A condition that I found very interesting was a condition called a hemangioma, which according to Mayo Clinic is "a birthmark that most commonly appears as a rubbery, bright red nodule of extra blood vessels in the skin." When I saw the patient with the hemangioma at the hospital, I thought it looked familiar, and after a discussion with my mom about hemangiomas, I realized that one of my best childhood friends had one for the greater part of her childhood; however, it is no longer there now that she is a teenager. Mayo Clinic also states, "A hemangioma grows during the first year of life, and then recedes over time. A child who had a hemangioma during infancy usually has little visible trace of the growth by age 10." After reading this, it made sense to me why my childhood friend no longer has a trace of the red birthmark on her face, and I find it interesting that these birthmarks just seem to disappear over time. A hemangioma can occur anywhere on the body, but it most commonly appears on the face, scalp, chest, or back. Additionally, treatment is not typically required for a hemangioma unless the hemangioma is interfering with vision or breathing.
At my time at Le Bonheur we saw a couple of cases where the patients had neurogenic bladders and neurogenic bowels and required a MACE procedure in order to help with the condition. Patients who have neurogenic bladder lack bladder control due to a brain, spinal cord, or nerve problem while patients with neurogenic bowel lack the ability to control bowel movements. The Malone Antegrade Continence Enima (MACE) is described by The Department of Pediatric Surgery at The University of Michigan: " The concept behind the procedure is to empty the colon of stool using fluid (similar to an enema) which is infused through a catheter (tube) in the proximal colon rather than from below. Ideally, the distal colon (rectum) will remain empty for the majority of the day following irrigation." To sum this long statement up, this procedure helps patients no longer have fecal incontinence, which is the inability to control bowel movements resulting in unexpected stool leakage from the rectum.
After Naudia kindly allowed me to use her stethoscope to listen to her patients' heartbeats, I began getting very interested in hearing what an abnormal heartbeat sounded like, and thanks to Naudia, she allowed me to listen to one of her patients who has a heart murmur, so I could tell the difference between a normal and abnormal beat. According to the American Heart Association, "Heart murmurs are often caused by defective heart valves. A stenotic heart valve has a smaller-than-normal opening and can't open completely. A valve may also be unable to close completely. This leads to regurgitation, which is blood leaking backward through the valve when it should be closed." Additionally, heart murmurs can be caused by congenital defects and other conditions such as pregnancy, fever, anemia, and others. When I listened to the patient's heartbeat through the stethoscope, I could hear a whooshing sound between the beats, and Naudia told me that this is the sound doctors look for when examining patients' hearts for murmurs.
Sources:
-http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hemangioma/home/ovc-20202394
-http://surgery.med.umich.edu/pediatric/patient/conditions/A-M/malone.shtml
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/More/CardiovascularConditionsofChildhood/Heart-Murmurs_UCM_314208_Article.jsp#.V2lkhfkrJD8
At my time at Le Bonheur we saw a couple of cases where the patients had neurogenic bladders and neurogenic bowels and required a MACE procedure in order to help with the condition. Patients who have neurogenic bladder lack bladder control due to a brain, spinal cord, or nerve problem while patients with neurogenic bowel lack the ability to control bowel movements. The Malone Antegrade Continence Enima (MACE) is described by The Department of Pediatric Surgery at The University of Michigan: " The concept behind the procedure is to empty the colon of stool using fluid (similar to an enema) which is infused through a catheter (tube) in the proximal colon rather than from below. Ideally, the distal colon (rectum) will remain empty for the majority of the day following irrigation." To sum this long statement up, this procedure helps patients no longer have fecal incontinence, which is the inability to control bowel movements resulting in unexpected stool leakage from the rectum.
After Naudia kindly allowed me to use her stethoscope to listen to her patients' heartbeats, I began getting very interested in hearing what an abnormal heartbeat sounded like, and thanks to Naudia, she allowed me to listen to one of her patients who has a heart murmur, so I could tell the difference between a normal and abnormal beat. According to the American Heart Association, "Heart murmurs are often caused by defective heart valves. A stenotic heart valve has a smaller-than-normal opening and can't open completely. A valve may also be unable to close completely. This leads to regurgitation, which is blood leaking backward through the valve when it should be closed." Additionally, heart murmurs can be caused by congenital defects and other conditions such as pregnancy, fever, anemia, and others. When I listened to the patient's heartbeat through the stethoscope, I could hear a whooshing sound between the beats, and Naudia told me that this is the sound doctors look for when examining patients' hearts for murmurs.
Sources:
-http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hemangioma/home/ovc-20202394
-http://surgery.med.umich.edu/pediatric/patient/conditions/A-M/malone.shtml
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/More/CardiovascularConditionsofChildhood/Heart-Murmurs_UCM_314208_Article.jsp#.V2lkhfkrJD8