A guide to the techniques and analysis of clinical data. Each of the seventeen sections begins with a drawing and biographical sketch of a seminal contributor to the discipline. After an introduction and historical survey of clinical methods, the next fifteen sections are organized by body system. Each contains clinical data items from the history, physical examination, and laboratory investigations that are generally included in a comprehensive patient evaluation. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The latest edition of this text provides a practical reference for physicians and other health care providers caring for patients with gastrointestinal bleeding. Similar to the previous edition, this volume addresses common problems associated with gastrointestinal bleeding and discusses in a logical and step-wise fashion appropriate options for patient care. The text is structured based on the location of bleeding, with common, rare and unknown sources being addressed. It also includes updated and new chapters focusing on the newest advances in imaging and interventional modalities in the care of patients with GI bleeding, as well as highly practical presentations of typical patients seen in clinical practice. Written by world renowned experts in gastrointestinal diseases, Gastrointestinal Bleeding: A Practical Approach to Diagnosis and Management, Second Edition is a valuable resource in the management of gastrointestinal bleeding both for those currently in training and for those already in clinical practice.

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Individuals who donate their blood provide a unique and precious gift in an act of human solidarity. In order to donate blood, prospective donors should be in good health and free from any infections that can be transmitted through transfusion. Most blood donors perceive themselves to be healthy, but some are unsuitable to donate blood due to the potential risk of compromising or worsening their own health or the risk of transmission of infections to patients. Blood transfusion services (BTS) have a duty of care towards blood donors as well as to the recipients of transfusion. This duty of care extends to prospective donors who are deferred from donation--whether on a temporary or permanent basis--as well as those who donate blood and are subsequently found to have unusual or abnormal test results. BTS have a responsibility to confirm test results and provide information, counseling and support to enable these individuals to understand and respond to unexpected information about their health or risk status. Counseling is part of the spectrum of care that a BTS should be able to provide to blood donors--including referral to medical practitioners or specialist clinical services. Pre-donation counseling was recognized as one element of the strategy to reduce and, if possible, prevent the donation of blood by individuals who might be at risk for HIV and other TTI including hepatitis B and C viruses as well as to inform the donor of the donation process and testing of blood for HIV. Post-donation counseling was acknowledged to be a necessary element of donor management as an adjunct to informing donors of unusual or abnormal test results. Blood donor counseling by trained specialist staff is now considered to be a key component of the blood system in most countries with a well-developed blood transfusion service. It may be required at a number of stages in the blood donation process or following blood screening and should be available at any point at which the BTS has an interface with donors. In many countries, however, blood donor counseling is not yet available in a structured way. Blood Donor Counselling: Implementation Guidelines has therefore been developed to provide guidance to blood transfusion services that have not yet established donor counseling programs.

Leading experts in the fields of gastroenterology, surgery, and radiology comprehensively review the pathophysiology, diagnosis, management, and treatment of acute bleeding disorders of the GI tract. The authors break down acute bleeding into upper and lower GI tract sources and provide a differential diagnosis for each disease, evidence-based algorithms for clinical practice, treatment modalities for its management, and standards of care. The authors outline the many dilemmas faced by physicians in their approach to their patients, such as localization of the bleeding source (upper vs lower), the need and timing for emergency endoscopy, and the timing for radiologic intervention and/or surgery.