Surgery on patients with OSA can be problematic, and a preoperative assessment is useful as a predictor of complications and as a means of planning best clinical practice. This proposed assessment takes into account the 3 major areas of concern, namely the severity of OSA, the planned procedure, and the need for perioperative sedation and […]
Category: Reviewer’s comment
A not very NICE case of endocarditis
The recommendations of the American Heart Association and European Society for Cardiology on the use of antibiotic prophylaxis for patients considered to be high risk is very relevant in dental practice. The NICE guidelines as described by the author, at times need not be too nice for a high risk patient. Reviewer Dr Peter George […]
All tied up in knots
Anything that is linear and remotely flexible may get knotted up. This is well demonstrated in the images accompanying the present case. Murphy’s law applies, and the advice given by the authors is very sound. Reviewer Kirsten Moller All tied up in knots […]
Adenocarcinoma: not all that wheezes is asthma
This is well written case report of a rare presentation of a rare condition. It provides a important reminder to consider a differential diagnosis in patients with asthma. Large airway tumours are rare (0.2%) amongst patients with lung cancer, and amongst tracheal tumours it is thought that adenocarcinomas represent 4-10%.1-5 The majority of tracheal adenocaricinomas […]
Stroke mimic: an interesting case of repetitive conversion disorder
Patients with non-organic or functional disorders do indeed present frequently to stroke services. The hazard for the patient is that they may receive IV thrombolysis – although limited available data.1 Chen et al 2 suggests as the authors here observe, that patients presenting with non-organic or functional disorders are at a relatively low risk of […]
Electrocautery-induced gangrene of the glans penis in a child following circumcision
Circumcision is a routine procedure in some cultures. Different techniques are used as surgical methods. Unfortunately some of them cause tragic and irreversible complications. This article that includes distinct photographs highlights the undesirable consequences clearly and accurately. Because of pointing out the worrying cases in a certain way, I consider that publishing this article in […]
Pop goes the O2: a case of popper-induced methaemoglobinamia
This is a well written case report of a common presentation in emergency departments (altered mental state associated with alcohol intoxication and a possible head injury). It highlights the importance of a good history and maintaining a high index of suspicion for relatively uncommon diagnoses in patients with this common emergency department presentation. Can the […]
The importance of challenging your diagnosis even in straightforward cases
A useful approach to all patients with non-healing wounds can be summarised by the following concept: “Wounds do not heal for no reason.” The development of an ulcer is a priori evidence of some pathological process (e.g. unrelieved pressure). For a wound or an ulcer to persist, there must be a disruption in the elegant […]
TB: Pseudodementia due to intracranial tuberculomas
This report summarises a case history of a 25-year-old woman with a well known complication of tuberculosis, intracranial tuberculoma, manifest clinically with a depressed conscious level and cognitive slowness (“pseudodementia”) a few months after the initiation of anti-TB therapy. CT scan showed several tuberculoma with surrounding oedema. After re-institution of prednisolone the symptoms subside. The […]