Archive for the ‘ Diagnose ’ Category

Used Blood Pressure Cuffs for the Home

Sunday, August 22, 2010 posted by admin 2:37 am
Conventional (mechanical) sphygmomanometer wit...
Image via Wikipedia

If you or a loved one has a history of high or low blood pressure, consider investing in a used blood pressure meter for personal use. These units can be purchased in excellent condition from used medical equipment suppliers at affordable discounts. Having a blood pressure meter on hand can potentially save the life of yourself or a loved one. Persistent high blood pressure (“hypertension”) can lead to heart attacks or strokes, while persistent low blood pressure (“hypotension”) can cause fainting, dizziness, and, in extreme cases, shock.

The standard manual blood pressure meter used by doctors consists of an inflatable cuff, a bulb pump and valve, and a measurement instrument. When measuring blood pressure, the inflatable cuff is fixed around the upper arm at the same height as the heart, and the bulb is used to inflate the cuff until the brachial artery in the upper arm is blocked. The pressure in the cuff is shown on the meter’s measurement instrument, which typically uses mercury to depict pressure in millimeters of mercury (mmHg).  Then, pressure in the cuff is slowly released through the unit’s valve, until the flow of blood through the artery can be heard again. Listening with a stethoscope, the pressure at which blood can be heard flowing through the artery indicates blood pressure.

Normally, when blood flows through the body, the flow of blood can be felt, but not heard. But when a blood pressure cuff is used to block the brachial artery and to let blood slowly back through, the pumping of blood through the artery can be heard. When the cuff loosens enough to allow blood to first be heard again, the pressure in the cuff indicates the systolic blood pressure. When pressure in the cuff drops so low that these sounds can no longer be heard, the pressure at which the sounds can last be heard is the diastolic blood pressure.

Knowing how to measure blood pressure is only a start, however. By buying used blood pressure cuffs, you will have affordable, professional-quality medical equipment which can save your life or that of another.

Enhanced by Zemanta
  • Share/Bookmark
Tags: ,
Category : Diagnose, Medical Equipment, Used Medical Equipment

Thermometers for the Home

Friday, August 20, 2010 posted by admin 5:52 pm

Thermometer

Whether your home contains small children or adults, a thermometer is an essential piece of home medical equipment. Used thermometers should be sterilized before usage, but are nevertheless safe. Thermometers are inexpensive and useful, and offer a reliable way to monitor the health of yourself or a loved one.

Body temperature is one of the primary vital signs of the human body, and indicates a variety of health conditions. It can be measured in several places, but the most common is under the tongue. Normal average body temperature is about 98.2 degrees Fahrenheit, but varies throughout the day by as much as half a degree. Elevated body temperature usually indicates the presence of a disease, because the body generates heat as it fights infection, but can also be due to skin inflammation or immunological disease. Lowered body temperature is usually caused by exposure to a cold environment or to alcohol consumption.

Thermometers come in two main varieties: digital and mercury thermometers. Mercury thermometers contain a volume of mercury in a bulb, attached to a hollow tube via a narrow opening. When placed in a patient’s body, the mercury expands and rises up through the tube. When the mercury has expanded to the maximum that the patient’s body temperature will allow, it stops rising and the thermometer is removed. As it cools, the mercury cannot fall back through the constricted entrance to the bulb, and remains in the tube to indicate the patient’s body temperature.

Mercury thermometers are not the safest choice of thermometer, however. In order to reset mercury thermometers after use, they must be shaken vigorously in order to force the mercury back down into the bulb. This poses health risks because mercury is toxic, and if the thermometer is accidentally dropped while being shaken, it may break. Exposure to liquid mercury or to mercury vapor is hazardous at best, and lethal at worst. For a safer choice of thermometer, use digital thermometers. These have largely come to replace mercury thermometers in health care settings, because they do not rely on mercury and pose less of a health risk.

Enhanced by Zemanta
  • Share/Bookmark
Tags:
Category : Diagnose, Medical Equipment

Is There Anything Sound Waves Can’t Do?

