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MedGadgat's 2010 Medical Weblog Awards Sponsored by Epocrates and Lenovo

First of all thanks to MedGadget for this novel venture. I am a die hard fan of MedGadget and am really proud for what they are doing. Recently they had a kind of evaluation in which the best Blogs were evaluated and prizes distributed.

'Aakash' the tablet of the masses what can it change in hospitals and wards

"With his raised right fist pointing to the sky and the shining gadget in his left hand, as Kapil Sibal unveiled the world's cheapest tablet computer, Aakash, on Wednesday, it was difficult not to ask this one question: whose brilliant idea was it to give the tablet the same name as that of a nuclear capable surface-to-air missile that is going to cost the Indian taxpayer Rs 23,000 crore? That apart, the tablet raises more questions. "  These were the words used by Shobhan Saxena in his article "Miracle pill or cheap gimmick?" in TOI. 

Best free medical app for healthcare professionals

Free applications are a hit these days, and there is no reason why health care professionals should lag behind. Today the internet provides us with a herd of free medical applications which can be used both in PC and smart phones. So, here is a list of such a few applications :-

1. Medscape Mobile App :- It is the best app available for free today.

Pune gets is first human milk bank - The Times of India

PUNE: The city's first human milk bank has been set up by the Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital and Research Centre jointly with the Rotary Club, Nariman Point, Mumbai. The human milk bank service is established for collecting, screening, processing, storing and distributing donated human milk.

The department of paediatrics of the hospital will inaugurate the human milk bank on June 26, in the presence of district governor Jayant Kulkarni at 4.30 pm.

The mother's milk may not be available in neonatal intensive care unit, as the mother may be admitted in another hospital or may be sick herself or even have inadequate milk due to stress. In such cases, the breast milk bank is extremely helpful.

What is Hippocratic Oath

As a young undergraduate i had heard about the all famous Hippocratic Oath for doctors, but i had never read it. That is why i am so pleased to write about it. Thanks a lot to Wikipedia the messiah of all knowledge for proving the vital informations.Here is the direct link;  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocratic_Oath#Modern_version 

Modern version

The widely used modern version of the traditional oath was penned in 1964 by Dr. Louis Lasagna, former Principal of the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences and Academic Dean of the School of Medicine at Tufts University:

I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant:

I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.

I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures [that] are required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism.

I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug.

I will not be ashamed to say "I know not," nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed for a patient's recovery.

I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given to me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God.

I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person's family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick.

I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.

I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.

If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help.

National List of Essential Medicines of India 2011

Essential medicines are those that satisfy the priority healthcare needs of majority of the population. The essential medicines list needs to be country specific addressing the disease burden of the nation and the commonly used medicines at primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare levels. The medicines in National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) should be available at affordable costs and with assured quality. The medicines used in the various national health programmes, emerging and reemerging infections should be addressed in the list. The Government of India, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MOHFW) is mandated to ensure the quality healthcare system by assuring availability of safe and efficacious medicines for its population. The primary purpose of NLEM is to promote rational use of medicines considering the three important aspects i.e. cost, safety and efficacy. Furthermore it promotes prescription by generic names. Healthcare delivery institutions, health insurance bodies, standards setting institutions for medicines, medicine price control bodies, health economists and other healthcare stakeholders will be immensely benefitted in framing their policies.

intubation endotracheal

Tenofovir Vaginal Gel First Microbicide to Prevent HIV, HSV Infections

Some good news in the fight against HIV. A new vaginal Gel has been developed that has the potential to bring down the rate of infection of HIV. Although in its 2b stage of clinical trial, I think the idea itself is great as HIV today is a epidemic mainly in the developing part of the globe, and given its cost-effectiveness (which i hope so) , it should have a better acceptability in the society. Combined with a condom ( all condoms should be premedicated with this gel) and HIV might soon be in the list of eliminated diseases. hoping for d best.

thanx to medspace for this article. here is d link http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/725583
  

ROUTINE INVESTIGATIONS NORMAL RANGE

Below is a set of Routine investigations with there normal range. These values are from a well known hospital in new delhi. It is only for reference purpose, to be more accurate please checkout your own hospital's normal range values.
1. Bl. sugar
   F   :       mg/dl ( 60- 100)
   PP :       mg/dl (90-160)
   R  :        mg/dl (60-  140)

2. Kidney Function Test
   Urea          : mg/dl (15-45)
   Creatinine  : mg/dl (0.6-1.2)
    Uric acid  : mg/dl (2.5-6.0)

3. Liver Function Test
    Total Bil       : mg/dl (0.2-1.2)
    Direct Bil     : mg/dl (0.1-0.3)
    Indirect Bil   : mg/dl (0.2-1.1)
    SGOT         : U/L  (15-50)
    SGPT          : U/L  (15-50)
    Alk. Phos    :  U/L  (50- 300)

4. S. Protiens
    T. prot      :gm/ dl (6.0-8.0)
    Albumin    :gm/dl (3.5-5.5)
    Globulin    :gm/dl (1.5-3.5)

5. Lipid Profile
    T. Cholest     : mg/dl (130-230)
    HDL Chol     : mg/dl (30-65)
    LDL Chol      : mg/dl (50-150)
    VLDL Chol   : mg/dl (up to 40)
    Triglyceride   : mg/dl (50- 200)

6. Serum Electrolytes
    Na  : mmol/l (130-150)
    K   : mmol/l (3.5-5.5)
    Cl  : mg/dl (100-110)
    Ca : mg/dl (8.5-10.5)
    P   : mg/dl (3.5-5.5)

7. Cardiac Profile
    CPK     : U/L ( 50-200)
    Ck-MB : U/L (up to 25)
     LDH    : U/L (up to 260)
     SGOT : U/L (15-50)
   
8. Iron profile
    T. Iron        : ug/dl (60-150)
    TIBC          : ug/dl (250-400)
    UIBC         : ug/dl (150-250)
    Saturation   : % (20-35)

All about the "pill"

Oral contraceptives can be taken by a woman to prevent pregnancy. A prescription is required and the pills are often inexpensive. They also can often be obtained at a family planning clinic if you have no regular physician. The pills have very few side effects, and many that do occur disappear after two or three cycles. Oral contraceptives also keep your cycle regular, can make your periods lighter and shorter, and are effective if used correctly.

How to use

It is a big irony  that many well educated women don’t know how to correctly use OC pills (oral contraceptive pills).

But before talking about this I must let u know that there are two types of pill packs available in d market. 1. 21 day pill pack  2. 28 day pill pack.

Start the pill within five days after the onset of your last menstrual period. During this time, the body is not fertile. Adding the contraceptive pill at this time ensures that there is enough time for the hormones to enter the system before fertility occurs. Some people recommends starting it one a Sunday for each cycle, as it is easy remembered.

Take a pill each day. For 21 day pack users they will have a 7 day pill free period, after which start d next pack. For 28 day pack users its d same, only difference is that they don’t have to stop taking the pill.

Missed pill????

If u have missed a pill there is no need to panic. You can take a pill as soon as you remember, then take that days scheduled pill on the normal time.

(e.g. if u forgot to take the pill of say yesterday and remembered about it at 2 o’clock today, take d pill immediately and then take todays pill on the normal time.)

If u have missed 2 pill on a row, even then the above said method works well. Take one pill immediately (not 2 pills) then take scheduled pill of the day according to time.

If u have missed 3 or more pills in a row then it becomes a matter of concern. U should take a pill immediately (only one) and continue to take the rest pack, but u will have to use other contraceptive methods for the rest of the cycle ( e.g condoms, spermicides).