Call me a nerd, but I really enjoy reading First Aid, because it has some outrageous mnemonics to help you remember the 8 gigabytes of material we need to know for the Step 1 exam. Sadly, not every hit can be a home run, and some of the memory techniques make little or no sense. For example:
Mesodermal defects = VACTERL: Vertebral defects, Anal atresia, Cardiac defects, Tracheo-Esophageal fistula, Renal defects, Limb defects (bone and muscle) (First Aid 2009, p. 121).
Okay, that might help if I had any idea what a VACTERL is and how to associate it with mesodermal defects. According to Lee, it's the progeny of a virus and a bacteria. And a vampire.
1 comment:
Well, if you think it's ridiculous to learn, try living with this MEDICAL CONDITION.
http://children.webmd.com/vacterl-association
"VACTERL association is a nonrandom association of birth defects that affects multiple organ systems. The term VACTERL is an acronym with each letter representing the first letter of one of the more common findings seen in affected children:
(V) = vertebral abnormalities
(A) = anal atresia
(C) = cardiac (heart) defects
(T) = tracheal anomalies including tracheoesophageal fistula
(E) = esophageal atresia
(R) = renal (kidney) and radial abnormalities
(L) = (other) limb abnormalities
In addition, to the above mentioned features, affected children may also exhibit less frequent abnormalities including growth deficiencies and failure to gain weight and grow at the expected rate (failure to thrive). Further low-frequency findings include facial asymmetry (hemifacial microsomia), external ear malformations, lung lobation defects, intestinal malrotation and genital anomalies. VATER/VACTERL features are more common in twinning. In some cases, the acronym VATER association is used. Some researchers have added an (S) to the VACTERL or VATER acronym to represent a single umbilical artery instead of the normal two. Mental functioning and intelligence is usually unaffected; developmental delay/mental retardation should suggest an alternative diagnosis. The exact cause of VACTERL association is unknown. Most cases occur randomly, for no apparent reason (sporadic)."
Cheers,
becca
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