What is a splint? A splint is a rigid device used to stabilize broken bones or dislocated joints. Often, a splint is temporarily applied in an emergency as a stopgap measure until a doctor can set the bone properly. A splint is a type of a medical tool made of wood or rigid material. It is used to immobilize a...
What Do Medical Codes Mean? Benefits
Hospitals often use code names to help alert medical staff Hospitals often use code names to help alert medical staff in case of medical emergencies or other events. Codes can be announced through hospital speakers or communicated through an intercom in the hospital or directly to the required staff through devices such as pagers. The most common hospital codes are...
What Is a Pleural Biopsy Procedure? Purpose & Risks
What is a pleural biopsy? Three types of pleural biopsies are needle biopsy, thoracoscopic biopsy, and open biopsy. A pleural biopsy is a procedure used to remove a sample of the pleura using a special biopsy needle during surgery to diagnose disease, infection or cancer. Pleura is a thin tissue that lines the chest cavity and surrounds the lung. A...
What Does Lung Cancer Feel Like When It Starts?
What is lung cancer? Lung cancer refers to the uncontrolled growth of cells that starts in the lungs. Lung cancer occurs when any of the several cells in the lungs undergo an abnormal change in its genetic code. Lung cancer refers to the uncontrolled growth of cells that starts in the lungs. Lung cancer occurs when any of the several...
What Causes Low and High Prolactin Levels?
What are prolactin levels? There may be a number of causes of low or high levels of prolactin, including: Sheehan's syndrome, smoking, retained placental fragments, prolactinoma (pituitary tumor), and hypothyroidism or underactive thyroid. Prolactin, or milk hormone, is the hormone that causes breasts to grow. It is produced by the pituitary gland located at the bottom of the brains of...
What Does It Mean to Reduce a Shoulder Dislocation? Symptoms
What is a shoulder dislocation? Shoulder dislocations are the most common joint dislocations observed in the emergency department and make up for more than 50% of all dislocations observed in hospitals. Your shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint where the head of the humerus (ball) fits into the glenoid cavity (socket) of the scapula bone. When the humerus slips out of...
What Does It Mean to Be Anorexic?
Anorexia is an eating disorder in which a person's distorted body image leads them to starve themselves to stay thin. Anorexia is an eating disorder that leads to markedly reduced appetite or a complete aversion to food. People with anorexia constantly try to keep their weight as low as they can by not eating enough food. The condition, dubbed anorexia...
What Causes Yellow Discharge From Eyes?
Eye infection Yellow discharge from the eyes is your body trying to fight an infections. This may be caused by chemicals in your eyes, extended contact lense use, irritant in your eye, fungi, parasites and amoebas. Your eyes, like every other organ in your body, can become infected by bacteria, fungus, or viruses. When an infection happens, your eyes react...
What Does It Mean To Be Polyamorous?
Polyamory is the practice of wanting and having intimate relationships with more than one partner. Polyamory is the practice of wanting and having intimate relationships with more than one partner. It is done with the informed consent of all partners involved and is called consensual, ethical, and responsible non-monogamy. If a relationship is polyamorous, it means that both partners have...
What Causes Mesenteric Lymphadenitis? Swollen Lymph Nodes
Mesenteric lymphadenitis is an inflammatory condition that causes swollen lymph nodes in the stomach Mesenteric lymphadenitis is an inflammatory condition that affects the lymph nodes in the mesentery, which is the membrane that connects the bowel to the abdominal wall. It mainly affects children and teens. This painful condition can mimic appendicitis or intussusception, a condition in which part of...