Urinary tract infections (UTIs) in adults are extremely common in both primary and secondary care and it is inevitable that you will be diagnosing and treating these many times in your career. Introduction UTIs are normally ascending infections and can affect any part of the urinary tract: urethra (urethritis), bladder (cystitis), epididymis (epididymitis), prostate (prostatitis),
As a junior, you will frequently see patients who potentially have thyroid dysfunction. The problem is these patients often present with quite generalised symptoms and you may struggle to know when to send TFTs and what to do when they’re abnormal. Thyroid dysfunction is incredibly common (about 2.5% of the population) with the majority of
A deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a condition in which a blood clot (thrombosis) forms within a deep vein and can be provoked or unprovoked [1]. 2.5-5% of the population will have a DVT in their lifetime [2]. Virchow’s triad explains the relationship between venous stasis, hypercoagulability and endothelial vessel wall in increasing the risk
NG tubes are passed from the nose to the stomach. Depending on the material, they can stay between 2 to 6 weeks. However, they quite easily can fall out either being accidentally tugged at night or the tube might get caught. Due to this, they sometimes fall out within a week or two. Wide-bore NGT
Red eye is one of the most common eye presentations you will encounter. Whilst many will likely be referred to an opthalmologist or senior clinician, it’s important to know what common cases you are likely to encounter and how to manage them. One of the main factors is to distinguish whether the red eye is
In this article, we cover the main ENT situations you are likely to encounter either in A&E, during an ENT on call job or occasionally as a ward emergency. ENT cases can be exciting but slightly daunting, particularly due to the number of specialty-specific presentations and practical procedures to become familiar with as well as
Introduction: Diabetic foot ulcerations are a significant complication of diabetes and often precede minor (below the ankle) or major (above or below the knee) amputation. At least 2% of people with diabetes experience new foot ulcers annually, and of these, one in 400 undergoes amputation (Kerr, M. 2019)
The word stoma comes from Greek to mean “an opening”. There are many types which are formed for a variety of reasons, but here we will focus on diversions of the urinary or gastrointestinal tract to the abdominal wall. These can be temporary or permanent and their purpose is predominantly the diversion of waste products.
The advantages of AXRs are far less radiation to patients & that they’re logistically easy to organise out of hours. Unlike CTs they do not need to be discussed with the on-call radiologist but they aren’t reported as quickly therefore it is crucial you can interpret them. The most common indication for an AXR is
This is intended for junior doctors on the ward or in ED, covering how to approach the eye history & exam as it is often poorly taught at medical school or in an OSCE. HistoryA detailed history allows the ophthalmologist to triage patients appropriately. In addition to the classic clerking, important red flags meriting discussion
