July 2018 – RRMCH

July 31, 2018September 11, 2018

All You Need to Know About Terminal Illness

The term terminal illness means disease that is not curable and is expected to result in death of the patient over a course of time. It is a commonly used term for illnesses like cancer, heart disease of advanced stage, to name a few. When a person is said to be suffering from a terminal illness, there is near certainty that the patient is going to die in a course of time irrespective of the treatment. Once diagnosed with a terminal condition the patient knows that death is certain and the doctor informs the patient about the time left, in days, weeks, months or years.

Once a patient is diagnosed for terminal illness, the disease management process is decided. The options for it include continual of treatment, caregiving, hospice care and even physician assisted suicide. The decision making is done keeping the patient as well as the family in loop. Many a time patients with terminal illness experience anxiety around the nearing death as well as depression and hence requires psychotherapeutic treatment to help them deal with the same.

On the flip side, knowing about the terminal illness condition gives them time to get ready for advance treatment and care procedures as well as living will, to help them deal with end of life care effectively. Let us run through the different disease management or end of life care procedures for terminal illness patients.

Treatment Continuation

Palliative Care – Palliative care is more about after care of the physical needs of the patients post diagnosis. This includes emotional support, management of pain, psychological and spiritual care. It is a methodology that concentrates on improvement of quality of life of the patients and satisfaction besides helping family members deal and cope with the difficult situation.

Care Giving – Care giving is an integral part of terminal disease management. It involves keeping a nurse to take care of the person suffering from the condition. The care givers provide support like psychological support, food, assistance with movement and routine activities on a day to day basis.

Medications – Terminal patients who suffer from cancer related pain, need medications for relief. The medication prescribed varies based on the pain severity as well as status of disease. One of the common symptoms that terminal illness patients experience is dyspnea viz. breathing issues.

Good Hospitals in Bangalore

Hospice Care – There is a misconception that people choosing hospice care live less compared to others, but study has proved that patients with hospice care live for the same span than others. It includes spending more time with family, friends or other inmates undertaking hospice disease management procedures. They usually stay away from a hospital at home or at an inpatient hospice facility.

Physician assisted Suicide (PAS) – This concept is legally approved only in a few countries in the world. It is when a patient decides to die with dignity that he or she opts for physician assisted suicide. The decision could be based on various different reasons like avoiding pain, disability, healthcare costs, family impact, personal and religious beliefs, to name a few. The patient has to give request in writing as well as orally after which the physicians offer them lethal drugs to help them die.

Well, some terminally ill patients stop all the treatments that they are undergoing to avoid side-affects while some go for even more aggressive treatment in a hope to increase their life span to the maximum. Some also opt for alternative methods of treatment that are non-proven as well as diet changes that are required.

July 25, 2018September 11, 2018

What is Food Poisoning? An Overview

Recently, there was news of over 100 prisoners in Delhi falling sick suddenly and being admitted to the hospital. The reason cited for the same is either food poisoning, drug poisoning or contaminated water. Food poisoning is a common term and you hear people and kids suffering from it every now and then. It is a very uncomfortable condition that leads to nausea, vomiting or diarrhea and is caused due to the intake of toxic, contaminated or spoiled food.

Causes
Food poisoning can either be caused by bacteria, viruses or parasites. The most common though is through bacteria like Listeria, E coli and salmonella. The latter is said to be the biggest cause of serious food poisoning cases. Another rare or lethal bacteria responsible for food poisoning includes the C. botulism and Campylobacter. Norovirus is a virus type which can also lead to food poisoning but is not fatal mostly. Others include Rotavirus, Astrovirus, Sapovirus and Hepatitis A, wherein the latter can be serious. Toxoplasma is a parasite which causes food poisoning. Parasites live within your digestive tract but can go undetected for years.

Symptoms
Usually, food poisoning is detectable based on the symptoms. The symptoms differ as per the infection source. The symptoms appear anytime within 1 hour or 28 days depending on the infection source again. Most people suffering from food poisoning show atleast three of the following symptoms.

Headache
Weakness
Nausea
Mild fever
Loss of appetite
Diarrhea
Abdominal cramps

Food poisoning ain’t life-threatening. But, this does not mean that you take the condition lightly. There is always a rare possibility of it getting life-threatening as well. Look out for the following symptoms and initiate immediate medical assistance –

Fever of 105 or higher
Severe dehydration, dry mouth, no urine passage
Difficulty speaking or seeing
Diarrhea that does not go for 3 or more days
Blood in urine

Treatment
Food poisoning generally does not require any treatment and can easily be managed at home. It can take three to five days to subside but the most important part is to stay hydrated all along. Consumption of Sports drink that has electrolyte in them works really well in dealing with the condition. To help yourself out of fatigue try natural drinks like coconut water and fruit juice.

