medications

What is topical anesthesia? Topical anesthesia may come in gels, sprays, oral rinses or skin patches. It's used for minor skin and dental procedures. Topical anesthesia is local anesthetic applied to the surface of the skin or mucous membrane (mucosa) to temporarily numb the area superficially. Topical anesthesia is applied to control pain from minor …

What are prophylactic antibiotics? Head and neck surgeries that involve the mucous membrane are particularly prone to infection, so doctors administer a strong dose of antibiotics before the procedure to head off potential infection. Prophylactic antibiotics are medications administered before most surgeries to prevent infection at the surgical site. The antibiotics protect the surgical wound from contamination by microorganisms present …

What are prophylactic antibiotics? Prophylactic or preemptive antibiotic treatments are administered prior to skin surgery in people who have compromised immunity or other conditions that make them prone to infection. Prophylactic antibiotics are antimicrobial medications administered to prevent possible infection that may result from exposure to microorganisms during certain medical procedures. Prophylactic antibiotics are administered as a preemptive measure, mostly …

What are pediatric vaccines? Pediatric vaccination involves exposing children to dead or otherwise inactive viruses or viral antigens, spurring their immune systems to develop immunity to the disease in question before exposure in the field. Pediatric vaccines are injections given to children to immunize them to certain diseases caused by germs. Administration of pediatric vaccines begins at birth and continues …

What is procedural sedation? Procedural sedation is usually minimal or moderate sedation; the lower tier of four specific sedation levels recognized by anesthesiologists and other clinicians. Procedural sedation induces relaxation and a depressed level of consciousness in patients who undergo certain noninvasive or minimally invasive procedures. Procedural sedation involves the administration of sedatives and pain relievers (analgesics) before minor procedures. …

What is conscious sedation? Sedatives and pain relievers as well as local anesthetic are used to induce conscious sedation. Conscious sedation, medically known as procedural sedation and/or moderate sedation, is a procedure to relieve anxiety and depress the level of consciousness in patients, before minor procedures. Conscious sedation is usually performed by physicians in their office, with the administration of …

Intravenous medications are switched to oral as soon as it is safe to do so. This can reduce the impact of a number of problems like antibiotic resistance and infection at the injection site, among other serious issues. Intravenous-to-oral (IV-to-PO [per oral]) switch therapy is a treatment procedure to convert the administration of medication from intravenous to oral. The procedure …

What is a stroke? Neuroprotective agents theoretically can reduce secondary brain damage from a stroke. No drug for this purpose has been FDA-approved, but many are under study. A stroke is an interruption in blood supply to a part of the brain causing brain tissue damage. Stroke is a medical emergency and one of the leading causes of death and …

What is immunosuppression? Immunosupression may be caused by illness or it can be induced therapeutically. Drugs are used to suppress the immune system in organ transplant patients to keep their bodies from rejecting the new organ. Immunosuppression compromises the immune system’s ability to fight infection. A healthy immune system protects the body by detecting and destroying harmful microbes and/or body …

Does Pyridium (phenazopyridine) cause side effects? Pyridium (phenazopyridine) is an oral urinary analgesic (pain relieving medication) used to relieve symptoms associated with lower urinary tract infections (UTIs) including urinary burning, pain, urgency, and frequency, and other symptoms. Although the exact mechanism of action is unknown, Pyridium is thought to provide relief of symptoms of UTIs by acting as a local …