Medical alert systems are valuable tools that help persons to remain independent and feel confident of getting help during emergency situations. Medical alert systems mainly consist of a medical alarm console with supersensitive microphone and loud speaker, transmitter with medical alert or help button, and medical monitoring center. The user usually wears a pendant transmitter around the neck as necklaces or on the wrist as watches. Once the help button in the transmitter is pressed, the user comes in contact with the console which is connected to the phone jack and electric outlet. This in turn signals the medical monitoring center automatically.

As a result, the dispatcher of the monitoring center immediately communicates with the person who pressed the button through the console and determines the kind of help he needs. In case the user is not able to speak, the dispatcher follows instructions that are already provided by the user or his family members. Or, the dispatcher contacts other persons who are close to the user.

Mostly, the alarm pendants are water resistant. There is no need to worry even if the power goes off, as the system works with back up battery for one or two days. Some models are even designed to work at a distance of 300 feet from the house. But it is not possible to have a back and forth conversation with these models.

The cost of medical alert systems includes the initial cost of the devices and the fees for monitoring services on a monthly basis.

Medical alert systems are ideal for senior citizens, handicapped and disabled persons who lead lonely lives. It is also helpful for those persons who face the risks of heart attack, fainting, and stroke.

If you always wanted to work in medicine but couldn’t stand dealing with the blood and guts or didn’t quite have the grades to get into medical school, there’s another way you can still have a career in the same field. Medical sales representatives from drug companies play prominent roles in the world of medicine. These are highly trained individuals who educate medical professionals such as physicians, nurses and pharmacists on the use of the drug products from the companies they represent.

If you spend time in hospitals and medical clinics, you will see well dressed individuals carrying brief cases filled with literature and drug samples. These are the medical sales representatives. They help keep medical professionals up to date since there are always changes occurring such as new drug treatments, new clinical studies and even new information on older or existing drugs. Medical professionals, especially doctors and pharmacists, must keep up to date on these changes in order to keep providing optimal care for patients.

Medical sales reps can have very lucrative careers as overall income levels can be in the six figure range for top professionals. This is proof that one doesn’t need medical school to earn top money. There are many other nice benefits including company car as well as a working environment with lots of freedom and independence. There are good opportunities for travel too since attending sales and medical meetings are all part of the job.

In addition to drug products, there are also medical sales representatives who deal with medical devices such as diagnostic tests and medical equipment. But the reps dealing with drug products are the biggest and most visible group among medical sales. Most large multinational drug companies will have medical sales forces worldwide.

Medical alerts are devices that have been responsible for saving quite a few lives. They are available in various types. Some of them are in the form of wristwatches that can be worn by the patient. Wristwatches are a convenient form of medical alert, as any person can easily sport them without getting conscious about it. It is seen that generally people are conscious of wearing such alerts, as it draws attention to their medical problem.

It is very important for patients having diseases such as diabetes, hearing impairment, Alzheimer?s, and other problems to wear such medical alerts on person, as it is a lifesaver in case of an emergency. The medical personnel attending on the victim, in case of emergencies first looks for such a device, as it helps them to properly diagnose the case.

Initially, steel ID tags were the only option, but nowadays there is a wide array of bracelets, and wristwatches that they can select from. There are stylish wristwatches being manufactured as medical alerts. They can also be made in solid gold or sterling silver, which makes them very attractive. They can be embossed with the medical details of the patients who would be wearing them. Hence with these watches, a person can look good and at the same time be safe.

Medical alert wristwatches are found in many attractive shapes and frames, so as to attract customers. Medical alert wristwatches are embossed with the medical history of the patient or could have an identification number, to locate medical information. Important information on the medical condition as also various allergies to drugs and foods, are all imprinted on the exterior of the medical alert wristwatches.

There are various companies selling these systems. A buyer could buy it off a shelf in a retail shop. If the person has an access to the Internet, the buyer is provided with lot of choices. There are also innumerable sites offering the different medical alert systems online. It is advisable that the customers see all the options that are available to them, and then make the perfect choice.

Many people wait for an emergency to occur before buying a medical alert device. There are some, still refusing to get one, even after an incident and thus are subjected to the same trauma yet again, without hope of any help. During the crisis, the victim is at times, unable to reach the phone to dial 911,for help. This is when the medical alert devices are of great help. The best time, to save a loved one is, to gift them with a medical alert device before development of any crisis.

