Ear, Nose & Throat

Fantastic Fish Bones And Where To Find Them

It can be uncomfortable if something pointy lodges in your throat. You know, like a fish bone.

Fortunately, there are supposedly things you can do to solve this. In fact, it’s more likely that the fish bone is longer there.

Although the world has seen the creation of seedless watermelons, boneless fish are yet to exist. We await that glorious day, as do our plates.

References

  1. Knight, L. C., & Lesser, T. H. (1989). Fish bones in the throat. Archives of emergency medicine, 6(1), 13-6.
  2. What to Do When a Fish Bone Gets Stuck in Your Throat. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/fish-bone-stuck-in-throat
  3. Seedless watermelon – how do they do that?. (2012). Retrieved from https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/seedless_watermelon_how_do_they_do_that
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Podcast 027: Otolaryngology With Dr Faruque Riffat

Otolaryngology isn’t likely to be any child’s first word, but it sure makes for a great Hangman game!

In this episode, Dr Faruque talks about the specialty colloquially known as ENT and gems of wisdom for making it onto a specialty program.

Podcast

About the guest speaker

Dr Faruque Riffat is a consultant ENT/Head and Neck Surgeon with fellowship training in head and neck oncology, paediatric ENT, thyroid/parathyroid surgery and adult airway open/endoscopic laser surgery. He is one of a handful of ENT surgeons to be fully registered for specialist practice in Australia.

Dr Faruque graduated with an MBBS (Hons 1) degree from UNSW, obtaining prizes in anatomy and microbiology. He finished basic surgical training after obtaining the prize for the highest score for the FRACS part 1. He has also been awarded a Master of Surgery.

Dr Faruque was the first Australian surgeon to undertake a post-FRACS head and neck cancer surgery fellowship in Cambridge University Hospital. He now treats public adult and children through Westmead Hospital and the area health service and private through Norwest, Westmead Private and Macquarie University Hospital.

Dr Faruque has an active interest in teaching and research in ENT/Head and Neck, having completed a masters in surgical education and has been involved in over 40 peer reviewed publications and abstracts.

Dr Faruque has even been educated in 7 countries (4 continents) and enjoys dune bashing in deserts and falconeering!

Music credits

Opening and closing themes by Jordan D. Peterson, otherwise known as Ehsan Farshid and Lily Chen.

Ototoxicity Means “Ear Poisoning”

If your balance and hearing have been affected, you just might have been ototoxified.

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Depressing? No, let’s talk about upbeat things.

If you cook meth in your basement, that’s a fun cave.

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Alternatively, you might be caught and sent to prison, which is another fun cave.

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Speaking of drugs, here are major ones that can cause ototoxicity.

 

Ototoxicity = drug-induced damage to the ear

 

Furosemide (loop diuretic)

Und*

NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)

 

Cisplatin and carboplatin (chemotherapy agents)

Aminoglycosides, such as gentamicin (antibiotics)

Vancomycin (antibiotic)

Erythromycin (antibiotic)

 

*German for and.

 

Renal failure can be another hazard for ototoxicity, given its impact on clearance.

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References

  1. Lustig, L. R. (2017, January). Drug-Induced Ototoxicity. MSD Manual Professional Version. Retrieved from http://www.msdmanuals.com/en-au/professional/ear,-nose,-and-throat-disorders/inner-ear-disorders/drug-induced-ototoxicity
  2. myVMC. (2015, September 30). Ototoxicity. Retrieved from https://www.myvmc.com/diseases/ototoxicity/
  3. KidsHealth. Ototoxicity (Ear Poisoning). Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/ototoxicity.html