Know about best Hospitals in Bangalore, Karnataka.

July 24, 2018September 11, 2018

Top 5 Ongoing Trends in Healthcare Sector

Gone are the times when healthcare sector had a reputation of almost negative customer experiences. Nowadays, healthcare companies are going all guns blazing about their approach towards their customers. The approach also includes the optimum use of advanced technology besides newer approaches in-order to create a progressive change in the healthcare industry. Let us run through some of the upcoming trends in the healthcare eco-system.

Tailored Medicine – Medicine is all about observation based diagnosis with evidence to support the same. Today, healthcare centers are equipped with the latest in technology that results into accurate and speedy diagnosis. For example, with the help of radiology clinicians can investigate structures deep inside the body and with techniques like histopathology, clinicians can identify virus and tumors using microscopes.

Virtual Reality – Virtual reality is working well in the management and treatment of pain. As per a study of the recent times, children responded to chemotherapy better when they played games while undergoing the same. This was because their attention got concentrated from the treatment part to the play part and hence even resulted in them requiring less dosage. Side effects like nausea and hypertension were also reduced compared to children who were advised to rest.

Patient Customization – Data has grown and so has the ability of the healthcare facilities to provide their customers with an experience that is absolutely personalized. Based on the history of the patient, these clinics provide facilities like potential health issues, doctors preferred by the patient, patient preference in terms of remote treatment or walk in, to name a few. This can help avoid the complexities involved with the navigation through health care professional web and makes patients information available readily for speedy and accurate treatment solutions.

Augmented Reality – Besides other fields, augmented reality is playing a crucial role in healthcare and is fast turning out to be one of the most effective applications in medical training. AR helps doctors while monitoring diagnosis with the treatment procedure options to look forward too. They don’t have to spend time in honing their medical knowledge further because treatment options can simply pop up on their screen with options and suggestions. For example, while doing a child checkup the growth chart can pop up on the monitor itself, thus helping the doctor with seamless treatment procedures.

Smart Technology in Hospitals – Smart Technology in Hospitals has actually helped better patient experience, comfort, and care. For example, many hospitals have started using smart technology in hospitals. In a few countries, certain healthcare outfits use self-adjusting beds for pressure and support customization for patients. Many are also making use of man free facilities where robots carry out the monitoring process of the patient in the room. Smart technology is available in different forms and works in reducing risks while increasing comfort and efficiency. Affirmatively, the use of smart technology across the healthcare ecosystem is poised to grow day by day, obviously so.

July 17, 2018

5 tips to help you sail through the pregnancy voyage safely

Pregnancy is the harbinger of a new life coming to form and the herald of a life changing journey commencing 9 months later. One of the most remarkable moments is when you come to know about it and then begins a daily routine that involves a lot of tests, doctor visits and self-care. While, it is a vital part of a woman’s life, sailing through the pregnancy phase is also another extremely vital part because of the risks associated with the whole process. So, here are five important tips that could help you ensure safe drive through your pregnancy roads.

Genetic Screening – Sometimes genetic illnesses can affect the health of the fetus and hence it is detrimental for you and your spouse to undergo genetic screening.

De-stressing – Stress can affect your health as well as the health of the fetus. So, keeping yourself stress-free is a good idea. To keep stress at bay you may indulge yourself in activities like breathing exercises, relaxing showers, yoga, and meditation.

De-Addiction – Addictions can be life-threatening for the fetus and create unnecessary complications like premature birth, low birth weight or miscarriage. Good idea to stay away from them.

Exercise – Remaining active is the key to a healthy body. So, exercise on a routine basis, walk every day for some-time and feel fit all through your pregnancy.

Diet Balance – A balanced diet can help you and your fetus stay healthy and receive all the necessary nutrients throughout the prenatal period. So, get a dietician for a customized diet plan and follow it all through.

Prenatal Care – Do your research to get yourself a certified and experienced prenatal care center. Try finding it nearby to avoid the hassles of commuting through traffic for regular checkups and emergency times.

Besides that always take care of yourself all through the pregnancy while walking or commuting with respect to your safety and avoid any laborious activities that have a potential to harm you like lifting heavy stuff, riding two-wheelers through traffic, but to name a few.

The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology has been providing comprehensive health care for women. We provide regular clinical services in Obstetrics like antenatal care, labor management, Postpartum Care. We also provide specialized care in high-risk pregnancies like P.I.H, Eclampsia, GDM, Multiple gestations, BOH.

