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Showing posts with label choke. Show all posts
Showing posts with label choke. Show all posts

June 12, 2015

Suppressing the Gag Reflex

Given doctors often look in the mouth, the gag reflex is something that is encountered all too often. Suppressing it is even more important when testing or biopsy of an oral mass is required. But suppressing it can be a challenge. Interestingly, 1/3 of the human population lack a gag reflex. The gag reflex has both a physical as well as mental component. The physical gag reflex can be suppressed and will be discussed further here... However, the mental gag reflex (i.e., looking at vomit) …
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December 29, 2013

How Long Do Swallowing and Voice Problems Last After C-Spine Surgery ACDF?

I often see patients for swallowing and/or voice difficulties after cervical spine surgery (ACDF) . In the vast majority of cases, reassurance that such "side effects" are not uncommon is the only thing I need to provide after a complete exam. After all, both the voice box and swallowing tube are manipulated and pushed over to one side in order to perform cervical spine surgery from an anterior approach. Check out the video below that illustrates how this happens. Beyond reas…
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September 25, 2013

Life-Saving Emergency Trach Performed in Restaurant

On Sept 23, 2013, a physician performed a life-saving emergency tracheotomy in a restaurant on a patron who was choking on a piece of meat. [ link ] While eating dinner at The Mark Restaurant in California,  Dr. Royce Johnson , an infectious disease doctor affiliated with UCLA, performed this procedure on Pauline Larwood, a female supervisor and a community college trustee. Dr. Johnson saved this woman's life using a pocket knife and the hollow cylinder of a pen after a Heimlich maneu…
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