Tetanus is commonly known as lockjaw. Tetanus is an infection caused by bacteria called Clostridium tetani (C. tetani), that are found in the environment. It isn’t the rust on that nail or sharp bit of metal that causes tetanus. That rust just means it could have tetanus-causing bacteria on it. Tetanus is an uncommon but very serious disease of the nervous system causes muscle contractions, particularly of your jaw and neck muscles, that requires immediate treatment in a hospital. Tetanus is preventable, and timely treatment can spare you from this  deadly disease. Immediate and good wound care can help prevent infection. Tetanus vaccination can save your life. People who receive at least three doses of the tetanus vaccine almost always survive this disease. And even partial vaccination can make your case less severe. Tetanus is a risk that you can easily avoid with the right medical care. If you think you might need a tetanus booster shot, talk to your healthcare provider or visit an urgent care clinic. An urgent care facility or your primary care provider’s office can give you the booster at the same time as treating your injury.

Symptoms

Symptoms typically occur between 3 and 21 days (average 8 days) after someone is exposed to C. tetani.

The first sign is most commonly spasms of the jaw muscles, or “lockjaw.”

Other symptoms can include:

• Trouble swallowing
• Sudden, involuntary muscle spasms — often in the stomach
• Painful muscle stiffness all over the body
• Seizures (jerking or staring)
• Headache
• Fever and sweating
• Changes in blood pressure and heart rate

Causes

Tetanus happens because of a toxin that C. tetani bacteria make. That’s why tetanus doesn’t spread person-to-person.

Tetanus-causing germs can enter a wound in either a spore or bacilli (active bacteria) form. The spore form is harder to kill, and it can survive boiling water. The spores live in soil, especially soil with manure mixed in. It’s easier for this bacteria to get into deeper cuts and punctures. And tetanus with deeper wounds is often more severe.

Some ways you can get this bacteria in a wound include:

• Broken bones that break through your skin (compound fractures)
• Burns
• Crush injuries that break skin
• Dental infections
• Insect bites and dog bites that get contaminated
• Surgical wounds
• Using contaminated needles or medical instruments
• Minor injuries that can happen around the house, like cuts and scrapes or stepping on a nail

While wounds are the usual entry point, many people don’t remember getting the wound that caused tetanus for them. Research shows that up to half of all cases don’t have an identifiable wound or infection site that experts can pinpoint.

Tetanus, a serious bacterial infection, has four main clinical types:

• Generalized Tetanus:

            This is the most common form, characterized by widespread muscle spasms and rigidity, particularly in the jaw         (lockjaw), neck, and back. 

Diagnosis

Healthcare providers usually decide if someone has tetanus by looking for common signs and symptoms. They may also ask about a recent history of cuts, scrapes, punctures, and trauma. No lab or other kinds of tests can confirm tetanus.

Treatment and recovery

Tetanus is a medical emergency requiring:

• Evaluation and care in the hospital
• Immediate treatment with TIG
• Aggressive wound care
• Drugs to control muscle spasms
• Antibiotics
• Tetanus vaccination

Conclusion

Tetanus is a severe, life-threatening condition. But with proper treatment, most people recover. Most people develop symptoms about a week after the bacteria get into their body. But it can happen as quickly as two days or as long as three weeks after.

The muscle spasms from tetanus will start around where they entered your body. You’ll then develop muscle spasms in the muscles around your eyes and trouble opening your jaw. The spasms can be painful and typically spread downward to your neck and back.

Your healthcare team will prioritize keeping your airway open using intubation. Once that’s done, they’ll start treating your other symptoms. That includes making you as comfortable as possible with medications to dampen muscle spasms and manage any pain you have.

Tetanus can vary depending on many factors. Your healthcare provider can tell you more about what you’re likely to experience. They can also guide you on what you can do to help yourself as you recover. But in general, with proper treatment, the odds of survival with tetanus are good.

Further if your nearones or dearones are looking for treatment abroad you can connect via email media@gtsmeditour.com and share all the latest reports of the patient and get a medical opinion for the same at zero cost and treatment plan assistance, accomodation etc.

