Critical Care: a Brief Introduction

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Critical care is providing specialized, continuous, and multidisciplinary care for patients undergoing a life-threatening yet treatable condition, specifically one where vital organs of the body are at risk of failing. Critical care uses advanced therapeutic, diagnostic, and monitoring technology, maintaining organ system function and alleviating the patient’s condition for the eventual treatment of the underlying illness or injury.

Critical care services are delivered by a specialized team of healthcare providers in adult or pediatric intensive care units, as well as a range of post-operative units. Commonly found in these units are monitors, intravenous or IV tubes, catheters, feeding tubes, breathing machines, and other equipment. At its core is the ICU, where healthcare professionals work around the clock to save the life of the critically ill patient.

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This aspect of healthcare involves a very intensive input of resources for a small number of patients. In addition, it occupies a proportionately huge fraction of a hospital’s infrastructure, intended for a small part of the in-patient population. It should be noted, however, that critical care is inappropriate for patents who stand no realistic chance of recovery, except in very rare instances. An example is when the patient wishes to be an organ donor, which usually entails a period of critical care before donation.

While many patients here recover and survive, some die. There are those with advance directives, which assist doctors and family members in making end-of-life decisions for the patients.

Dr. Lisa M. Cannon is an accomplished physician with a private practice in New Jersey. Her practice is focused on providing diagnostic, treatment, and management options to patients with pulmonary and respiratory conditions like COPD, tuberculosis, and pneumonia. Learn more about her practice areas on this site.

Always short of breath? Explaining dyspnea

Dyspnea is the medical term for shortness of breath. Episodes of breathlessness are common even among healthy people, such as when exercising or climbing high altitudes. However, frequent or sudden breathlessness might be an indication of an underlying health problem. Individuals who encounter labored breathing, especially when accompanied with chest pain, fainting, or bloody sputum, and recurs for more than a month should have a health check.

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Dyspnea is caused by an obstruction of the passageways of oxygen to the lungs, heart or blood vessels. The culprit could be asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, anemia, lung cancer, anxiety, heart failure, emphysema, hypertension and myriads more. To correctly diagnose the real problem, patients are asked to undergo a complete physical examination including chest X-rays and electrocardiogram (ECG). Determining the cause of breathlessness enables physicians to diagnose a course of treatment correctly.

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For respiratory-related dyspnea, preventive measures can be taken to avoid triggers. Stay away from environments with dense air pollutants such as fumes, dust, and smoke. Quitting cigarettes and losing weight can also enhance the health of lungs and the heart, and reduce toxins that aggravate the causes of dyspnea.

Lisa Marie Cannon, M.D., is a pulmonary and critical care specialist with over 15 years of experience. She received her pulmonary fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital and now has her own medical practice in New Jersey. For more news on respiratory health, follow this blog.

The Truth About Nightcaps: How Alcohol Can Impair a Person’s Sleeping Habits

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After a long, hard day at work, people turn to alcohol supposedly to relax themselves. Some claim that drinking a glass or two before bedtime helps them rest well, but science says otherwise. In fact, consuming alcohol before bedtime can impair sleeping patterns.

According to studies, alcohol does not help a person sleep better. While it can help healthy people fall asleep faster and more deeply for a few moments, it curbs REM or rapid eye movement.

REM happens 90 minutes after a person falls a sleep. It is the stage in the normal sleep cycle when a person dreams, and is believed to restore the body’s functions. When a person’s REM sleep is disrupted, drowsiness could be expected the next day. They also experience poor concentration and have impaired cognitive functions.

Alcohol also suppresses a person’s normal sleep breathing patterns, and precipitates sleep apnea. In some cases, breathing is paused, which can cause more harm.

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Alcohol is often used by people with insomnia as a sleeping aid for its short-term impact. But alcohol drinkers’ bodies suffer, and they are more likely to have memory problems. They also might have other sleeping conditions like sleep talking or walking.

If someone is experiencing difficulty with sleeping, it is best to approach a sleep specialist or a physician first before self-prescribing medicine or turning to alcohol.

Dr. Lisa Marie Cannon is a pulmonary and sleep medicine specialist. Learn more about the latest findings in sleep medicine by visiting this blog.

The Health Effects of Chronic Sleep Deprivation

Today, people are driven by speed. The definition of success is based on a person’s ability to beat deadlines. An unforeseen effect of such fast-paced lifestyle is the rapidly growing number of individuals who are chronically sleep-deprived. The various health effects of sleep deprivation cannot be overemphasized. In fact, many health professionals believe that a vast majority of illnesses can be prevented simply by adjusting one’s sleep habits. Most people are aware of the short-term consequences of lack of sleep, from decreased performance to memory and cognitive impairment. Unfortunately, these symptoms worsen with continuous sleep deprivation. People should become aware of the several long-term effects of this condition.

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Medical studies have concluded that there is an increased mortality risk among individuals who only sleep less than six or seven hours per night. Reduced sleep significantly increases the risk of high blood pressure, heart failure, obesity, and attention deficit disorder (ADD). Other studies suggest that pregnant women who lack sleep may give birth to babies who exhibit fetal and childhood growth retardation. Another batch of research has found that sleep disturbance is one of the leading factors for elderly institutionalization, with insomnia nearly tripling the mortality risk in older men.

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Each individual is different. The recommended number of hours a person should sleep is between six and eight. However, certain people fall outside this boundary. What is more important, experts say, is the quality of sleep. A person’s sleep cycle should remain undisturbed for a certain period, and the person should wake up feeling refreshed. Those who sleep for six to eight hours but who wake up continuously between are also considered sleep-deprived. Individuals who have problems with their sleep are recommended to set an appointment with a sleep medicine specialist as soon as possible.

Dr. Lisa Marie Cannon specializes in internal medicine, particularly those related to sleep disturbances and disorders. For more information, visit this LinkedIn page.

The ‘Stroke Belt’: States with the highest prevalence of stroke

Even amongst smokers (who are more typically associated with respiratory diseases), stroke is a massive health threat. Smoking raises triglycerides (a type of fat in the blood) levels and destroys cells that line the blood vessels. In the U.S., this disease is most common in the Southwest, and the exact reason remains obscure. This area is known as the “Stroke Belt,” the part of the country with the well-defined but mysteriously high incidence of cardiovascular disorders.

More than a hundred thousand Americans die each year due to stroke and thousands more incur long-term disability for the same disease. It is estimated that at least $34 billion is spent annually for treatments related to this cardiovascular disorder. Below are the top states with the highest prevalence of stroke according to a survey taken from 2002 to 2007:

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1.Mississippi (4.3 percent)
2.Oklahoma and Washington, D.C. (3.4 percent)
3.Louisiana (3.3 percent)
4.Alabama and Nevada (3.2 percent)
5.Kentucky, Missouri, and Tennessee (3.1 percent)
6.Arkansas, Illinois, Michigan, Texas, and West Virginia (3 percent)
7.Georgia and South Carolina (2.9 percent)
8.Florida, Hawaii, and North Carolina (2.8 percent)
9.Virginia (2.7 percent)
10.California, Iowa, New Hampshire, South Dakota, and Utah (2.6 percent)
11.Alaska, Indiana, and Oregon (2.5 percent)
12.Idaho, Maine, New York, and Washington (2.4 percent)

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Dr. Lisa Marie Cannon is a board-certified physician with more than 15 years of experience in critical care, internal medicine, and pulmonary medicine. For more health-related discussions, click here.