Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M Gavaghan.
Biochemical markers are substances that are detected in body fluids or tissues that may signify a disease or other abnormality. Biochemical markers have been used to help in the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction since the 1950s. The major problem with these markers is that they lack specificity for cardiac muscle as they are also elevated in many disease states and after minor muscle damage.
Modern diagnosis and treatment of esophageal disease is a result of progress in assessing the anatomy and physiology of the esophagus, as well as refinements in anesthetic and surgical techniques. Esophageal carcinoma spreads rapidly and metastasizes easily. The tendency for early spread and the absence of symptoms result in late diagnosis that reduces treatment options and cure rates. Lifestyle (i.e., use of alcohol and tobacco), nutritional deficiencies, ingestion of nitrosamines, and mutagen-inducing fungi are blamed for cancer of the esophagus. Other pathologic conditions (e.g., achalasia, Barrett's epithelium, gastric reflux, hiatal hernia) are potential contributors to the development of carcinoma. Nurses are in key positions to identify the existence of factors contributing to premalignant or malignant lesions and to educate patients and make the appropriate referrals.
The vascular system is a complex network transporting blood to and from all parts of the body. It distributes oxygenated and nutrient-rich blood to body tissue via arteries, arterioles, metarterioles, and capillaries. Venules and veins carry deoxygenated blood, cellular wastes, and carbon dioxide to the heart and lungs to be oxygenated or removed. The lymphatic system removes fluid left at the venous end of the capillaries and returns it to the circulatory system by way of the lymphatic ducts. Understanding the vascular system is basic to providing quality nursing care.
This article reviews the normal anatomy and physiology of the heart. Understanding the normal anatomic and physiologic relationships described in this article will help perioperative nurses care for patients who are undergoing cardiac procedures. Such knowledge also assists nurses in educating patients about cardiac procedures and about activities that can prevent, reverse, or improve cardiac illness.
Pheochromocytomas are tumors that develop from chromaffin tissue of the embryonic sympathoadrenal system. These tumors may occur anywhere chromaffin tissue exists but most often develop in the adrenal medulla. Less than 50% of patients are diagnosed with pheochromocytomas while alive, and most of these tumors are found on autopsy. The classic signs and symptoms of pheochromocytomas are headache, perspiration, palpitations, pallor, and paroxysmal hypertension. Elevated levels of vanillylmandelic acid and metanephrines in patients' 24-hour urine collections are the most reliable diagnostic indicators of pheochromocytomas. Most patients with pheochromocytomas can be cured if diagnoses and surgical resections of tumors occur before irreversible cardiovascular disease and end-organ damage from hypertension develop.
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