Achondroplasia is the most prevalent chondrodysplasia and numerous authors have documented the varied social and medical complications that may compromise a full and productive life. Complications include cervicomedullary compression, spinal stenosis, restrictive and obstructive lung disease, otitis media, and tibial bowing, among others. These known complications have led to recommendations fo...

In 1998 a lawyer working for the Dutch consumer organisation, Consumentenbond, suggested that hospitals, like hotels, should be classified according to the quality of service they provide. For the establishment of such a register it would of course be necessary to determine various parameters, including the incidence of complications occurring in each hospital. It did not take long before this ...

This review deals with the range of neuropsychiatric problems that may arise from the use of medical and surgical therapies in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. As new approaches emerge, these problems are diversifying. Well-recognized drug-related complications include hallucinations and psychosis and the so-called dopamine-dysregulation syndrome. The etiology of these problems has not bee...

Side effects are an expected part of medical abortion; some, such as pain and bleeding, result from the abortion process itself and are generally managed with orally administered analgesics and counseling. True medication side effects most commonly include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and warmth or chills. Complications of medical abortion usually represent an extreme or severe side effect. Larg...

Second trimester abortion is associated with higher rates of complications compared to first trimester abortion. Dilatation and evacuation (D&E) and medical induction using misoprostol alone or a combination of mifepristone and misoprostol are the methods most commonly used for later abortion in developed countries, yet little research has directly compared them. We reviewed the literature on P...

Bariatric surgery is most commonly carried out in women of childbearing age. Whilst fertility rates are improved, pregnancy following bariatric surgery poses several challenges. Whilst rates of many adverse maternal and foetal outcomes in obese women are reduced after bariatric surgery, pregnancy is best avoided for 12-24 months to reduce the potential risk of intrauterine growth retardation. D...

Introduction Endotracheal intubation is one of the highest risk interventions taking place in the intensive care unit (ICU) and can result in significant complications. In many academic centres, endotracheal intubation is frequently performed by junior trainees under supervision. There is a lack of data to support the safety of this approach and whether there is an association between complicat...