Hospital medicine (London, England : 1998)
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In 1997, Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. The new government took control of a Western style health-care system and a population whose health is comparable to the rest of the developed world. This article describes the existing health-care system, the state of public health and some of the challenges and opportunities facing the new administration.
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Acute compartment syndrome is a potentially devastating condition which may arise as a complication of a tibial diaphyseal fracture. Early diagnosis and treatment are of tantamount importance in preventing the devastating complications of this condition. Compartment monitoring is of key importance in early diagnosis and significantly reduces the complication rate.
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Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is a proven therapy for severe neonatal respiratory failure. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for older children and adults who are failing to respond to maximal conventional therapy is more controversial, but survival figures of 50-80% can be obtained, in patients with an expected survival of 0-20% with conventional treatment.
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Clonidine is an alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonist which has been used for over 20 years to treat hypertension. It has recently, however, found a new and possibly significant role in anaesthesia and the treatment of pain. This article discusses the premedicant, perioperative and postoperative uses of clonidine.