What is pancreas? Although patients can leave the hospital after a few days or weeks, a full recovery from pancreas surgery can take two months or longer. The pancreas is a six to eight inches long organ situated in the abdomen, behind the stomach. The two main functions of the pancreas are regulating the blood …
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What is compartment syndrome? A compartment pressure measurement test is testing for compartment syndrome. Compartment syndrome is a painful condition caused by excessive pressure building up within and between muscles. The muscles in your arms and legs are divided into groups by thick bands of tissue called fascia. The fascia has some openings or compartments which contain muscle tissue, nerves, …
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What are omega-3 fatty acids? Share Your Story Certain foods are high in omega-3 fatty acids. Fatty acids consist of chains of carbon atoms linked together by chemical bonds. On one end (terminal) of the carbon chain is a methyl group (a cluster of carbon and hydrogen atoms). On the other terminal is a carboxyl group (a cluster of carbon, …
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What is Hartmann’s procedure? Hartmann’s procedure is necessary to preserve the healthy part of the colon in conditions that most commonly include diverticulitis and colon cancer Hartmann’s procedure is a surgical procedure in which an unhealthy part of your colon is cut from the rest of the colon, and the open end of the colon is connected to a bag …
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What is cardiac catheterization? Cardiac catheterization, also known as cardiac cath or heart cath, is a procedure to examine the functioning of the heart. A thin, narrow tube called a catheter is inserted into a blood vessel of an arm or a leg, and is guided to the arteries of the heart using an X-ray camera. The doctor then injects contrast …
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What is antiretroviral therapy (ART) for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection? ART for HIV is typically a combination of three or more different antiretroviral drugs that each target the human immunodeficiency virus at different points in its replication in the body. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is a treatment regimen used to reduce the amount of …
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What is a bronchoplasty? Bronchoplasty is used for various benign and malignant pulmonary lesions. Bronchoplasty is a reconstruction or repair of the bronchus to restore its function. During inhalation, air travels through the nose and/or mouth into the trachea (windpipe). The trachea further divides into two tubes called bronchus (bronchi). The bronchi branch out into smaller tubes called bronchioles. The …
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What are NRTIs in antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV infection? Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) are one of the seven classes of drugs developed to treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. NRTIs were the first drugs developed to manage HIV infection and remain a mainstay of antiretroviral therapy (ART) combinations. What is HIV infection? HIV infection is caused by a …
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What is lupus? The four types of lupus are Lupus dermatitis, SLE, drug-induced lupus, and neonatal lupus. Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks healthy tissue. It affects the joints, skin, brain, lungs, kidneys, and blood vessels, leading to inflammation and tissue damage in the affected organs. When internal organs are involved, the condition is called systemic …
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What is enteroenterostomy? Braun enterostomy is a type of anastomosis done following a major surgery like pancreaticoduodenectomy (removal of pancreas and a part of the intestine). Enteroenterostomy is an anastomosis (connection) between one part of the small bowel to another (jejunum or ileum). The entire small intestine is around 20 feet long and is divided into three parts. The first …
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