Are ENT Endoscopes at Risk for Infecting Patients?

Note the instrument port which is the inner channel In the media, there have been reports of contaminated endoscopes that have been incompletely sterilized causing life-threatening infections in patients. The endoscopes that have been implicated in these unfortunate infections transferred from one patient to another are known as duodenoscopes or EGD scopes. The main concern that patients have are whether similar (non) sterility issues are also found in endoscopes used in the ENT world. T…

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Why Can't Some Contact Dermatitis Be Diagnosed by Blood Test, EVER?

I often see patients for allergies who desire allergy testing due to mysterious hive-like rash on the skin, and given many are fearful of needles, they opt for a blood test like RAST or immunoCAP to diagnose what they are allergic to. Some would even argue that skin prick testing would not be diagnostic. Though such blood tests have become remarkably accurate (skin prick is still the most accurate way to diagnose what a person is allergic to), there are profound and significant limitation…

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There are FOUR Distinct Types of Allergic Reactions

When people think of allergic reactions, they incorrectly believe there is only one kind... the kind that makes a person's nose run or the rash that appears after eating a food one is allergic to. Sounds simple, but sadly it is WAY more complex than that. There are actually 4 distinct types of allergic reactions that occur. All images courtesy of University of Georgia  unless otherwise specified. Type 1 This is the classic type of allergic reaction everyone is familiar with. General…

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