Friday, August 13, 2010 posted by admin 12:26 pm
Lydklip
Image via Wikipedia

Sound waves are an incredible thing.  For one thing, they can be used to tell the police when someone is speeding (which might not be convenient if you happen to be the speeder, but it is nonetheless impressive), diagnose just about any kind of illness a person might have, and even take care of malignant growths inside of an internal organ.  These are the kinds of things that one would simply never suspect that the humble sound wave might be capable of doing.  For the most part, we typically just assume that sound waves let us hear things, and leave it at that rather cursory level of accomplishment.  But sound waves can do a whole lot more than just identify the basic goings on in the outside world.

Ultrasound technology has been in existence for decades, but seems to grow more effective with each passing year.  With an ultrasound device known as Doppler ultrasound, these extremely high frequency sound waves can pick up what is going on inside of your body at the very moment that it is happening.  Rather like a cop with a radar gun, this fantastic piece of equipment can tell a trained physician or technician how quickly blood is moving through your system.  This information can be in three dimensions, show the actual movement of the blood (and the organs that move the blood around), and whether anything suspicious or potentially dangerous exists (such as a blockage, blood vessel narrowing or malformed object like a tumor or congenital defect).

Sound waves can even allow a previously barbaric process of removing malignant (cancerous) cells from the walls of a man’s prostate to be elevated into the modern age.  If you are a man whose prostate is under threat, the notion of your own cells threatening your masculine power is scary enough – but the idea of a doctor shoving a metal tool in there and scraping off those cells could be a nightmare.  A better method actually uses extremely high frequency sound waves to essentially liquify (or cavitate) the cells into getting out of there.  Yay sound.

  • Share/Bookmark
Tags: , , , , , , ,
Category : Diagnose, General

Purchase Burn and Trauma Kits From Used Medical Equipment Suppliers

Sunday, August 8, 2010 posted by admin 5:50 am

When you are stocking up on safety supplies, you might want to consider purchasing burn kits from used medical equipment suppliers. When you are purchasing an item used or refurbished, you get quality items at deeply discounted prices. Many used medical equipment providers work like regular stores, and offer sales and other specials on items such as first aid burn and trauma kits.

A first aid burn and trauma kit is a bag or box of supplies or even a wall mounted cabinet holding different types of equipment one might need in an emergency situation such as a trauma or a burn. Different suppliers put different items in the kit, and the items in a kit might vary based on legislation and advice from different organizations or governmental offices. When looking at used medical equipment, look for kits that stands out visually and are waterproof. Once you have the kit in your possession, make sure you check it regularly to see if it needs to be restocked and to ascertain whether items indicate have expired or are damaged.

Look at the contents in your kit before you purchase the item from a used medical equipment supplier. In the case of the trauma such as bone fractures, bleeding, and burns, you need to have specific equipment on hand. You want to make sure the kit contains adhesive bandages such as Band-Aids made for specific body parts; sterile dressings one can apply to a wound such as sterile eye pads and petrolatum gauze pads for chest wounds; other types of bandages to secure dressings (gauze, elastic, roller, or triangular); butterfly closure strips; saline for cleaning out wounds; soap; antiseptic for reducing the risk of infection; burn dressing (a sterilized pad that is soaked in cooling gel); hypoallergenic adhesive tape; and hemostatic agents to cause blood clotting.

Enhanced by Zemanta
  • Share/Bookmark
Tags: , ,
Category : Diagnose, Used Medical Equipment

Stock up on First Aid Kits for Home and Workplace Safety

Friday, August 6, 2010 posted by admin 5:47 am

First aid kits are handy to have around in case of an emergency such as an injury, trauma, or burn. Some people keep first aid kits in their homes and cars, and most workplaces are mandated by law to have first aid kit on premise. Save on expenses by purchasing a first aid kit from a used medical equipment supplier. These businesses understand health medicine and the equipment that goes along with it.

A first aid kit is a collection of tools and supplies you might need in an emergency situation. The materials are kept in a waterproof container which might be a plastic box, a pouch made out of waterproof fabric, or a cabinet mounted on the wall. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) set the standard for first aid kits of being green in color with a white cross in the middle. This makes them recognizable internationally for individuals requiring first aid. Although this is the recommendation from the ISO, some organizations and individuals use other designs such as the Red Cross symbol which has a red cross on a white background. Another design has the Star of Life, which is associated with emergency medical services.