Timely diagnosis is crucial for effectual treatment. In case of an emergency, symptoms of ordinary ailments can easily be misdiagnosed. In such an eventuality it is of great help to the investigating medical team, if a short list of crucial medical facts are present on the medical ID. As per a study carried out, emergency responders and medical personnel look for a medical ID on the victim before going in for diagnosis. This saves precious time as well as eliminating chances of misdiagnosis. Medical Ids have helped reduce trips to hospitals, eliminate avoidable hospital admissions and many a time they have also been responsible for saving lives. An engraved medical ID bracelet or necklace giving a brief summary of conditions, medicines and allergies will help medical personnel in treatment.

Medical identification tags are available in the market as attractive bracelets, necklaces, pendants and medallions. Medical alerts are also available in the form of alert phones and alert push buttons.

Older people, prone to various health problems, physically challenged, or people, with ailments like heart attacks, strokes, allergies, pulmonary conditions, asthma, hearing or vision problems and other such diseases should have the medical alert tags with them at all times.

The advent of the internet has allowed men easy access to information on penis enlargement. They can get information instantly, educate themselves and even order devices from the privacy of their own homes. Unfortunately, this ease of access has led to a plethora of do-it-yourself guides on how to build homemade penis enlargement extenders and devices. There are countless forums that advise men on how to build these devices and save a few bucks. The story these forums and guides do not tell, is what happens to many of the men who build and use these homemade penis enlargement devices. These forums do not mention that a few ended up in the emergency room. There is no mention of the many potential injuries that can be suffered with homemade penis enlargement devices.

Sticking your penis in a vacuum hose (yes people try this all the time!), or tying a rope around the head of your penis with a weight on the other end are not only dangerous, they are just plain ridiculous! I don’t even want to talk about homemade stretchers that have bolts and screws bought at Home Depot! What these devices lack is precision and quality. A homemade device may not be perfectly straight, or balanced. It may be made of materials that are not safe for contact with skin. There may be some sharp edges that may cut you. The list is limitless! Here are two of the most common dangers:

1- Nerve Damage. Tying a string, using rubber bands or any other type of constricting objects around the penis can restrict or even eliminate blood-flow. If your penis changes color to blue/black and/or if you experience loss of sensation, immediately stop what you are doing and go to the emergency room. This is very serious and requires medical attention ASAP.

2- Cuts and Bruises. Homemade penis enlargement extenders are often made with materials that are found at hardware stores (yes think about this for a minute: hardware store and penis enlargement just don’t go together). The materials are often rough and sharp and can cause severe cuts to the penis. If you are bleeding profusely, please get checked out as soon as possible.

There are penis enlargement devices and extenders commercially available that can give you safe and proven results. Some of the commercially available devices are medically tested and approved. One such device is SizeGenetics. It is classified as a medical type 1 device with only the highest quality materials. It has a precise traction system that will ensure even, safe and fast penis growth.

With so many penis enlargement products on the market it can be a tough choice for men trying to find the right technique to use. Traction devices compared to surgery are a less expensive safer method of penis enlargement. This article will discuss the benefits of traction devices and why its is regarded as the number one penis enlargement method.

There are a number of traction devices currently on the market. The best ones are all certified as a type 1 medical device and should bare the EU stamp of approval. Traction is also used in medical practices to assist in the treatment of burns and other trauma injuries. The traction method has also been used for centuries to increase the size of various parts of the bodies. These include the mursi women of africa who use stretching to increase the size of their lips. Traction devices are more commonly used to aid in the recovery of men who have undergone penis enlargement surgery.

All penis traction / extender devices are made the same way, however quality of the parts and comfort play a major role. They generally comprise of a plastic retainer that fits comfortably on the base of the penis. Two rods run down either side of the penis and finally a flexible ring fits over the penis head. The two rods can be adjusted to exert various amounts of force. This can range from 1.5 to 3.5 lbs.

Traction devices exert a tensile force on the penis. This force stretches the tissue cell creating spaces between these sells. The body overtime will naturally grow new cells to fill in the spaces. Its this method of stretching and allowing the body to recover that over time, increases the length and width of the penis.

