What’s new in anesthesia that I need to know? This is a brief listing. Answers will be expanded as time allows in the session. a. Better measurement of quality of care in anesthesia and better recognition of where problems are and how they could be improved. b. Increasingly sophisticated knowledge of ventilation problems and better management of respiratory problems postop. …
Shared peer advice from polio survivors about what works for them.
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Linking with an Anesthesiologist
Why is it so hard to link up ahead of time with the anesthesiologist who will do my case? Daily anesthesia staffing is a complex equation! It is extremely difficult to know ahead of time who will be doing which case on a particular day. There is a constant flux of anesthesia staff (people get sick), other needed staff such …
PHI’s Statement on Exercise for Polio Survivors
Advising all polio survivors not to exercise is as irresponsible as advising all polio survivors to exercise. Current evidence suggests that exercises are often beneficial for many polio survivors provided that the exercise program is designed for the individual following a thorough assessment and is supervised initially by knowledgeable health professionals. Polio survivors and their health professionals who are knowledgeable …
Exercise – The Basics
Muscle stretching and joint range-of-motion exercises are important whenever there is muscle weakness. Preventing tightness, where muscles are weak, is important to maximize function and is particularly important in the chest wall and abdominal musculature if there is a limitation of breathing capacity. Preventing tightness in the hip and knee is important to maximize walking ability when there is significant weakness …
Underventilation
New breathing problems in aging polio survivors can be insidious and often not recognized by either polio survivors or health care professionals. Individuals who used an iron lung, or barely escaped one, during the acute phase should be aware of potential problems to avoid underventilation and possible respiratory failure. Those survivors who did not need ventilatory assistance during the acute …
Pulmonary Function Tests
Pulmonary function testing can be done in a pulmonary function laboratory. Simpler tests can also be done in a physician’s office or in the home. Testing most often is used to identify airflow abnormality, reduced lung volume (restrictive abnormality), diffusing capacity changes (as in interstitial disease), and blood gas abnormality (too much carbon dioxide, too little oxygenation). The following tests …
Polio’s Effects
GENERAL INFORMATION LETTER FOR POLIO SURVIVORS Why are “old polios” who were stable for years now losing function? What should they do about it? Jacquelin Perry, MD, DSc (Hon), Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, Downey, California The basic problem is that polio destroyed some of the nerve cells that activate the muscles. To the extent possible, the neurological system …
La Poliomielitis No Tiene Un Contexto Social Actual
PROMOVIENDO SOLUCIONES POSITIVAS Salud Post-Polio, Primavera 2016, Volumen 32, Número 2 PREGUNTA: Como joven sobreviviente de la poliomielitis, creo que lo más difícil es tener una enfermedad / diagnóstico que ya no tiene contexto social actual. Es como estar atrapado en un túnel del tiempo cultural. Tengo una condición que está relativamente curada y erradicada de la mayoría de las partes …
Techniques to Help Us Make Changes
Mavis Matheson, MD, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada In 1995, I wrote an article called Changing Your Life By Conserving Energy. In it, I listed three techniques from an article by Sybil Kohl. Her techniques have helped me to make healthy choices and prevent further pain and weakness. Kohl [1] suggests three techniques that we could use to help ourselves make changes. These are …
Viviendo con dolor
Penney Cowan, Fundadora y Directora General de la Asociación Americana de Dolor Crónico. Saber llevar la vida hoy en día puede ser difícil. Saber llevar la vida con dolor es aún más difícil, pero es posible. Hay maneras de equilibrar su vida para que pueda vivir de la manera que elija, en lugar de permitir que su enfermedad dirija su …