Med First ENT Centre

1. The heat will kill the Virus Though we thought initially that the Coronavirus was a winter virus and that like the Flu its transmission would slow or die down in the summers it is not so. The virus continues to transmit and infect persons.  "Viruses do not replicate outside the living cell but the infectious virus may persist on contaminated environmental surfaces and the duration of persistence of viable virus is affected markedly by temperature and humidity. In the present study, we have demonstrated that SARS CoV can survive at least two weeks after drying at temperature and humidity conditions found in an air-conditioned environment. The virus is stable for 3 weeks at room temperature in a liquid environment but it is easily killed by heat at 56°C for 15 minutes. This indicates that SARS CoV is a stable virus that may potentially be transmitted by indirect contact or fomites. " (K H Chan et all - hindawi.com). 2. Flu Vaccine will give you immunity aga

Did you wonder why frequent hand washing with soap is being touted as the single most important precaution we can use in our fight against the Coronavirus?  The RNA sequenced SARS-CoV-2 is an enveloped virus. It is a tiny bit of protein surrounded by a layer of fat.  Soap is a Surfactant - it reduces surface tension.   The bubbles in the soap reduce the surface tension on the lipid layer of the Virus thus releasing the protein and the virus dies.  This process needs foam (so bubble up the soap in your hands) and time - 20 seconds. And that is truly the cheapest, easiest, and one of the best ways of staying safe! And do it frequently, especially if you have entered the house from a visit outside. 2. Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers Alcohol, in a minimum concentration of 60 %, preferably 70 % and above is effective in eliminating the virus. Alcohol denatures the protective outer proteins of the virus and dissolves the cell membrane thus killing it. Though a minimum 30 s

Testing- What Are the Tests for Coronavirus? "Test, Test, Test," said the DG of WHO at the beginning of the Pandemic outbreak. There was and continues to be a very important reason for that -  The virus is highly contagious so one person can infect many others Many patients are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic In this situation, the only way to contain the spread of the disease is to diagnose patients early - before they infect others. The only way to do that is by aggressive testing, diagnosing, contact tracing and then isolating the contacts.  So what are the Tests available for diagnosis? These are of two types Checking for Antigen - for the presence of the virus - indicative of fresh infection. Checking for Antibody- for human response to the infection- indicates recent infection. 1. Testing for Antigen RT PCR - the gold standard for testing for the virus. This test is done not by taking blood but by swabs that are inserted into your nose (dee

During health human blood maintains an Oxygen saturation of about 94-99 %. This is also called SPO2 ( the amount of blood saturated with oxygen or also the percentage of Oxygenated haemoglobin in the blood). This level is measured by a simple device that is clipped on to your finger and which gives an accurate reading in a few seconds ( a Pulse Oximeter - see picture above). Hemoglobin is the Oxygen Carrier in the blood and it helps transport Oxygen to various tissues all over the body for their functioning.  Our breathing is controlled by a very complex mechanism called the Respiratory Drive - it has many components including the involvement of Neural and Peripheral Chemoreceptors. The Central Chemoreceptors in the brain are very sensitive to Carbon Dioxide (CO2) levels.  Even a minor increase in CO2 levels brings about immediate changes in our breathing - a 5mmHg change in PaCo2 can double breathing rates in healthy persons. Build up of excessive CO2 normally occurs along with deplet

There are three paired major  Salivary Glands  in the human body and countless minor salivary glands. The Major salivary Glands are - Parotid (in front of the ear, on the cheeks), Submandibular (high in the neck, just below the jaw bone on each side) and the Sublingual (on the floor of the mouth). Stones are sometimes formed in these glands which cause extreme discomfort, pain and swelling. Why do they occur? Salivary Gland stones can occur due to the following conditions: Poor Oro Dental hygiene Oral Injury Dehydration Post Radiotherapy treatment Being Male and Elderly - Males and the elderly are more prone What are the Symptoms? A Salivary Gland consists of a gland (which secretes the saliva) and a duct which is the channel through which saliva passes from the gland into the oral cavity.A Stone can form in the gland or in the duct and cause obstruction. Obstruction to the flow of saliva causes the saliva to build up in the gland - this causes a painful

This article is about Dry Cough - that common cough which can come at any time, can cause immense distress during the day to you as well as people around you, and sometimes keep you awake at nights! What are the common causes? POST NASAL DRIP - Nasal allergies, nasal infections, enlarged adenoids are some of the commonest causes of a post nasal drip- there is constant irritating secretions from the nose and nasopharynx which causes cobblestoning of the throat mucosa leading to constant irritation in the throat and a cough. GASTRO OESOPHAGEAL REFLUX DISORDER (GERD)/ LPR - Though GERD and LPR (Laryngol Pharyngeal Reflux) are slightly different disorders, it is now well understood that acidity and reflux are a common cause of chronic dry cough. These patients normally have a cough that is worse on lying down. They will typically complain of a choked and dry throat on waking up in the morning. ASTHMA - As yet undiagnosed Asthma can cause a dry cough. This cough is usually seasona

The Corona Virus - SARS CoV-2 causes the disease Covid-19. This is similar to a virus named HIV causing the disease AIDS. Currently, there is no known treatment for Covid - 19. There is an intense amount of research but there is no definite breakthrough.  Molecules to treat diseases take years of testing - Lab, Animal studies, Human trials before they are declared to be fit for human use. The suddenness and the severity of the Coronavirus has given us very little time to develop a new molecule. In this situation various treatments which were successful against Viruses of a similar nature in the past are being tried out - a process called "Repurposing" - a strategy for off label use of known drugs. To understand treatment strategies for Covid-19 we must break the disease into its stages - because treatment is different at each stage. Asymptomatic and Pre Symptomatic patients The good news is that in a large majority of patients there are no symptoms. Apart f

