Essentials 1 Resuscitation is the priority, with particular attention to restoring perfusion of vital organs by replacing intravascular volume. 2 Upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy is the key investigation and frequently allows definitive therapy. It should be performed at the earliest…
Essentials 1 With the continuing rise in the elderly population, the incidence of peripheral arterial and venous disease in the developed world continues to increase significantly. 2 Claudication is the most important symptom of arterial disease in an extremity, although…
Essentials 1 Infective endocarditis is effectively a multiorgan disease and is an often missed diagnosis. 2 There has been a shift in the predominant organism in infective endocarditis from Streptococcus viridans to Staphylococcus aureus , and nosocomial infections are becoming…