Interpreting Diagnostic Tests
What are diagnostic tests? A diagnostic test can be defined as ‘any kind of medical test performed to aid in the diagnosis or detection of disease, injury or any other medical condition’. Typically with any diagnostic test some of those at risk will be missed (false...
A Strange Rash After Swimming the English Channel
A 58-year-old woman presents to a walk-in clinic with a severe rash on her arms, legs and torso. The previous day she had swum the English Channel in 12 hours. When you examine her, you can see well-demarcated welts all over the affected areas with surrounding...
Understanding the Oxygen Dissociation Curve
What is the oxygen dissociation curve? The oxygen dissociation curve is a graph that plots the proportion of haemoglobin in its oxygen-laden saturated form on the vertical axis against the partial pressure of oxygen on the horizontal axis. The curve is a valuable aid...
