|
|
Patients who cannot swallow may receive nutrition via a parenteral route—usually, a catheter is inserted through the chest into a large vein going into the heart.
If all the neurons in the human body were lined up, they would stretch more than 600 miles.
Many people have small pouches in their colons that bulge outward through weak spots. Each pouch is called a diverticulum. About 10% of Americans older than age 40 years have diverticulosis, which, when the pouches become infected or inflamed, is called diverticulitis. The main cause of diverticular disease is a low-fiber diet.
In the United States, there is a birth every 8 seconds, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's Population Clock.
Medication errors are more common among seriously ill patients than with those with minor conditions.