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]]> https://blog.gtsmeditour.com/tetanus-lockjaw/feed/ 0 https://blog.gtsmeditour.com/constipation/ https://blog.gtsmeditour.com/constipation/#comments Sun, 17 Mar 2019 23:30:14 +0000 http://blog.gtsmeditour.com/?p=3077 Constipation refers to less than three bowel movements in a week. It is the inability to completely empty your bowel or pass stool regularly. A person affected by constipation has a delayed or infrequent emptying of dry hardened feces. Though it affects people of all ages, it affects twice as many women as men and […]

Constipation refers to less than three bowel movements in a week. It is the inability to completely empty your bowel or pass stool regularly. A person affected by constipation has a delayed or infrequent emptying of dry hardened feces. Though it affects people of all ages, it affects twice as many women as men and is more common in older adults and during pregnancy. Constipation occurs as a result of too much absorption of water from the food by the body before the waste is stored in the rectum. However, constipation can also occur due to many other reasons.

Causes

a. Reduced fiber in diet which includes fruits, vegetables and cereals.
b. Change in eating habits or lifestyle or routine.
c. Ignoring the urge to pass stool.
d. Side effects of certain medicine.
e. Reduced or lack of fluid intake.
f. Depression and anxiety.
g. Physical inactiveness or lack of exercise.
h. In many people milk and dairy products can cause constipation.

Complications

Constipation can cause complications like rectal bleeding after continually trying to pass stool, anal fissures around the anus due to straining to open the bowel, swollen inflamed blood vessels of veins in the rectum and fecal impactions in which dried stools collect in rectum and anus leading to an obstruction in the path.

Diagnosis

Constipation is generally diagnosed based on one’s symptoms and medical history. General physicians throws up a questionnaire based on which a diagnosis is made, like

a. Do your bowels open less than three times a week?
b. Do you need to strain to open your bowel on more than a quarter of occasion?
c. Do you pass a hard or pellet like stool on more than a quarter of occasion?
The physician may then suggest for some tests for diagnosis like,
a. Physical examination: It includes internal rectal examination to feel for any stool that may have collected. This test is rarely carried out in a child.
b. Blood tests to rule out other conditions.
c. X-rays to produce images of the inside of your abdomen.

Treatment

The often recommended and first treatment includes changes in diet and lifestyle. Increasing the intake of dietary fiber, drinking plenty of fluids regular and more exercise helps to prevent constipation. Oral laxatives medications are recommended by doctors to empty bowels .Also try resting your feet on a height so that your knees are above your hips .This helps passing stool easier.

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 Types of Transplant

Autotransplantation
It is the transplantation of tissues in the same person.A transplant from one part of body to another part is called an autograft.

Below are a few examples of autografts

• skin graft – uses healthy skin to help heal a wound or burn on another part of the body
• blood vessel graft – provides an alternative route for blood flow to bypass a blocked artery, for example, in heart bypass surgery
• bone graft – reconstructs a damaged area of the body, for example, in spinal fusion
• bone marrow graft – for example, in a person with cancer, bone marrow collected before chemotherapy can replace their blood stem cells after high-dose chemotherapy.

The main advantage of autograft is that there is least probability of rejection, so long-term medication,immunosuppressants is not needed. However, the retrieval of the tissue results in a new wound in addition to the transplant site, from which the person will need to recover.

Allotransplantation
It is the transplantion from other people.A transplant between two people who are not genetically identical is called an allotransplant .Donor organs and tissues can be from people who are living, or people who have died because of a significant brain injury or lack of circulation.
Allotransplantation can create a rejection process where the immune system of the recipient attacks the foreign donor organ or tissue and destroys it. The recipient may need to take immunosuppressive medication for the rest of their life to reduce the risk of rejection of the donated organ.
For some transplants like bone marrow, there is also the possibility that immune cells in the donated bone marrow will recognise the host’s body as foreign and attack the cells of the host. This is known as graft-versus-host disease (GvHD).A transplant between identical twins is called an isograft. The recipient will almost never reject an isograft and so immunosuppressants are not needed.

