What is a bruise? A bruise, also known as a contusion in the medical world, is damage of the soft tissues (i.e. skin, muscles, tendons, etc.) of the body caused by trauma. Trauma can be minor or major depending on how the injury occurs. When soft tissues are damaged the blood vessels under the skin can break and cause leaking of red blood cells under the skin. This leakage causes a blue, purple, red or black discolouration of the skin; this is a bruise. Why do bruises change colour? The changes in the colour of the bruising is related to[Read more...]
Hypothermia occurs when your body is losing heat faster than it can make heat. This causes the body’s temperature to drop dangerously low. This drop in body temperature is considered a medical emergency. Normal body temperature is around 37⁰C (98.6⁰F), and hypothermia happens when core body temperature drops below 35⁰C (95⁰F). When your temperature drops this low, your body cannot function properly, and if left untreated hypothermia can cause serious life threatening damage. What causes hypothermia? The most common culprit of hypothermia is exposure to cold weather or water. Each person is different so, the amount of time exposed to[Read more...]
A fever is an abnormally elevated body temperature. It is often a sign of the body’s defense system working in overdrive to fight off an infection. There are many different causes of fevers, and they can be associated with a number of symptoms depending on their cause. How to measure body temperature in infants and children: For an infant, the best and most effective way to measure a temperature is rectally. This is done by inserting a thermometer into the anus. If the temperature on the thermometer reads 38⁰C (100.4⁰F) or higher, that is considered a fever. The most common[Read more...]
Both the festive season and 2014 have come to a close. The gifts are unwrapped and resolutions have been made. What are you looking forward to most about 2015? As we get ready to launch into an exciting new year that includes a newly renovated space, we’ve got a surprise for the QPAM community to kick things off. We’re very excited to announce that beginning on Monday, January 12th, 2015 we’ll be bringing back the Acute Care Clinic – a pediatric walk-in clinic right here in Belleville! You read that right! Unlike our Day Treatment Clinic, which we will still be offering[Read more...]
