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Barotrauma

Barotrauma is an injury which is due to the effects of pressure upon an air-containing space. Healthy middle ear cavities and paranasal sinuses are normally in equilibrium with the atmospheric pressure, but if an individual moves away from the surface,...

Wound moisture sensing in traumatic wounds

Wounds can be small and unpleasant, or may be large and life-threatening. The skin is a physical and an immunological barrier to infection, and any defect in the integrity of the skin may enable bacterial or fungal invasion. The successful...

Time to professionalise medical leadership

For a profession proud of its adherence to an evidence base, medicine has been remarkably slow to acknowledge and to act on the evidence which underpins the value of good leadership to patients and the healthcare system. Mr Robert Francis...

The astronomer’s nose: Tycho Brahe’s controversial prosthesis

Tycho Brahe (1546-1601) is a familiar and colourful figure in the history of science. The immense quantity of data he collected during his lifetime would enable the work of Johannes Kepler and has gained him admission to the astronomical pantheon....

The modern management of Ménière's disease

In this article, John Phillips considers the evolution of management options for Ménière’s disease. Treatment options past and present are discussed, together with an insight into future developments regarding the role of intratympanic steroids. Ménière's disease can be the source...

Music and hearing aids - the current state of affairs

‘Speech sounds great, but music isn’t right’ is a common complaint from hearing aid users across the globe. In this article, Marshall Chasin, one of the most published audiologists on the subject of music and hearing, outlines why patients with...

IEM – no noise is good noise!

Whether you’re an active musician or a music-loving commuter, noise exposure via music is a very real concern. Musician, sound engineer and Puretone Sales Manager, Deke Frickey, looks at where the dangers lie and the best ways to overcome them....

What does an Olympic medal and surgery have in common?

Competing against female Eastern Bloc athletes in the 1980s was a thankless task, demanding a mulish tenacity in an often futile cause. Ideal preparation for a career in surgery? My path to medicine was unusual, in that I left school...

The drive for success: from the hockey pitch to the surgical field

A hockey ball is rock hard and can travel at 100 mph. Stopping it with your most vulnerable body parts seems an excellent metaphor for higher surgical training... Four years on from the 2012 Olympics presents an ideal time to...

HPV and ENT; should we vaccinate boys?

David Black and Charlie Hall reiterate Vin Paleri’s pleas for a common sense evidence-based approach by those who allocate healthcare resources to the now urgent issue of HPV-related disease. They discuss the merits of different vaccines and the need for...

Cochlear implant care: putting patients in charge

Should patients take charge of their own cochlear implant care? Helen Cullington presents a compelling case that will provoke discussion in implant centres. Around 1400 people receive a cochlear implant in the UK each year. Patients require lifetime annual follow-up...