Xenotransplantation
It is the transplantation from other species.A transplant across species is called a xenotransplant.Heart valves from cows and pigs have been used for many years to replace faulty heart valves in people. The animal valves are treated before use to reduce the risk of the immune system rejecting the valve. Heart valves may also be replaced with human valves (allotransplant) or mechanical heart valves.

Transplantable organs and tissues

According to WHO,Kidney transplantation is by far the most frequently carried out transplantation globally.Although end stage renal disease patients can be treated through other renal replacement therapies, kidney transplantation is generally accepted as the best treatment both for quality of life and cost effectiveness.
Transplants can be for:

• organs – heart, kidney, liver, lung, pancreas, stomach and intestine
• tissue – cornea, bone, tendon, skin, pancreas islets, heart valves, nerves and veins
• cells – bone marrow and stem cells
• limbs – hands, arms and feet.

Although less in number,multi-organ transplants also occur each year. Common multi-organ transplants include heart and lungs or pancreas and kidney.
Medical advances and research  have opened new opportunities for innovation in transplant and are expanding to include face transplants!

For any queries regarding treatment facilities,email us at query@gtsmeditour.com .

Read about:Varicose vein

Plastic surgery is defined as a surgical specialty dedicated to reconstruction of facial and body defects due to birth disorders, trauma, burns, and disease. Plastic surgery is intended to correct dysfunctional areas of the body and is reconstructive in nature. Improving aesthetic appeal, symmetry, and proportion are the key goals of cosmetic surgery. Cosmetic surgery can be performed on all areas of the head, neck, and body. Because the treated areas function properly, cosmetic surgery is purely optional.

Types of plastic an cosmetic surgery

 For Head, face, and eyes

• Facelift
• Brow/forehead lift
• Eyelid lift
• Ear pinning
• Ear reshaping
• Hair replacement surgery
• Nasal surgery
• Nose reshaping
• Chin, cheek, or jaw reshaping / facial implants
• Lip augmentation
• Cleft lip and cleft palate
• Craniosynostosis (craniofacial anomaly)
• Oral and maxillofacial surgery

Breasts

• Breast augmentation
• Breast reconstruction
• Breast reduction in men with gynecomastia
• Breast lift

Abdomen

• Tummy tuck (abdominoplasty)
• Liposuction

Hand and upper limb

• Chase Hand & Upper Limb Center

Skin

• Chemical peel
• Dermabrasion / dermaplaning
• Collagen/fat injectable fillers
• Botox/filler injections (restylane, radiesse)
• Glycolic peels
• Laser peels
• Vein removal
• Scar revision
• Tattoo removal

Surgical Techniques Used in Plastic Surgery

Firstly,let us understand some first aid facts.

• Aims of first aid are 3 P s .It stands for preserve life,prevent harm and promote recovery
• ABC is how it is performed.It stands for airway,breathing and circulation.
• CPR is the most important first aid procedure.It stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation which helps maintain the flow of oxygenated blood.

ABC

• Airway: Making sure the airway is clear. Choking, which results from the obstruction of airways, can be fatal.
• Breathing: Once the airways are confirmed to be clear, determine whether the person can breathe, and, if necessary, provide rescue breathing.
• Circulation: If the person involved in the emergency situation is not breathing, the first aider should go straight for chest compressions and rescue breathing. The chest compressions will promote circulation. This saves valuable time. In emergencies that are not life-threatening, the first aider needs to check the pulse.

Recovery position

Even if the individual is breathing,it needs to be made sure that theere is no risk of airway obstruction. The recover position is critical in keeping the patient alive for longer in emergency situtations. Following are how the recover position should be cleared.

1. Remove glasses if the individual is wearing them.
2. Kneel next to the person, and place the arm nearest to you at a right angle to the body.
3. Bring the other arm across the chest. Hold the back of your hand against their nearest cheek.
4. With your other hand, hold the thigh furthest from you and pull up the knee. Make sure the foot is flat on the ground.
5. Slowly pull down on the raised knee, and roll the body over towards you.
6. Move the upper leg slightly, so that the hip and knee are bent at right angles. This makes sure that they do not roll onto their face.
7. Gently tilt the head back so that the airway is kept open.