Causes and Types of Abnormalities in Smell The sense of SMELL is one of our five basic senses - apart from touch, vision, hearing, and taste. It is a higher and an aesthetic sense which, apart from helping us get the flavor out of food (Flavour is a combination of the sense of Taste and Smell) also helps us appreciate the finer things around us. It has a very strong connection with the Limbic system - because as we all know a particular smell can take us down memory lane to very specific experiences in our life. Anosmia is described as the loss of the sense of smell. Anosmia may be temporary or permanent depending on the cause of the problem and the extent of the lesion/ damage. TYPES Abnormalities in the sense of smell can be of various types -  HYPOSMIA - Reduction in the sense of smell - due to lower transmission of nerve impulses. ANOSMIA - Complete loss of sense of smell - due to a complete break in the transmission of nerve impulses. PAROSMIA - an abnormal se

Your ENT DOCTOR IS HERE Dr.( Major ) Rajesh Bhardwaj MBBS, MS, DNB, DLO, DHA Due to the risk of transmitting infection during the COVID-19 pandemic most hospital's OPDs and Clinics are closed. Patients are also facing difficulties in traveling during the lockdown. To overcome this situation we are available ONLINE for you with Live Chat, Share your prescriptions, images, or discuss at length. Please click on the link and get E-consultation in less than an hour. Pls book prior APPOINTMENT for a medical checkup from ( 10 Am to 5 Pm; Mon-Sat) https://youtu.be/cGVs94cqCJg https://bit.ly/fill_medical_form

Your ENT DOCTOR IS HERE Dr.( Major ) Rajesh Bhardwaj MBBS, MS, DNB, DLO, DHA Due to the risk of transmitting infection during the COVID-19 pandemic most hospital's OPDs and Clinics are closed. Patients are also facing difficulties in traveling during the lockdown. To overcome this situation we are available ONLINE for you with Live Chat, Share your prescriptions, images, or discuss at length. Please click on the link and get E-consultation in less than an hour. Pls book prior APPOINTMENT for a medical checkup from ( 10 Am to 5 Pm; Mon-Sat) https://youtu.be/cGVs94cqCJg https://bit.ly/fill_medical_form

Your ENT DOCTOR IS HERE Dr.( Major ) Rajesh Bhardwaj MBBS, MS, DNB, DLO, DHA Due to the risk of transmitting infection during the COVID-19 pandemic most hospital's OPDs and Clinics are closed. Patients are also facing difficulties in traveling during the lockdown. To overcome this situation we are available ONLINE for you with Live Chat, Share your prescriptions, images, or discuss at length. Please click on the link and get E-consultation in less than an hour. Pls book prior APPOINTMENT for a medical checkup from ( 10 Am to 5 Pm; Mon-Sat) https://bit.ly/fill_medical_form

During health human blood maintains an Oxygen saturation of about 94-99 %. This is also called SPO2 ( the amount of blood saturated with oxygen or also the percentage of Oxygenated hemoglobin in the blood). This level is measured by a simple device that is clipped on to your finger and which gives an accurate reading in a few seconds( a Pulse Oximeter - see picture above). Hemoglobin is the Oxygen Carrier in the blood and it helps transport Oxygen to various tissues all over the body for their functioning.  Our breathing is controlled by a very complex mechanism called the Respiratory Drive - it has many components including the involvement of Neural and Peripheral Chemoreceptors. The Central Chemoreceptors in the brain are very sensitive to Carbon Dioxide (CO2) levels.  Even a minor increase in CO2 levels brings about immediate changes in our breathing - a 5mmHg change in PaCo2 can double breathing rates in healthy persons.  Build up of excessive CO2 normally occurs along

Once Lockdown measures are eased and people are gradually allowed to move out of their homes what should their strategy be? It is important to understand that the Virus (Covid-19) has not gone away. Until a  viable Vaccine is made available and most of us get vaccinated we will continue to be vulnerable to this threat.  In fact, as the numbers increase our chances of catching an infection increase proportionately. And since a large percentage of affected persons are asymptomatic or have only mild symptoms it is impossible for us to predict who is carrying the disease. Thermal scanners can only pick up patients who have a fever - not the pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic cases.  So the onus is upon us to prevent ourselves from this infection. How to proceed post Lockdown First and foremost step out ONLY if necessary. Avoid going out for the purpose of a fun drive or for a casual social interaction - go out only for a specific important purpose- this is to prevent

Is there more than one strain of the Coronavirus? There has been a lot of speculation recently about two strains of the Coronavirus – namely the S and the L strain. The alphabets refer to the names of the Amino acids in the sequence of the virus- ‘S’ denoting Serine and ‘L’ denoting Leucine. The theory is that probably from nearly the beginning of the outbreak in Wuhan the two strains co-existed. The popular theory is that the ‘S’ strain was the earlier strain which was replaced by the ‘L’ strain which had a greater propensity to spread amongst humans, and then the ‘S’ strain returned once physical distancing and other precautions were adhered to. The ‘L’ strain has been blamed for many things - from higher transmission rate to higher virulence to higher mortality rates, though the evidence for this is lacking. The ‘S’ strain is thought to transmit the milder form of the disease. According to the leading experts in the world, however, the evidence for this is lacking