What Is Something You Learned In Medical School That You Wish The General Public Knew?

This question was originally posted on Quora.com and was answered by Ankur Sah, Studying Medicine ....



Let’s see 5 random facts which I wish everyone knew -

• Managing Snakebite - If you grew up watching movies (esp. Bollywood), when you think of snake bite, you will think of this type of scene -

Basically, to suck the poison out. Don’t do that.



Another harmful technique is to use a tourniquet, don’t do that either. It can cut off the blood supply, can lead to the accumulation of poison in one place concentrating it, which is released at once to the body when the tourniquet is relaxed causing more harm.

Do not put ice on it. Do not cut or incise the bitten area.

Instead, do the following - Get away from the snake. Try not to move. Keep the wound below the heart level. Loosely splint or otherwise immobilize the extremity in a functional position[1] (if it is a confirmed neurotoxic snake bite, use the compression bandage)*. Take the patient to the hospital asap.



* - Use of compression bandage - As of 2008, clinical evidence for pressure immobilization via the use of an elastic bandage is limited. It is recommended for snakebites that have occurred in Australia (due to elapidswhich are neurotoxic). It is not recommended for bites from non-neurotoxic snakes such as those found in North America and other regions of the world. The British military recommends pressure immobilization in all cases where the type of snake is unknown.

• Preventing sudden death of infants (babies before 1 year of age) usually during their sleep- It is one of the leading cause of infant death. Do the following steps to prevent this -

Baby should sleep on his/her back (not on stomach or side).

Put firm mattress, not the soft ones. Don’t put soft toys near the baby while sleeping.

Share room with your baby but not the bed.

Do not smoke near the baby, even smoking outside puts the baby at risk as smoke particles get into clothes. So, don’t smoke.

Use pacifier. Do not overheat the baby by putting more clothes.

• Preventing Sunburn - First, let’s see what doesn’t work-

Cloud coverage does not block UV rays significantly. UV rays are reflected off the water, sand, snow, and concrete (a person can burn in the shade or while skiing in the winter).

What should you do to prevent it?

Remain indoor esp. between 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. (it’s a no-brainer).

Wear protective clothes (Hat, pants, long-sleeved shirts, tightly woven thick or dark-colored fabrics)

Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before sun exposure. Reapply sunscreen every two hours -- or more often if you're sweating heavily or swimming (even for "water resistant" products).

Avoid tanning bed.

• Avoid putting oil in your babies ear for cleaning wax. It increases the risk of ear infection.[2]
• Don’t give aspirin to children (esp. before 12 years of age). It can severely damage the liver of the children (a condition called Reye syndrome).

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