CPR

If a person is not breathing, CPR needs to be done. These chest compressions and rescue breaths can triple the chances of saving the life of the person.If you are not alone, send someone to call for help. While help is on the way, follow these CPR steps:

1. Position your hand
   Make sure the patient is lying on his back on a firm surface. Kneel beside him and place the heel of your hand on the center of the chest.
2. Interlock fingers
   Keeping your arms straight, cover the first hand with the heel of your other hand and interlock the fingers of both hands together. Keep your fingers raised so they do not touch the patient’s chest or rib cage.
3. Give chest compressions
   Lean forward so that your shoulders are directly over the patient’s chest and press down on the chest about two inches. Release the pressure, but not your hands, and let the chest come back up.Repeat to give 30 compressions at a rate of 100 compressions per minute.
4. Open the airway
   Move to the patient’s head. Tilt his head and lift his chin to open the airway again. Let his mouth fall open slightly.
5. Give rescue breaths
   Pinch the nostrils closed with the hand that was on the forehead and support the patient’s chin with your other hand. Take a normal breath, put your mouth over the patient’s, and blow until you can see his chest rise.
6. Watch chest fall
   Remove your mouth from the patient’s and look along the chest, watching the chest fall. Repeat steps five and six once.
7. Repeat chest compressions and rescue breaths
   Place your hands on the chest again and repeat the cycle of 30 chest compressions, followed by two rescue breaths. Continue the cycle.

For any queries regarding the procedure and treatment facilities,email us at query@gtsmeditour.com .

Application details

It is a light weight application which does not eat into your phone memory.It comes with a downloadable size of only  a few megabytes.The interface is very user friendly designed to swiftly take you through the complete process.The data input required is also only essential details and the remaining is taken care by the background processes.The application also include features to store and track patient,insurance and process details along with various useful components.
On creation of query which is the primary step,it reaches the respective hospitals.The app supports downloading visa invitation letter and travel itinerary.Also, the app enables the user to upload passport and ticket copy through the upload link.There is also an option of sending ticket copy directly to the hospitals.

The application can be downloaded from Play Store(android ).

Download the MVT Business app for Android here

Process flow

The main tabs in the workflow are -Query Management,Patient and Payment and Insurance module.

Insurance module

Technique explained

Small amounts of radioactive materials are attached to special compounds to form radiopharmaceuticals. The radioactive part is referred to as a radioactive label or a radioactive tracer.The pharmaceutical part,complex molecules, helps to carry the radioactive part to the area of the body being studied. It is mostly the pharmaceutical part that determines where the radiopharmaceutical will go inside the body.
Radiopharmaceutical is injected,inhaled or swallowed depending on the type of medical examination.This makes the body slightly radioactive for a short time. A special nuclear medicine camera detects the radiation, which is emitted from the body and produces an image of the tracer’s distribution in the body.Because the tracers follow physiological pathways, the result is a functional image.It can show disease processes based on increased or decreased uptake of the tracer compared to normal in various organs. As nuclear medicine procedures are able to pinpoint molecular activity within the body, they offer the potential to identify disease in its earliest stages as well as a patient’s immediate response to therapeutic interventions.

Nuclear medicine Vs Other imaging techniques

• Nuclear medicine scans detect the radiation coming from a radiopharmaceutical that is inside a patient’s body. In contrast, other imaging procedures (for example, X-ray and CT scan) obtain images by using machines that send radiation through the body.
• Nuclear medicine is also different from other imaging procedures in that it determines the presence of disease based on biological changes in tissue rather than changes in anatomy.
• Nuclear medicine procedures are among the safest diagnostic imaging exams available; the amount of radiation received from a nuclear medicine scan is comparable to that of many diagnostic X-ray and CT procedures.

Types of Scans

Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography or SPECT and Positron Emission Tomography or PET scans are the two most common imaging modalities in nuclear medicine.

