Urinary incontinence is the most common type of incontinence, although some patients also experience bowel incontinence. The cost of caring for these patients can be very high. Whether the patient is in the hospital, nursing home or at home, supplies such as incontinent underpads, are a necessary thing. The typical thought when your hear the term incontinence, is that the person is bedfast or wheelchair confined, but this is not always the case. There are many people who function quite well in a job and society, that have problems with incontinence.

In the hospital, patients should be treated as individuals and choices should be given to them about their own care whenever possible. The patient should be treated with respect and according to the clinical need, rather than age. A significant proportion of people in the hospitals today, are over the age of 65.

Approximately 35% of the patients that are over the age of 65, experience incontinence. Some of these patients had the problem prior to being admitted to the hospital and will continue to have incontinence when they are discharged. These patients are often accustomed to using incontinent underpads when going to bed. With the elderly, incontinence is often related to impaired cognitive condition or with the treatment of urinary tract infections.

Good bedside nursing is highly important with the incontinent patient. If the patient is unable to get out of bed or even turn themselves, then good skin care is a high priority. If incontinence of urine continues on a regular basis, there will be a need for incontinent underpads for the patient.

Incontinent underpads are available in 17" x 24" and 23' X24" size. This allows for comfort for the different size patients. These pads are very absorbent and are filled with soft fluff. The backing on the pads are a non-skid waterproof blue. All four sides of the pads are sealed to help prevent leaking. They are available in 300/case and 200/case. These pads will need to be changed every few hours or as needed and the skin needs to be cleansed thoroughly with soap and water. After patting the patient dry with a soft towel, apply a moisture barrier.

Bowel incontinence can be the result of a disease process or because the patient is unconscious. If the patient is conscious, offer the bedpan on a regular basis to help avoid the incontinence. The use of the incontinent underpads makes the patient more comfortable and at the same time helps prevent the need for the linen to be changed frequently. Thoroughly cleansing the patient in the same manner after bowel incontinence helps prevent skin breakdown. The bowel movement can soil hair in that area and can often be harder to remove.

Patients are often embarrassed and even humiliated that they are incontinent and need incontinent underpads. Some patients will even stop eating or drinking so that they won't be incontinent, this can cause serious problems. It is very important that you communicate with the patient, maintain privacy, provide an adequate amount of time for urine and bowel functions, and listen to their concerns.

The bone marrow is in the center of the large bones. Bone marrow is spongy and consists of platelets, red blood cells, and white blood cells. A biopsy procedure is usually done to test the function of the bone marrow. The red blood cells carry the oxygen through the body. The cells that fight infections are the white blood cells and the platelets cells stop the bleeding in the body.

The procedure that is done can be a combination of a biopsy, with an aspiration of the solid tissue of the bone. This is called a bone marrow exam. This procedure is usually painful, but the good thing is that the pain only lasts for a few seconds. The physician gives a local anesthetic that numbs the skin over the area where the biopsy is going to be done. When the needle is inserted, there will be crunching sounds and pressure. This is caused by the needle going through the bone. When the physician withdraws the bone marrow, there is a quick shooting pain that typically shoots down the leg. The site of the biopsy may be sore and bruised for a few days.

The Jamshidi Bone Marrow needle is 4" long and is an 11G needle. This large gauge needle is used to aspirate the bone marrow. They come 10/box. There is a difference in doing a biopsy and an aspiration. Sometimes one is done and sometimes both are done. With a biopsy, a small amount of the bone, along with a small amount of the bone marrow is removed. With the aspiration, only the marrow is removed.

A bone marrow biopsy or aspiration will help diagnosis the conditions in a patient that will cause them to have too many or too few of the different types of cells. Another thing that can be helpful is that it will show if there are any problems with the structure of the red blood cells. The typical problems that the physician may be looking for is disorders such as leukemia, Hodgkin's lymphoma or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma or myelofibrosis. This test goes a long way in helping the physician determine what course of treatment to take with cancers and infections.

Problems that can occur after this procedure is bleeding from the biopsy site. Pressure is to be held for at least 10 minutes after the procedure. People who take blood thinners or who have bleeding problems have an increased chance of bleeding after the procedure. Another possible risk is infection at the site of the biopsy site. On a rare occasion, the biopsy is taken from the sternum or the breastbone. If this is done, there is a possibility of injuring the lungs, the heart or one of the major blood vessels.

Bone marrow tests are usually simple and for most people are safe. Complications with this procedure are actually fairly rare. Because of some pre-existing conditions, there are some people for whom this test is not safe. The test should be discussed with your physician before you decide whether you will have the bone marrow test done.

Intravenous IV treatment definitely has a broad definition. The simple form of this treatment can be as simple as giving fluids in order to combat dehydration. Usually many different medications are given directly into the vein through an IV drip, to take care of a variety of medical conditions. The length of time that is required for the IV treatment depends on what the physician orders. This treatment could be for a one time dose of medication or could be the administration of fluids and antibiotics that last for several hours or days.

IV therapy can be beneficial for such problems as asthma, hepatitis, malnutrition, acute viral illnesses, coronary heart disease, and detoxification. There is even a Myer's Cocktail, which consist of IV vitamin and mineral therapy that was developed at John Hopkins University. This was considered a treatment for chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, muscle spasms, hives, congestive heart failure, infections, and senile dementia.

IV treatment can be administered in a hospital, a nursing home or in the home. IV therapy bags come in several different sizes and solutions. The Lactated Ringer's injection bags come in 250ml, 500ml, and 1000ml bags. Different fluids, such as D5W, Normal saline, D5LR, and others, also come in the 250ml, 500ml, and 1000ml bags. The type of infusion is ordered by the physician and is determined by the age of the patient, the size of the patient, the disease process, and history of the patient.

There are two different types of IV solutions: colloids and crystalloids. The human blood is considered a colloid, as well as water that is mixed with insoluble material such as a gelatin. A crystalloid is usually made up of soluble materials and water. Although these are different types of solution, they are typically administered in the same way.

Chemotherapy and blood administration are given by IV administration. There is usually no serious side effects from the IV solution itself. There can be soreness or redness at the IV catheter injection site. Only in rare cases, has a patient had an allergic reaction to a plain IV solution. Patients should always keep a list of any allerergies they may have.

A peripheral IV site is the most common route of administration. If people require fluids, antibiotics or other treatments for an extended length of time, then it might be required to have a permanent or implanted IV site. Most IV therapy is given in a hospital setting, but if the treatment is going to continue over a length of time, the treatments may be received in the home. Home health care nurses usually go to the home and administer the fluids and medications.

The nurse checks to be sure the IV is functioning well and that there are no signs and symptoms of an infection. Problems that can arise are swelling of the vein, a hole in your skin where the IV site is, redness, pain, bleeding, chest pain, respiratory distress, a fast heart rate or dizziness. Ultimately, IV treatment is very useful in treating many different conditions. Check for any side effects and be safe.