Many of the patients the doctors see mainly have the same problems: ulcers caused by diabetes, poor vein circulation causing wounds, or simply trauma-induced ulcers. However, this week I learned that this is not always the case. The picture below shows what is known generally as "varicose veins."
As we learned in biology, veins carry blood back to the heart. However, they generally have to work against gravity (ex. from the feet to the heart) to get the blood back. Therefore, veins have valves that open and close when the heart pumps blood. Varicose veins are a result of widening valves that no longer touch, which allows the blood to flow back through the valves and downwards, increasing pressure from the veins. The pressure from the blood can actually cause a pressure ulcer, which can actually create an ulcer.
I also saw a lot of wounds resulting from surgery this week. A couple of patients recently underwent spinal surgery. The surgical site on these patients, however, did not heal correctly. On both of these patients, there was a rather large tunnel going from the outside of the body back into the spinal column. The doctors were actually able to take a cotton swab and stick it pretty far inside the patients' bodies. The reason these people don't heal correctly can be from a multitude of reasons: diabetes, old age, etc.
Finally, I leaned that hyperbaric oxygen therapy does more than treat wounds. As mentioned in a previous post, hyperbaric oxygen therapy increases the pressure of normal air to aid in the healing of wounds by allowing more oxygen to flow to wound sites. However, this is not all it does: I found a list of all the ailments hyperbaric oxygen can aid in ranging from AIDS to brain damage. This week, a patient came in with some brain damage relating to a scuba diving accident, and the doctor prescribed hyperbaric oxygen therapy to see if the brain damage can be healed. It will be interesting to see his progress in the next couple of weeks.
Next week, I will be starting my data analysis of the clinic, along with doing rounds with the doctors. Until then!
Wow Alison, sounds like you've had an awesome week! Is there any way to cure varicose veins? Does it get worse over time? Keep up the awesome work!
ReplyDeleteInteresting! To echo Eve, do varicose veins transition from normal aging to an actual risk factor at some point? (I'd always thought it was a cosmetic condition and had actually heard that it was primarily caused by crossing your legs too frequently - perhaps this is an old wive's tale?!)
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to hear that the oxygen chamber can also control swelling around the brain. In addition to relieving the pressure, can this also assist in alleviating symptoms related to post-concussion syndrome?
Nice work this week - I always look forward to your pictures! :)
Hi Alison!
ReplyDeleteAnother awesome post, I love reading your blog so much.I'm really interested in what other applications the hyperbaric oxygen chamber has. Will you be exploring these alternate uses during your project?