SPECT imaging instruments provide three-dimensional (tomographic) images of the distribution of radioactive tracer molecules that have been introduced into the patient’s body. The 3D images are computer generated from a large number of projection images of the body recorded at different angles. SPECT imagers have gamma camera detectors that can detect the gamma ray emissions from the tracers that have been injected into the patient. Gamma rays are a form of light that moves at a different wavelength than visible light. The cameras are mounted on a rotating gantry that allows the detectors to be moved in a tight circle around a patient who is lying motionless on a pallet.
SPECT scans are primarily used to diagnose and track the progression of heart disease, such as blocked coronary arteries. There are also radiotracers to detect disorders in bone, gall bladder disease and intestinal bleeding. SPECT agents have recently become available for aiding in the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease in the brain, and distinguishing this malady from other anatomically-related movement disorders and dementias.

PET scans also use radiopharmaceuticals to create three-dimensional images. The main difference between SPECT and PET scans is the type of radiotracers used. While SPECT scans measure gamma rays, the decay of the radiotracers used with PET scans produce small particles called positrons. A positron is a particle with roughly the same mass as an electron but oppositely charged. These react with electrons in the body and when these two particles combine they annihilate each other. This annihilation produces a small amount of energy in the form of two photons that shoot off in opposite directions. The detectors in the PET scanner measure these photons and use this information to create images of internal organs.
The major purpose of PET scans is to detect cancer and monitor its progression, response to treatment, and to detect metastases. Glucose utilization depends on the intensity of cellular and tissue activity so it is greatly increased in rapidly dividing cancer cells. In fact, the degree of aggressiveness for most cancers is roughly paralleled by their rate of glucose utilization. In the last 15 years, slightly modified radiolabeled glucose molecules (F-18 labeled deoxyglucose or FDG) have been shown to be the best available tracer for detecting cancer and its metastatic spread in the body.A combination instrument that produces both PET and CT scans of the same body regions in one examination (PET/CT scanner) has become the primary imaging tool for the staging of most cancers worldwide.

Other types

• Bone or Joint Scan: The scan is done to identify abnormal areas within the bones or joints. A small amount of radioactive material is injected into the vein and then images are taken 2 to 3 hours after the injection.
• Gallium Scan: This is done to detect infection or tumor. A special camera is used to capture images. After the injection of a radioactive material, the images are taken after 24, 48 or 96 hours, depending on the medical history of the patient.
• Gastric Emptying: This is done to evaluate the function of the stomach.
• Hepatobiliary Scan: This test is done to evaluate the function of gall bladder and to assess the bile ducts. After the injection of the radioactive material, images are taken immediately with a special camera for a minimum of one hour that can extend up to three hours.
• Liver or Spleen Scan: This is a type of scan done to find out the size and function of the liver and spleen.

Diagnosis

Nuclear medicine imaging procedures are noninvasive and, with the exception of intravenous injections, are usually painless medical tests that help physicians diagnose and evaluate medical conditions.The most commonly used radiotracer is F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose, or FDG, a molecule similar to glucose. Cancer cells may absorb glucose at a higher rate, being more metabolically active. This higher rate can be seen on PET scans, and that allows your doctor to identify disease before it may be seen on other imaging tests. FDG is just one of many radiotracers in use or in development for a variety of conditions throughout the body.
In many centers, nuclear medicine images can be superimposed with computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) to produce special views, a practice known as image fusion or co-registration. These views allow the information from two different exams to be correlated and interpreted on one image, leading to more precise information and accurate diagnoses. In addition, manufacturers are now making single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) and positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) units that are able to perform both imaging exams at the same time. An emerging imaging technology, but not readily available at this time is PET/MRI.

Therapy

Nuclear medicine also offers therapeutic procedures, such as radioactive iodine (I-131) therapy that use small amounts of radioactive material to treat cancer and other medical conditions affecting the thyroid gland, as well as treatments for other cancers and medical conditions.

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients who do not respond to chemotherapy may undergo radioimmunotherapy (RIT).Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) is a personalized cancer treatment that combines radiation therapy with the targeting ability of immunotherapy, a treatment that mimics cellular activity in the body’s immune system

Any risks ?

The total radiation dose conferred to patients by the majority of radiopharmaceuticals used in diagnostic nuclear medicinestudies is no more than what is conferred during routine chest x-rays or CT exams. There are legitimate concerns about possible cancer induction even by low levels of radiation exposure from cumulative medical imaging examinations, but this risk is accepted to be quite small in contrast to the expected benefit derived from a medically needed diagnostic imaging study.
Like radiologists, nuclear medicine physicians are strongly committed to keeping radiation exposure to patients as low as possible, giving the least amount of radiotracer needed to provide a diagnostically useful examination.

