Nigerian quarterly journal of hospital medicine
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The critically ill patient undergoes rapid changes in the internal milieu requiring quick intervention. Point of care testing has been shown to be valuable in the early diagnosis and management of such patients. ⋯ The mean sodium, potassium, glucose and bicarbonate were comparable with moderate to good agreement between I-STAT POCT and ISE 6000 Analyzer. Though, the mean BUN and chloride levels between the analytical methods differ significantly.
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The appeal of the white coat to both the doctors and the public is waning. In most developing countries such as Nigeria doctors' view of the white coat is not known. ⋯ The majority of medical interns supported the wearing of white coat by doctors. Prevention of infection is no longer the major reason for wearing the white coat. There is need to document the public's perception of the white coat.
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The accident and emergency department constitutes one of the vital entry points of patients into the healthcare facility of the hospital the world over. It responds to and manages variety of cases in all the clinical areas and thus pr vides an insight to the quality of care available in the health institution. ⋯ The commonest case seen as well as commonest cause of death was cerebrovascular accident. A high number of heart failure, head injuries, road traffic accidents, upper gastrointestinal bleeding and post partum haemorrhage were also seen as common causes of death.The emergency physician must be well trained in skills required for the immediate management of patients with these cases.
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Apart from severe psychological effect on members of the health team involved, peri-operative deathcan also have far reaching effects on the surgeon, hospital and the community. Peri-operative death has also been categorized as being avoidable and non-avoidable. ⋯ Close supervision of residents by consultants, proper hospital funding and the requisite training of all health personnel are the recommendation to prevent these tragedies.
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Chest tube insertion is often times a life saving procedure which is well within the scope of a trained physician. It is a simple therapeutic manoevre but prone to complications if the principles of thoracic drainage are not complied with strictly. This article aims to highlight the indications and contraindications associated with chest tube insertion and also the technique of thoracostomy tube drainage and its associated complications.