What’s a hospitalist? I’m often asked that question when I tell people my specialty. In short, hospitalists are physicians specializing in the care of hospital patients. When your primary care physician can’t be at the hospital, we step in to help guide and coordinate your care.
If you think you are having a heart attack, taking an aspirin at the first sign of symptoms may save your life. As soon as a call comes into our 911 center, our dispatchers are trained to recommend taking one adult-strength aspirin (325 milligrams) or four “baby” aspirin (81 milligrams) after they run through a checklist that confirms your symptoms and rules out contraindications such as allergies to aspirin therapy. Our first responders also carry aspirin among their emergency medicines and supplies.
With the fall sports season in full swing, concussions top our list of injury concerns due to their frequency and danger. Unlike other sports injuries, concussions are invisible, potententially misleading the athlete into a false sense of well being since there are no physical wounds or abrasions to warn of such injury. Without proper diagnosis and management, concussions can lead to long-term complications and even death.
With its colorful leaves, football games and cooler temperatures, fall is a favorite time of year for many people — unless they suffer from allergies. The severity of symptoms varies widely among people, but the sneezes, wheezes, sniffles, headaches and fatigue nearly incapacitate some sufferers.
Back-to-school is an opportune time for families to focus on healthy lifestyle practices. Good health habits are especially important for students whose return to the close quarters of the classroom increases their exposure to illness. In our pediatric practice at Grady Memorial Hospital, we always see an uptick in patients with coughs, colds and stomach bugs after school starts.