When you purchase your first aid kit from a used medical equipment supplier, double-check the contents. There are different types of kits for different regions and different activities. For example, if you are using a first aid kit for a boat, you might want to purchase a watercraft first aid kit, which contains remedies for seasickness. First-aid kits should hold supplies that help the injured party and also hold supplies to protect the person administering the first aid. Look for equipment to use for airway, breathing and circulation emergencies; supplies for trauma injuries; personal protective supplies; medication; and instruments and equipment such as tweezers, thermometers, space blankets, and scissors.

Enhanced by Zemanta
  • Share/Bookmark
Tags: , ,
Category : Diagnose, Medication, Used Medical Equipment

Equipment That Treats Patients in Hypovolemic Shock

Tuesday, August 3, 2010 posted by admin 5:42 am

Hypovolemia is a condition that could prove fatal for a victim. It occurs when there is a significant decrease in blood plasma volume. Hypovolemia can be caused by dehydration, hemorrhaging, severe burns, diuretics, sweating,vomiting, and alcohol consumption. When a patient is suffering from hypovolemia, there are different methods and equipment that help the patient become stable again.

Sometimes the patient is given a blood transfusion, which re-oxygenates the blood. The victim might also have to wear trauma air pants, which provide counter pressure around the abdomen and legs. The air pants are used by emergency responders and are also used during a hospital stays.

When an individual is experiencing hypovolemia, medical professionals should monitor the kidneys and heart. The granular cells in the kidneys recognize changes in blood flow. When blood flow decreases, the kidneys secrete renin, a hormone that flows into the blood, converting to protein angiotensinogen to angiotensin. The angiotensin uses enzymes to convert to angiotensin II, which stimulates hormone release that helps the kidneys reabsorb sodium, thereby reabsorb in water. The angiotensin II contracts arterial muscles, increasing blood pressure.

The stretch receptors in the heart monitor the amount of blood that pumps from the veins into the heart. When the blood flow decreases, the receptors automatically reduce the release of atrial natriuretic peptide. To monitor the kidneys and heart, you might want to purchase the appropriate equipment.

Consult with an expert at a used medical equipment supply store to determine what the best equipment on the market is.
At a used medical equipment supply store, you can get top-quality equipment, used and refurbished, at a deep discount. Monitors and trauma air pants purchased in used medical equipment supply stores can help you diagnose hypovolemia in a victim or patient. They can help you treat to patient, and could even help save the life of the patient.

Enhanced by Zemanta
  • Share/Bookmark
Tags: , ,
Category : Diagnose, Used Medical Equipment

Medical Equipment for a Stress Test Can Save People’s Lives

Monday, April 19, 2010 posted by admin 2:32 am
GIF-animation showing a moving echocardiogram;...
Image via Wikipedia

The stress test is a particular test used to analyze people’s bodies for signs of heart disease. Trained technicians and physicians use this test to see how much stress an individual’s heart can take before an abnormal rhythm develops, or the patient shows evidence of limited blood flow to the heart muscle. There are a few different types of stress tests a physician or trained technician might perform. One is called the exercise stress test.

During the exercise stress test, also known as an electrocardiogram or a treadmill test, a physician analyzes a patient to see how much their heart will respond to exertion. The test generally has a patient walking on the treadmill or peddling on a stationary bike. The levels of difficulty on the treadmill and bike are increased gradually over time while the physician or technician monitors the patient’s blood pressure, heart rate, and electrocardiogram.

If a person is not able to exercise, a technician or physician injects the individual with a drug that mimics exercising. Another type of stress test a physician might use is called the stress echocardiogram. This test offers a graphic outline of an individual’s heart movement. It visualizes the motion of the pumping action in a stressed heart and motion of an individual’s heart walls, revealing a lack of blood flow in some patients.

One other test a physician or trained technician might use is called the nuclear stress test. During this test, the expert injects a small amount of a radioactive substance into a patient then uses a special camera to identify and analyze rays emitted from the radioactive substance within the individual’s body. The nuclear stress test shows clear images of the heart tissue on a monitor, clearly defining which parts of the individual’s heart are healthy or not.

Purchasing the equipment for a stress test can be very damaging on a wallet. One way to address this issue is to purchase used medical equipment for the stress test. Determine which type of test you want to reform, and purchase the stress test materials from a reliable used medical equipment dealer.

Enhanced by Zemanta
  • Share/Bookmark
Tags: , ,
Category : Diagnose