When a man came into the emergency trauma center at University Medical Center of Southern Nevada at Las Vegas having broken multiple bones in the pelvic area after an 80-foot fall, the risk was too high to cut into him for surgery for fear that his severe injury could cause him to bleed out. Instead, doctors inserted a catheter to seal his wounds and arteries from the inside without having to make a deep incision. Decades ago, the risk was high for this type of patient to bleed to death during surgery, but now thanks to advances in medical imaging doctors can use MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) to perform surgery with minimal invasion by viewing the images as they operate using a small catheter.
The flu season is upon us with an extra gift, the H1N1 novel virus, or swine flu. The microscopic malady has made national news, daily, since summer, a good five months before its official debut was expected. There are many myths, much confusion and lots to learn about influenza, say local physicians, as this year’s flu season is nothing to sneeze at.