As intern doctors we are often told that a diagnosis of obstetric fistula can be made on first contact with the patient, based on the smell due to incontinence. This rather callous method of diagnosis is an indication of the effects of obstetric fistula; women are ostracized and ill-treated.
Few specialized doctors were competent in management of Obstetric fistula at the University Teaching Hospital at the time and the client waiting was long, filled with women that travel far to get treatment at great cost.
Flash forward a few years and I was posted as senior doctor to one of the far places these fistula patients came from. Our fistula patients presented months after delivery, the diagnosis often missed with some not presenting at all. Fortunately,
Also, the supplies cost was lower than what was budgeted. The budget was estimated around 45,000 with supplies left over at the end of the month. At the end of the month there was way less supplies left over then there was expected to be. A lot more patient’s needed to stay in the hospital for longer periods of time due to observation. This meant that we were using more supplies to help with the health of these patients. These patients were a priority to the hospital even though some of them did not have insurance. They were already going through a lot emotional toll, we made sure that they were comfortable. With more patients in the emergency room more supplies were needed. We also had to make more room for these patients and beds were borrowed. For example, the need for needles double in this month. Even though this may seemed like it might not be a lot everything adds up. When they patients were kept for observation more supplies and equipment were used. One thing that also made our budget not be successful is because a lot of our medical machines weren’t
The author is a nurse in a level two trauma facility in a community of approximately fifty thousand people in Oregon. The community is a college-town surrounded by a large agricultural area. There is a minimal ethnic diversity within the community. The diversity present occurs mainly from internationally students and faculty from the college. There is a growing population of women who desire low interventional births in the community. The author has worked on the labor and delivery unit of the hospital for the last 14 years. The hospital is the only one in the area to offer trial of labor services to women who have previously undergone a cesarean section. The unit on average experiences around 1000 deliveries annually.
A postpartum doula services are designed to be able to assist in the physical and emotional care of mothers and families in the daysand nights, weeks and months following the birth/adoption of a child. Postpartum doulas are professionals experienced in:
During our initial assessment of Ms. K.R., the following vital signs were noted: blood pressure was 147/67, temp 36.6 degrees Celsius, pulse 80 beats per min., respiratory rate of 20, pulse ox 99% on room air, a pain score of 8 during contractions, and fetal heart tones had a baseline of 130 over the last two hours. Her labs showed 2+ protein in her urine but she denied any headaches, vision changes, right upper quadrant pain, and no DTRs or colonus were observed. Ms.K.R. seemed to be handling her labor well, with the exception of being in a lot of pain and unable to find a comfortable position.
Physicians located within wealthier and more populous areas have slightly better access to equipment and infrastructure, but the conditions differ only slightly. Doctors are extremely rushed with a constant overflow of patients and consistently working in hot rooms with little air circulation. This is problem does not only exist in the public clinics of general physicians. Specialist physicians have a persistent flood of patients who do not need a specialist’s care, but seek the specialist because there is no general physician available.
This clinical rotation differs from my previous OB rotation last semester. I did my OB rotation at St. Anthony Hospital and compared to it, OU Children’s Hospital is different. At St. Anthony, we don’t have much opportunity to see the birth of a baby, but here at the OU Children Hospital, the first thing I walked in is either in the middle of labor or that a labor is about to happen. This may due to the month. I assume that there are more babies born in June than in May. On my first day, my preceptor and I took care of a patient with hematoma as a result from giving birth. This patient lost more than 500cc of blood. We massaged her fundus and straight cath her. Finally, we insert a Foley catheter. At once point, when the midwife checked her and massaged the patient’s fundus, a tennis ball size blood clot flew out of her vagina. I was surprised and amazed. She massaged it again and more blood clots shot out, almost missed the end of the bed and flew to the floor. From this experience, I learned not to stand at the bottom of the bed when someone is giving someone a fundus massage. This is an interesting sight and I would never expect to see something like this to happen.
Provided high-quality care for women during well-woman visits, initial/routine prenatal visits, postpartum visits. First assists in many spontaneous vaginal deliveries, cesarean sections, colposcopies, Nexplanon or IUD placements/removals, OB ultrasounds, PAP smear collection e.t.c.
