Saturday, March 31, 2007

Childhood Trauma

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Uninsured patient billed more than $12,000 for broken rib

30 Mar 07 13:47:00 UTC
San Francisco Gate - So he was driven by ambulance to San Francisco General, the only trauma center in the city. Palmer got lucky here. The ambulance was from the Presidio Fire Department, which is run by the federal government and doesn't charge for ambulance ...

Symptoms Of Dental Trauma



Dental trauma is injury to any part of the mouth area including teeth, gums, tongue, jaw and lips. The most common dental injury is broken teeth or even knocked out teeth. These traumas can be caused by accidents, fights, scalding liquids and sports. The symptoms of dental trauma depend entirely on the type of injury that has occurred. Cuts and burns can lead to painful swelling and sometimes bleeding. Sometimes broken teeth can lead to toothaches while a knocked out tooth can leave the gums swollen and bloody. Problems with the jawbone tend to be more serious and can sometimes lead to a misaligned jaw.

Anyone who has suffered from dental trauma should visit a dentist as soon as possible to ascertain the effect of the trauma and the subsequent treatment that is needed. A dentist uses x-rays on the mouth to find out the total extent of the damage caused by the dental trauma. This can be easier for the patient than a full physical examination at first due to the pain that can come from dental injury. The sooner the treatment begins the better in most cases of this trauma as it can avoid more serious long-term effects. Dental trauma can be extremely painful in a lot of cases and the patient may need some type of anesthetic before any treatment can begin.

Treatment For Dental Trauma

Different types of dental trauma require different treatments. For soft tissue injuries such as cuts and swelling, cold compresses can be used to reduce the swelling and the bleeding can be eased by putting pressure on the laceration. Sometimes stitches are required although with a lot of lip injuries, the lip has to be left to heal naturally. Painkillers can help with the pain. Broken teeth require the mouth to be rinsed out in order to clean the area. The sooner a dentist is visited, the greater the chance of saving the tooth. Dentists often advise people to hold on to the tooth or any broken bit after dental trauma, keeping them moist is essential. When the entire tooth has been knocked out, it is important to hold it by the crown rather than the root. After such a trauma, the dentist will try to save all of the teeth, although this is not always possible and sometimes an artificial crown or tooth is needed.

Dental trauma that leads to a broken jaw requires the jaw to be set back into its rightful position and may need wires to hold it into place. The healing process can take up to six weeks for this type of injury. It is important to see the dentist as soon as possible when the jaw has been broken as delays in treatment can result in a much longer and more painful recovery time. With any dental trauma, infections can easily set in and it is important to continue to take good care of the injured area and avoid further damage. Most dental traumas can be easily treated and heal in time as long as proper care is taken of the area.


 

Friday, March 30, 2007

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House passes Texans' trauma center bill (KTRE-TV East Texas)

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 19:51:25 GMT
WASHINGTON Reports of a seriously injured young man who couldn't get treatment at a crowded Houston trauma hospital has haunted Houston Congressman Gene Green for years.

Trauma Nurse - A Demanding Yet Very Fulfilling Career



The nursing profession is regarded as one of the most important and most demanding positions in the field of medicine. Where the doctors attend to the patient for just a few minutes, the nurse gets to look after the patient during her whole shift. In fact, patients would get to know their nurses better than their doctors because the nurses are always there when they need them.

In big hospitals where lots of emergency cases are brought in every hour, the role of a trauma nurse is very important. Note that when a patient is brought into the hospital, the trauma nurse is one of the first people who will attend to the patient. As support personnel to the doctor in the emergency room, the trauma nurse has the responsibility to organize everything so that the doctors will be able to work more efficient to save the life of the patient.

What Does It Take To Become A Trauma Nurse?

The first thing that you will need to become a trauma nurse is to have that genuine concert for the well being of other people. Since a trauma nurse is expected to take on more responsibilities in the emergency room, he or she should have the proper attitude towards his or her job. If the trauma nurse cares deeply for his or her patient, he or she will be more willing to go another mile to help save the life of his or her patient.

The second thing that you will need to have to become a good trauma nurse is patience and stamina. Since the work could be very demanding and may require you to be with the patient for extended hours, you should be prepared to serve your patient even beyond your hours of work when the situation requires so.

The third thing that you need to have to become a trauma nurse is that specialized knowledge and skills in dealing with emergency circumstances. Although you are already trained to cope with emergencies as a nurse, becoming a trauma nurse would require you to get more trainings and experience in the emergency room. Note that a traumatic situation where the patient in seriously injured could lose his or her life any minute would require more skills on your part. Furthermore, since you will need to work with a critical care unit, you will need advanced and highly specialized knowledge in critical care.