Penis traction devices should be used up to 8 hours a day, however the quality and comfort of the product will dictate what you are willing to do. These devices can provide excellent results if the user is prepared to put in the time and effort. They are very good for men who do not want to or are unable to use the manual jelq method.

They vary in prices and quality. Sizegenetics for example can cost up to $400 for the complete system. Some due diligence will be required on your part to ensure that you do not waste your money on a poor quality product. Always choose a manufacturer that offers a full refund and always follow the instructions. Over doing things or getting carried away can lead to injury.

Electronic medical records are computer-based patient medical records. Physicians’ offices and hospitals throughout the United States are increasingly using them because they offer certain advantages over conventional paper-based medical records. Such records are also useful in processing health insurance claims and following up with patients. A key benefit to medical providers is the instant availability of data once it is entered electronically, and the space and labor savings resulting from the elimination of paper-based records.

Electronic medical records are readily accessible, increasingly standardized for seamless use where and when required, and greatly reduce the likelihood of error in either entry or interpretation of medical information. Having a patient’s medical and contact information readily available can be potentially life-saving during critical medical events such as severe allergic reactions or heart attacks. By reducing errors and saving time, electronic medical records may therefore help reduce the large number of deaths attributed to medical error in the United States each year.

In order to enter medical information into an electronic medical record, special software is required. The electronic medical records software industry is rapidly growing, and such software is becoming increasingly sophisticated. While basic software allows for entry of physician orders and notes and nurses’ notes, more advanced software may include error-checking programs, the capacity to synchronize with hand-held data devices, and other advanced features that increase the utility of records.

As electronic medical records are more widely used, concerns regarding the protection of patients’ confidential medical information and privacy have increased. In 1996, the US Congress passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and a more stringent Privacy Rule went into effect in 2003. HIPAA sets required national standards for medical records, guarantees patients the right to see their own medical records, and requires providers to inform patients how their medical information is used and disclosed.

QUESTION: I am new to an OR that performs complex spinal surgery techniques. Recently, two patients experienced significant orbital edema with ecchymosis. One patient developed postoperative unilateral blindness, and the other patient did not. We followed the manufacturer’s recommendations for positioning these patients on the modular spinal table and were careful to ensure that the patients’ eyes were protected from pressure. Should we be taking additional precautions to prevent this from happening, or is it just a potential complication for these types of procedures?

ANSWER: Though rare, this postoperative complication may occur despite use of best practices in positioning a patient correctly on an OR bed and protecting the patient’s eyes from pressure. In October 2005, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) released their “Practice advisory for perioperative visual loss associated with spine surgery.” (1) The advisory reports that ophthalmic complications, including posterior or anterior optic neuropathy and central retinal artery occlusion, occur in 0.2% of spine surgeries. (1) In the December 2005 issue of AORN Management Connections, Lorry A. Lee, MD, director of the ASA’s Postoperative Visual Loss Registry, notes that several risk factors are associated with postoperative blindness, but little evidence exists to validate or support preventive treatments. (2)

Investigations into postoperative blindness after spinal surgery have been limited. Case reports and one case-control study suggest that patients

* with carotid artery disease, diabetes, glaucoma, hypertension, or preoperative anemia;

* who smoke; or

* who are obese

are at high-risk for complications through linked-associations, which are defined as assumed links between patient outcomes and surgery characteristics (eg, prolonged spine surgery and report of visual loss). The literature also correlates visual impairment and blindness with prolonged surgical procedures (ie, 6.5 hours or longer) and blood loss of 44.7% of estimated blood volume. Resulting visual impairments can be identified during the immediate postoperative phase of care. (1,3)

Perioperative nurses can be proactive in managing and identifying this rare complication of spinal surgery. A thorough preoperative patient assessment establishes a baseline for predisposing factors for complications, including any presurgical visual deficiencies. Being aware of surgical case characteristics (eg, procedure length, surgical approach) helps determine positioning supplies and modifications in positioning needed to safely accommodate a patient’s physical needs. Intraoperative collaboration of the surgical team will will help minimize risk of patient injury. Direct pressure on a patient’s eyes and face should be avoided, and anatomical alignment should be maintained. The ASA practice advisory also recommends that high-risk patients be

positioned so that their heads are
level with or higher than the heart
when possible … [and that their
heads] be maintained in a neutral
forward position (eg, without significant
neck flexion, extension, lateral
flexion, or rotation) when possible. (1)