July 11, 2018September 11, 2018

All you need to Know About HLA-B27 Test

HLA B27 is a test that is conducted to identify the Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA B27) protein. This protein is situated on the white blood cells surface and is an antigen that helps the immune system infection causing aliens and healthy body tissues.

Though most of the HLAs protect the body against harmful invaders, HLA B27 is on a particular protein that is responsible for system dysfunction by attacking the healthy cells instead of foreign substances. This causes autoimmune diseases like ankylosing spondylitis or rheumatoid arthritis.

Symptoms that indicate Test Taking
The HLA-B27 test is taken alongside other tests like MRI scan, urine and blood tests to confirm the presence of autoimmune disease.

Joint inflammation and skin lesions
Pain in the joints
Eye inflammation that reoccurs
Swelling or stiffness in the neck, chest or spine

Auto-immune conditions due to HLA-B27
Based on the symptoms the doctor may advise the test to check for the presence and progression of HLA-B27 with certain autoimmune conditions like

Bone inflammation in the spine – Ankylosing spondylitis
Joint inflammation in joints, eyes, urethra, and skins lesions at times – Reactive arthritis
Swelling and irritation at eyes middle layer – Anterior uveitis
Joint stiffness, pain, redness, limping, swelling and reduced motion range – Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

Besides, HLA antigen tests are also taken when a patient needs to undergo a transplant of kidney or bone marrow as they help in determining a suitable match of a donor.

Diagnosis
If the test is positive, it indicates the presence of HLA- B27 in blood. Though, it still is not a cent percent confirmation that an autoimmune condition may develop. Other symptoms are also taken into account including blood tests and diagnostic exams.

Conclusion
HLA-B27 indicates the presence of the protein in blood but a positive or negative result cannot be taken as a cent percent confirmation of the autoimmune disorder. Once the test is done and the results are out, the doctor will advise you on further steps around the possible condition.

know more about Rajarajeswari Hospital in Bangalore

July 9, 2018September 11, 2018

Top 5 Pregnancy Complications To Be Aware Of

The news of pregnancy brings in smiles on the faces of the family members. On the flip side, during the three trimesters, you need to be on your toes and all alert because pregnancy can cause complications if proper care is not taken. Though you are going to be under the scanner all through the pregnancy cycle and your doctor is going to get you tested on various complications, you yourself need to be aware of them and take self-care to keep them at bay.

Here is a run through some complications of pregnancy that can be life threatening to the fetus and the mom as well.

1. Pre-eclampisa – It is the almost rare condition in pregnancy because it usually affects only 5 % of the pregnant women in India. This condition is caused by high level of proteins in the urine, high blood pressure or kidney conditions post 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Care needs to be taken to be aware and act promptly by the doctor if there are even mild symptoms of it because it can progress fast and can be life-threatening to the baby and the mother too. The solution to it is early delivery.

2. Gestational Diabetes – This is one of the common conditions occurring in pregnant women in India. Around 10% women could be prey to this condition that can be diagnosed during 24-28 weeks of pregnancy. Post-diagnosis your blood sugar levels will be monitored on a regular basis. Most of them with mild conditions manage to keep it at bay through exercise and diet and are able to deliver healthy babies without complications. But, care needs to be taken to avoid it from aggravating because it can then cause serious harm to the fetus.

3. Placenta Previa – This condition can cause complications towards the end of pregnancy not in the early stages. Hence, the doctors check the location and placement of your placenta with a sonography test during the second tri-semester. 1 in 200 women suffer from this condition and it can be quite dangerous if the placenta is at extremely low levels.

4. Miscarriage – One of the most dreaded conditions which can only be avoided by taking proper care, miscarriage is caused in the first 20 weeks. This is common with Indian women and 20% of them experience this condition within 12 weeks mostly. The symptoms of it include spotting and bleeding at the vagina. The doctor does a sonography to check for the condition.

5. Premature Delivery – Premature delivery is when the cervix opens before 37 weeks of pregnancy. If the delivery happens too early then it can be life-threatening for the baby, so care needs to be taken to avoid it.

The department of Obstetrics and Gynecology has been providing comprehensive health care for women. We provide regular clinical services in Obstetrics like antenatal care, labor management, postpartum Care. We also provide specialized care in high risk pregnancies like P.I.H, Eclampsia, GDM, Multiple gestations, BOH. With the backup of NICU, we are able to salvage preterm babies of 30 weeks on wards. Highly qualified doctors, with the help of well equipped labor ward, conduct normal and caesarian deliveries