General Healthcare Industry

Many people feel old. Some look old. You don't have to feel or look old. There are measures you can take to look and feel ten years younger.

Diabetic ketoacidosis is a serious complication of diabetes in which blood sugar raises to abnormally high levels, often due to illness or a lapse in insulin therapy. As blood sugar rises, the...

Minoxidil is used to treat hypertension in people who have not responded to other therapies and can even be used in low doses for the treatment of male pattern baldness. Taken orally, the drug...

Blood plasma is full of protein that is used to create life-saving therapies for individuals who are chronically ill. The protein in the plasma helps the blood to clot and also helps the body to...

The thymus is a small gland under your breastbone in the upper part of your chest. The thymus is responsible for making a certain type of white blood cell before birth and during childhood---these...

A Medline sphygmometer, more commonly known as a blood pressure cuff, is a device used to indirectly determine a person's arterial blood pressure. It consists of an inflatable cuff, a gauge that...

Taking blood samples from the capillaries--the small blood vessels close to the skin--is a common way to obtain accurate measurements of concentration of glucose, or sugars, in the blood....

Heparin is an anti-coagulant that prevents the formation of blood clots in the veins, arteries and lungs, and is also used after surgery to reduce the risk of blood clots. It can be administered...

One of the most important parts of managing diabetes is monitoring blood-glucose levels. The glucose meter has come a long way over the years and now makes home-monitoring of blood glucose by the...

Butterfly needles, also known as winged infusion sets, are a very common needle style used to collect blood during a venipuncture. The butterfly needle consists of the stainless steel collection...

Collecting blood from the femoral artery in the groin area is less common than collecting blood from other arterial sites, such as the radial artery at the wrist or the brachial artery in the...

A well organized phlebotomy tray is one of the single most important things a phlebotosit can have in order to make a venipuncture go smoothly, quickly and without pain. Organzing a phlebotomy...

Compression stockings are commonly used to treat problems with blood circulation in the legs. A study was done at St. Cloud Hospital in Minnesota to determine whether knee-high compression...

Arterial blood gas analysis is a lab test that measures how much oxygen is carried in your blood. Blood is collected from an artery, rather than a vein as in regular blood collection, as newly...

The palpatory method of taking blood pressure is performed by using only a blood pressure cuff. It reads the systolic measurement, or the measurement of the heart at work. The palpatory method is...

Stem cells are unique in their ability to differentiate into any other specialized type of cell. Unlike normal cells that are genetically programmed to develop into a particular type of mature...

Phlebotomists, or lab assistants that collect blood as well as other tissue and fluid samples for lab tests ordered by your physician, use specialized tools and equipment throughout the course of...

The digestive or gastrointestinal (GI) tract consists of the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine or colon, rectum, and anus. GI bleeding can occur anywhere along the digestive...

Tests to determine alcohol levels in the blood are performed frequently in a hospital facility. They are also done in other settings to test for the presence of alcohol in a person's bloodstream....

Phlebotomy, the act of drawing blood, is a specialized skill that is needed in the medical field. There are many different places you can work as a phlebotomist, such as independent laboratories,...

A potential aggravating factor for your hectic lifestyle, Angiotensin II, can prove to be of real harm if not gauged from time to time with aide of investigative procedures like, blood tests. It's...

Medical technologists and technicians, working in medical laboratories, perform a variety of tests and procedures that assist in the diagnosis of patients. Procedures may be performed on blood...

A phlebotomist is a medical professional who draws blood from patients for laboratory testing or blood donation. Phlebotomists are among the most vital staff members of a hospital or medical practice.

Blood plasma is the fluid portion of circulating blood, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In the United States, the donation of plasma and the overall safety of...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advise the use of "universal precautions" to prevent the spread of bloodborne pathogens, or disease. The universal precautions minimize...

Anticoagulant, also known as blood thinners, may be a natural or a synthetic agent that suppresses, delays or prevent clots (masses of blood cells) from forming in your bloodstream. Some of the...

Blood plasma donation is a fast-growing practice that can earn donors up to $50 a week as of 2009. The donation process takes longer than a typical blood donation and is more involved. Blood is...

Diagnostic imaging is a critical facet of health care. It allows physicians to diagnose patients without resorting to exploratory surgery. Ultrasound is an imaging modality that uses a safe form...

Ultrasound is a safe imaging modality that is used to form images of structures within the body. Unlike X-ray, ultrasound uses non-ionizing radiation in the form of sound waves. Ultrasonography...

"Sono" refers to sound, and "graph" refers to an image. Sonography is the use of sound waves to form an image. Ultrasound is sound at the frequency of 20,000 hertz or more. These high-frequency...

Angiogenesis is a biological process where new blood vessels grow from ones already in place. During our lifetime, this physiological development takes place countless times during our...

Your kidneys, a major component of your urinary system, are delicate organs that can be damaged by any number of conditions. Kidney disease is often called a silent killer because it can be...

Phlebotomists, or phlebotomy technicians, are medical professionals that are trained and licensed to draw blood. Phlebotomists work in a variety of settings, from blood banks to hospitals, and...

This is not to be a depressing or sad article, but one to enlighten people and make sure that they are doing the right things for themselves.

Flu season is particularly scary with the Swine Flu or H1N1 flu in existence. The initial Swine Flu scare is over with. However, many people are still worried about catching the Swine Flu and...

Proper venipuncture techniques are imperative for accurate lab work and effective health care management. Lab draws are more than just the insertion of the needle. The integrity of the patient's...

Venipuncture, or phlebotomy, is the process used for drawing blood. Since certain tests may require special collection methods, always follow your organizations guidelines. Venipunctures are most...

Many people associate ultrasound with pregnancy. It is almost synonymous with pregnancy. Many parents find that their ultrasound appointment is their first bonding experience with their unborn...

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that you monitor your own blood pressure if you have hypertension (high blood pressure). The AHA reports on a study involving 430 people with...

Blood banks collect, process and distribute blood and blood products. They advertise in the media; solicit volunteers to set up blood drives in offices, at churches and universities and at events;...

A medical laboratory technologist is trained to examine and analyze body fluids and cells. In laboratories, the majority of these duties are automatically performed on a machine. The technologists...

The villain in the novel "Angels and Demons" murders the pope by injecting him with an overdose of the prescription medication heparin. Heparin porcine, the full name of this drug, is a blood...

Out of the many organs in your body, your heart is perhaps the most important organ you have. Many take it for granted, assuming that it will continue beating forever as it pumps the blood through...

Velcro is one of the most useful and versatile fasteners, especially when it comes to the medical field. Most of us have already witnessed Velcro in action in the medical environment when we've...

A blood test is an important diagnostic tool for determining the health status of a patient. The purpose of blood test abbreviations is to eliminate the redundancy of names and phrases that will...

Diabetes results in high blood sugar, because of the inability of the pancreas to adequately produce insulin, or because of the resistance of cells to insulin. There are two types of diabetes....

When one speaks of "blood pressure," the arterial pressure is usually referred to. Arterial pressure may be measured directly by insertion of a tube into an artery; however, except experimentally,...

A cardiovascular perfusionist is someone who runs the equipment during procedures such as open heart surgery. She is responsible for ensuring that the equipment helps support both the...

Pulse oximetry is a non-invasive process that monitors the oxygenation levels of a patient's blood. A sensor is placed usually on a fingertip or earlobe--or on the foot of an infant--and it...

Selling bodily fluids is becoming an increasingly popular way of making a little extra cash. This article details which bodily fluids can be sold and how to go about it.