Nuclear medicine examinations provide unique information—including details on both function and anatomic structure of the body that is often unattainable using other imaging procedures.For many diseases, nuclear medicine scans yield the most useful information needed to make a diagnosis or to determine appropriate treatment, if any.A nuclear medicine scan is less expensive and may yield more precise information than exploratory surgery.Nuclear medicine offers the potential to identify disease in its earliest stage, often before symptoms occur or abnormalities can be detected with other diagnostic tests.By detecting whether lesions are likely benign or malignant, PET scans may eliminate the need for surgical biopsy or identify the best biopsy location.PET scans may provide additional information that is used for radiation therapy planning.

For any queries regarding  treatment facilities,email us at query@gtsmeditour.com .

Read about:India’s growth as a medical tourism hub

Several factors contribute to making India a favourite medical destination.

• Affordability
  Medical Tourism Market Report 2015 establishes India as ‘one of the lowest cost and highest quality of all medical tourism destinations’. As an instance,an open-heart surgery would cost around USD 150,000 in the US, but it would cost only somewhere between USD 3000-10,000 in the best hospitals of the country.So it can be observed that procedures are offered at one-tenth of the cost compared to the cost of similar procedures in US.
• Quality professionals
  India is the largest creator of doctors in the world.Having said that,the Indian Medical Association (IMA) regulates the quality of medical schools and guarantees the excellence of medical professionals being produced each year. Each medical college undergoes a fierce yearly inspection by IMA. IMA also maintains Indian Medical Register, a database of licensed medical practitioners in the country.Stringent guidelines are also in place to ensure the quality of medical practitioner.As a result,India boasts of well-certified and highly skilled medical professionals
  Also a significant portion of medical fraternity in USA and UK consists of specialists hailing from India implying that you would receive doctoring at par with these countries but at considerably lower rates.
• High end infrastructure
  India has innumerable multi specialty hospitals with world class infrastructure also equipped with experienced medical professionals.Currently, India has over 38 JCI-accredited (Joint Commission International) and 563 NABH-accredited (National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare) hospitals across the country.
  These hospitals can offer top notch treatments in every medical specialization like cardiology,neurology,cosmetic surgery,organ transplant ,to name a few.Hospitals are also incorporated with  full phase technological implementation, latest medical devices and equipment.The complete treatment cycle from the clinical outcome to post treatment therapies are usually assisted by high end programs by the implementation of advanced information systems.
• Personalized and immediate care
  Several countries like in UK  and Russia have long waiting period.But in India,any medical service can be accessed immediately.Also, the care comes customized for each person for complete phases of treatment.
• Alternate treatment options
  India is home to alternate treatment options like Ayurveda,Yoga, Sidha, Unani, Acupuncture and Homeopathy .Ayurveda is recognized as an alternative treatment option by WHO. Natural therapies provides holistic wellness and are popular in India as post treatment therapies.Ayurveda is one of the most sought after treatment approach by foreign nationals.
• E visa
  E-visas to India makes travelling to the country much easier.Also getting visas for medical purposes has become simpler.
• Language advantage
  Another important factor is that the medical team including the doctors,nurses and guides is well versed with English.The general populace in India is also English familiar making it uncomplicated for foreigners.

Growing insurance market, strong pharmaceutical industry, cheap international travel are also making India a preferred medical destination. India hosts medical tourists from the US, Canada, Australia and UK, as well as from African countries and Asian neighbours, like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and China yearly.Russia has joined the list recently.There is a huge influx of patients from Middle -East.India has cost advantage over other medical destinations like Taiwan,Singapore and Malaysia.Top Medical destinations in India are Mumbai,Chennai,Bangalore,Ahmedabad,Delhi,Goa etc.

With rich culture,heritage and already flourished tourism industry,medical value travel industry is going to shape future of India’s economy and health care.Indeed, Incredible India!

For any queries regarding  treatment facilities,email us at query@gtsmeditour.com .

Read about:Vitiligo