The perioperative nurse should actively monitor and assess the patient’s body alignment and tissue integrity throughout the positioning process. (4) Additional practice recommendations for anesthesia care providers include

* informing high-risk patients of the small, unpredictable risk of perioperative vision loss or impairment;

* administering colloids along with crystalloids to maintain intravascular volume; and

* discussing with the high-risk patient’s surgeon whether staging spine procedures are indicated.

No guidance is provided regarding the need to alter deliberate hypotensive techniques during spinal surgery or for transfusion thresholds to prevent this event.

When the patient is alert postoperatively, the perioperative nurse should assess visual acuity and note any changes from the baseline preoperative assessment. An evaluation of facial symmetry and ocular edema may determine impending visual disturbances. If the nurse has any concern regarding visual loss or impairment, he or she should notify the surgeon and obtain an immediate ophthalmological consultation.

Surgical patients rely on perioperative nurses to advocate for their safety and well-being. Perioperative nurses can help minimize the impact of uncontrollable factors during the intraoperative experience by being aware of potential complications and integrating the nursing process into clinical practices.

QUESTION: Members of our anesthesia department want to start using cellular telephones instead of beepers to be notified about incoming patients and clinical problems. I realize there are advantages to this approach, but I am concerned that the use of cellular telephones may increase cross-contamination between patients and interfere with patient care monitors, especially if these telephones are used in the OR. What is AORN’s position on using cellular telephones in patient care settings?

Salt Lake-based Paradigm Medical Industries Inc. said Wednesday it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to market a new generation of ultrasound devices.

The products, used for eye measurements and detecting eye abnormalities, were developed through a collaboration with Meda Co. Ltd., a Chinese developer and manufacturer of ultrasound devices.

Offered in wafer-level, chip-scale package, Model AS13985 features low noise of 30 [micro]Vrms between 10 Hz and 100 kHz, allowing use of 1 [micro]F ceramic output capacitor. Supply voltage rejection is 60 dB at 1 kHz and 55 dB at 10 kHz, fulfilling noise requirements for mobile phone applications. Available in variety of preprogrammed output voltages from 1.2-5.0 V, regulator features voltage drop of 45 mV at 150 mA output current, going down to 0.3 mV at 1 mA.

Unterpremstaetten, Austria (April 25, 2006) - austriamicrosystems (SWX: AMS), a leading global designer and manufacturer of analog integrated circuits (ICs) for communication, industrial, medical and automotive applications, today introduced an ultra low dropout regulator (LDO), optimized to deliver improved operating times

in battery-powered portable equipment such as PDAs, digital cameras, Bluetooth and GPS modules. The devices are designed to extend the talk and standby time of mobile cell phones as a result of its extremely low dropout voltage.

The AS13985 LDO regulator is sold in a wafer level chip-scale package (WL-CSP) which means that the silicon itself is placed directly on the PCB, resulting in the smallest LDO solution. The device features extraordinarily low noise of only 30[micro]Vrms between 10Hz and 100kHz. This allows the use of a small and less expensive 1[micro]F ceramic output capacitor. With a supply voltage rejection performance of 60dB at 1kHz and 55dB at 10kHz, the AS13985 perfectly fulfills the noise requirements for mobile phone applications.

“The AS13985 solves issues that arise in the designs of state-of-the-art portable devices,” said Walter Moshammer, marketing director for standard linear at austriamicrosystems. “The AS13985 offers ultra low dropout voltage, low noise and outstanding dynamic performance, as well as the extremely small size of the wafer level chip-scale package, making it ideal for battery-powered devices such as mobile phones.”

A digital enable pin with a turn-on time of only 150[micro]s allows system-level dynamic power management. Due to low RON characteristic, the AS13985 LDO regulator features a voltage drop of only 45mV at 150mA output current, going down to 0.3mV at 1mA. Furthermore, it offers over-temperature and over-current protection. With ensured 150mA output current and 500mA peak output current, the AS13985 delivers sufficient power for various applications.