This particular case study involves a 29 year old obstetric patient who presented to the labor and delivery unit at 33 weeks gestation with complaints of abdominal pain for the past three days that had become more severe and absence of fetal movement noted since the previous evening. Her obstetric history revealed she has one living child and has had one previous miscarriage at ten weeks
The inspection encompasses the shape and symmetry of the abdomen, the contour, distension, and to see if there is visible peristalsis. Using light palpation, the nurse can identify guarding, tenderness, and pain. The nurse can then listen in the four quadrants of the abdomen for bowel motility and for bowel sounds Since the client is severely dehydrated due to vomiting, the integumentary system can also be assessed to identify any cutaneous problems or systemic diseases. The skin should be checked for any discoloration or rashes and
On Friday October 20th, I went to CDI south to shadow a sonographer. During this time, I got to sit closely to my mentor Tanya, and watch her complete ultrasounds on patients, and learn a lot more about the job. I was not able to do anything job related during this time, for many safety reasons, but I was able to sit right next to Tanya as she completed many different ultrasounds. During this shadowing session, we saw a total of 5 patients. Before every ultrasound, you have to prepare the room for the patient by putting a sheet on the bed, putting a pillow cover on the pillow, and retrieving towels for the patient after the ultrasound is over. The sonographers also have to prep the ultrasound machine, and read over the patient’s report and information to ensure they know the background of the patient before they come in. The sonographer will then go out to the waiting room to grab the patient, and bring them into the room, ask them certain questions about their medical conditions and ultrasound, and then they will give the patient instructions and preform the ultrasound. The first patient was a middle-aged woman, and she came into CDI to receive a pelvic ultrasound to look at her ovaries, kidneys, bladder, and other organs in this area. During this time, I got to see the patient’s ovaries and bladder within the ultrasound. The sonographer will be looking to make sure there isn’t anything unusual within the ultrasound, and make sure the systems are operating properly. We did
My freshman year of high school, I displayed symptoms of appendicitis and an ultrasound had been requested by my doctor. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that ultrasounds were not just for when you were expecting a little one, they serve diagnostic purposes as well. Interested, I researched the different fields of ultrasound sonography and had a specific attraction to obstetric sonography. Obstetric sonography, is specialized in capturing the inside of a woman’s uterus and reveal the growth and development of an embryo or fetus if she is pregnant.
Left untreated an Obstetric Fistula can lead to much health, social and mental problems. The due to the placement of the tears, woman who have an obstetric fistula are at risk of infections as bacteria from their urine and/or feces. The tears causes feces and urine to constantly leak causing staining
Encephalopcele, ompahlocele, and gastroschisis are all herniations that are of great concern during pregnancy. Diagnostic ultrasound is used to diagnose these conditions, which can aid the physician in putting a treatment plan into action, providing the baby the best possible outcome. While Encephalocele, Ompahocele, and Gastroshcisis are all herniations, they differ in ultrasound images, location, and content of herniation.
The sign and symptoms of PPH include; the apparent excessive bleeding, hematocrit-reduction of the number of red blood cells, reduced blood pressure, development of symptoms of shock and anaemia, and severe pain and swelling of tissues and muscles of the vagina, vulva, pelvic and perineum (Simpson & Creehan, 2008). Besides, Ricci & Kyle (2009) avow that there are different factors that place a mother at risk for PPH, and they comprise; prolonged first, second or third stage of labour, previous history of PPH, foetal macrosomia, uterine infection, arrest of descent and multiple gestation. Other risk factors may include; mediolateral episiotomy, coagulation abnormalities, maternal hypertension, maternal exhaustion, malnutrition or anaemia, preeclampsia, precipitous birth, polyhydramnios and previous placenta previa (Ricci & Kyle, 2009).
Obstetric fistulas are a “disease of poverty”. More than half of the country lives below the poverty line. Mali also has a maternal mortality of 550 for 1,000 women. About 65% of young girls are married before the age of 18, and 45% will have their first child before 18. Young girls are 88% more likely to develop obstetric fistulas. Malnutrition among young mothers further leads to a small stature which results in a cephalic-pelvic disproportion. During childbirth, a fetus’s shoulders are unable to fit through the girl’s small pelvic bones causing pressure that leads to the development of obstetric fistulas.