Clinical Application

SUBLINGUAL MEDICATION

If you lift your tongue up and notice blood vessels everywhere beneath the surface of under your tongue (sublingual). Those sublingual blood vessel network have a specialty to absorb certain drugs. Rapid absorption into the blood system is vital in some cases, such as patients who needs drug nitroglycerin to treat angina quickly. Angina is caused by insufficient blood flow to the heart and not enough oxygen to the coronary tissues . Nitroglycerin improves coronary blood and temporarily ease the pain of the heart.   

PEG TUBE

Patients who are unable to consume nutrients via the normal oral route, often have a permanent feeding tube implanted called PEG tube. This tube is attached at the abdominal wall and the stomach wall and allows nutrients to be directly injected to the stomach. 

LACTOSE INTOLERANCE

This unfortunate condition is the inability to digest the sugar (lactose) found in diary products such as cheese and ice cream. A person with lactose intolerance has a deficiency of lactase an intestinal enzyme. The effect will be that lactose isn't sufficiently digested. Normal flora (bacteria)  found in the intestine utilize those undigested sugars with gas production as a by-product thus causing a bloated feeling. Undigested lactose prevents normal water absorption by the small intestine, so diarrhea s formed. So cheese pizza is not a great choice of meal for those who have lactose intolerance.   

COLOSTOMY

Sometimes a portion of the colon must be bypassed because of a disease, to allow for healing and/or surgical repair. A new opening needs to be made, and this procedure is called a colostomy. A colostomy can be temporarily or permanent depending on the condition.