PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a potentially life-threatening syndrome characterized by dyspnea, severe hypoxemias, decreased lung compliance, and diffuse, bilateral pulmonary infiltrates without evidence of left ventricular…
THE DISCIPLINE OF ETHICS Ethics is sometimes referred to as moral philosophy. It includes the study and decisions involved in determining “right” and “wrong” behavior. Ethics is concerned with “the…
PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS The dying process is a complex physiologic response to end-stage illness. It is characterized by symptoms that require intensive interventions to ensure comfort for the patient and a…
PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS Esophageal varices are dilated blood vessels in the wall of the esophagus; they are often described as hemorrhoids of the esophagus. Varices are caused by liver disease and…
PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a disease in which altered carbohydrate metabolism leads to high blood glucose levels (Huether & Tomky, 1998). DM has several causes and can be…
PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS The diagnosis and treatment of cancer almost invariably, and understandably, evoke in patients fear of the unknown and sadness over physical and psychosocial losses. Most often, both the…
PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS Impairment of cognitive function can have a profound effect on the quality of life of cancer survivors. Cognitive function is a multidimensional concept that describes the brain’s transcription…
PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS A general understanding of the anatomy is helpful for understanding what occurs with a carotid artery rupture (CAR). The carotid arteries run parallel to the jugular vein on…
PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS Bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP) is a phenomenon that has been studied and documented in the literature since 1901 (Holland et al., 1988). As Ezri and colleagues (1994)…
PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS Malignant ascites, a collection of fluid in the peritoneum, is a serious prognostic event in the progression of several tumors. These tumors include breast, colorectal, gastric, pancreatic, hepatocellular…
