Medical things you didn’t know?

[Emptychairdoasolo]

Just watching a medical drama and wondered what happens if you die on the operating table? Do they just sew you back up without repairing anything inside?

but also had me thinking what other medical things didn’t you know until you maybe experienced them or learned?

The liver can take a lot of abuse for a long time, then suddenly fall off a cliff in terms of function.

My cousin is an alcoholic. For years, she looked and functioned remarkably well. She seemed well, considering, which is possibly why addressing her drinking was always going to happen in the future. Turns out the future might be too late.

That is incredibly interesting - I wonder why?

It is pretty offensive to think that the NHS is wasting time and money on teaching nurses mumbo jumbo.

Yes - because "open the window out of respect for people's beliefs" is sure to be a 1 year intensive module requiring a lot of time, money, a written examination, and observed practice on the ward, and not just a couple of sentences when nurses are taught how to deal with death.

No the wonder the NHS is strapped for cash. 🙄

One of the units I used to teach was 'equality and diversity', it can bring a lot of comfort to a family if the recently deceased is treated with respect.

Just as it does to understand culture when the patient is alive, so I would teach things like not cutting a string round a Hindu patient's wrist.

Don't worry if the Vietnamese couple seem to be ignoring their baby.

There is nothing wrong with a bit of compassion when people are vulnerable.

When my mum was in the hospice I don't know how many times a priest visited her and gave her, what is commonly called 'the last rites'. I think it's superstition but she and my father got a lot of comfort from it.

Get a grip! How long would it take to mention to student nurses to open a window when teaching them about dealing with death? As for wasting money??? - maybe have a bit of a think before coming out with such nonsense!

People don't need to be taught how to open a window ffs, it's a tradition that's passed on between nurses, I think it's lovely. Those saying it's because of the smell, if your hospital is leaving bodies long enough on the wards that this is an issue then....that's worrying.

Very interesting thread! Thank you @Emptychairdoasolo - I’m learning things I never knew!

@kelpi they're not alive. Brainstem dead is dead. A heart can "beat" (muscle contractions) in a petri dish.

this is true for most medicines, actually.

This is because wisdom lower wisdom teeth that need to be taken out with GA are difficult ones to take out. It normally needs a lot of bone removal . Because it can be quite brutal surgery there is a lot of bruising and swelling.
There are two places bruising and swelling goes

A upwards towards jaw joint which is why it's difficult to open your mouth afterwards

B downwards which is why you can swell up like a hamster and brushing can appear towards your collar bone.

Dentists cannot and do not kneel on your chest . It is physically impossible and would make taking teeth out even more difficult.

I'll post the video again which explains it but again warn if you are anxious about dentistry don't watch.

Bruising not brushing!

If a patient with arthritis has had a heart valve replacement with a tissue valve eg a valve from a pig's heart, the arthritis can attack it and cause serious issues. It may meed to ne removed and be replaced with a mechanical heart valve

Another UK nurse who had the tradition of opening the window to let the soul out.

we know it’s not real, death is distressing for everyone and it’s just something we feel we can “do” to show respect as part of care of the dying.
we also treat the deceased with gentle care and talked to them.

This does happen, but it takes time to settle and be more permanent, so there's often still time to put someone on their back and prevent a face etc being discoloured.

On recent bowel care training I was taught that there are cells at the top of your rectum that sample if there is poo or wind there and send messages to brain so you can act accordingly (ie hold on until a toilet is reached or relax and let it out safe in the knowledge you are not going to accidentally shit yourself).

I love that. Special cells that detect poo or fart. Clever old body.

Nope, not to do with smell. I work in a hospital and can confirm it is to let your soul go free. 😌

I find this terribly hard to believe, Were they embalmed? Even refrigerated decomposition occurs, and it smells.

Give over. Medicine is not just a mechanical science. It involves treating people, and people are not machines. Kindness, understanding and rituals are an important part of dealing with people, and therefore an important part of medical care.

There are also lots of ways of learning - classroom teaching is one of them, and on-the-job training and apprenticeship is another. I wouldn't worry too much about the time and money spent on "teaching nurses mumbo jumbo"; I'm sure it's negligible.

@FelicityBeedle Thank you for sharing this. It’s one of the most lovely posts I’ve ever read on MN ❤️ The ‘squeeze of their hand’ made me tear right up 🥲

@alargeoneforme oh bless you, I can assure you he would have been treated with care and dignity.
I would always talk to my patients that had passed as I would when they were alive, telling them what I was about to do.
I'm not particularly religious and certainly not 'woo' but doing last offices with a patient is an honour, it's the last part of care you give and is every bit as important

Sending you 💐

I also learnt, just a few days ago, that there are antibiotic prescribing formularies that are specific not just to the region of the UK you live in but there are differences at county level too!
I work in a county that has an east/west divide and there are a few changes in what antibiotics are recommended for a specific infection dependent on if you live in the east or the west of the county.

My husband is a HCP in another region of the UK and his antibiotic formulary is different again (although very similar) to mine.

The recommendations follow the research as to what antibiotics are likely to be most successful at treating specific infections in a local population (looking at resistance).

Dead on what grounds?

This one is nonsense for sure.

Never heard of this opening a window thing before but really love it. It's such a gentle and respectful thing to do.

For those sneering, you're missing something important – nurses don't necessarily believe in souls, but they believe in respecting what the patient (or family) may have believed. If the patient didn't believe, then no harm done.

Scleritis is inflammation of the sclera, a part of the eye. There are other inflammatory eye conditions, uveitis for one.