a serious medical condition in which the muscle fibers breakdown. This action causes the release of a protein pigment called myoglobin into the blood stream. Myoglobin breaks down into compounds that are harmful to the kidneys....
Heat exhaustion is a serious condition that occurs when the body gets too hot due to hot weather or strenuous activity. To prevent its symptoms from worsening, prompt treatment should be administered. If ignored or left untreated, heat exhaustion...
There are many possible reasons for a low blood count, and several may coexist in one person. The primary test for blood counts called a complete blood count, or CBC, measures the concentration of red cells, white cells and platelets. A low blood...
Leukemia is a disease of white blood cells. Acute myelogenous leukemia, or AML, is the most common type of adult leukemia, the Oncology Channel states. AML is sometimes called acute myeloid or myeloblastic leukemia. AML affects blast cells, which...
A woman with elevated blood pressure in the third trimester can lead to serious consequences for the mother and baby, especially if the rise in blood pressure first occurs after 20 weeks. Gestational hypertension is known as pregnancy induced...
Blood is a normally sterile fluid, and the presence of any type of microorganism is a cause of concern for the person infected. When discussing the presence of microorganisms in the blood, the suffix "-emia" is used--bacteremia, septicemia,...
An anticoagulant drug is one that helps prevent clotting or coagulation of the blood. Anticoagulants are often known as blood thinners, although they do not actually make the blood thinner but decrease the blood's ability to clot. Anticoagulants...
According to "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine," shock is defined as multisystem organ hypoperfusion. Blood flow and oxygen delivery to tissues are impeded. Shock may be due to trauma, heatstroke, blood loss, an allergic reaction,...
Acute fatty liver of pregnancy, or AFLP, is a pregnancy complication which occurs in conjunction with preeclampsia 50 percent of the time, according to Dr. Britt Drake of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. It is also seen as a separate...
According to The Merck Manual, there are 200,000 cases of septic shock with a 45 percent mortality rate every year. This means that 90,000 people die from septic shock yearly. Septic shock is a term used to describe severe sepsis or infection,...
Hypertension, or blood pressure that is higher than normal, is a common pregnancy complication. There are several types of hypertension in pregnancy. Hypertension can be chronic--occurring before pregnancy or early in pregnancy. Pregnancy-induced...
Leukemia is a cancer of the white blood cells. One abnormal cell reproduces in the bone marrow without abiding by any regulations or controls. This results in a high number of abnormal clones. The abnormal white blood cells take over, crowd out...
Acute promyelocytic leukemia, or APL, occurs most often in children and adults over age 40, according to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The disease develops when white blood cells called promyelocytes proliferate abnormally. Acute...
Part of the aging process involves a loss in muscle tissue called atrophy. Confinement to bed or serious illness may accelerate muscle tissue loss. Because of this tissue loss, receiving an intramuscular injection can result in complications in...
Sodium is an electrolyte that plays a significant role in many of the body's functions. Disruption of the mechanisms that normally contribute to the maintenance of a tight range of sodium in the blood can lead to elevated sodium levels in your...
Vancomycin is classified as an aminoglycoside antibiotic. This class of antibacterials is effective against many gram-positive organisms, according to Pearson Nurse's Drug Guide 2010. Vancomycin has the potential to be very toxic; it is used to...
Herbalists may recommend the use of supplements of cranberry extract if you suffer from a urinary tract infection, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine reports. The organization recommends only using such a supplement if...
Cardiac output is the amount of blood in liters pumped by the heart per minute. It is measured by heart rate x stroke volume. Normal cardiac output equals 70 beats/min x 70 mL, or approximately 5 liters/min in an adult at rest. Cardiogenic shock...
