[The challenge of providing high standard medical services in a public hospital].

Kaplan Medical Center (KMC) provides medical services to about 1 million Israeli citizens. The southern plain region is one of the leading areas in terms of population growth in Israel and as a result, the demand for medical services is constantly on the rise. The workload at KMC is tremendous; over 140,000 referrals to the emergency department with a 6% increase each year.

[The accreditation program in hospitals: Clalit Health Services experience].

Accreditation is a process for assessing the healthcare organization, to determine if it meets a set of requirements designed to improve quality of care. White research regarding the benefits of accreditation is lacking, accreditation has been shown to be associated with promoting quality. Accreditation differs from licensing and quality assurance audits such as ISO.

An earthquake disaster in Turkey: assessment of the need for plastic surgery services in a crisis intervention field hospital.

On August 17, 1999, an earthquake of 7.4 magnitude struck Turkey, resulting in the destruction of the cities Golcuk, Izmit, Adapazari, and Yalova. Three days later, the Israel Defense Force Field Hospital arrived at Adapazari, serving as a reinforcement hospital until the rehabilitation of the local medical facilities.

An earthquake disaster in Turkey: an overview of the experience of the Israeli Defence Forces Field Hospital in Adapazari.

On 17 August 1999 at 3:04 a.m., an earthquake of 7.

Postoperative rhabdomyolysis in patients with end-stage renal failure.

Four patients with end-stage renal failure on intermittent hemodialysis in whom rhabdomyolysis developed after major surgery are described. This possibly underdiagnosed complication was manifested by extreme hyperphosphatemia, hypocalcemia, and elevated creatine phosphokinase levels. Serum myoglobin levels further supported the diagnosis.

Case report: severe hyponatremia after water intoxication: a potential cause of rhabdomyolysis.

A 28-year-old woman, treated for schizophrenia, developed severe hypotonic hyponatremia (serum Na: 109 mEq/L) after several days of compulsive water drinking. The patient was admitted in a coma and required intensive supportive therapy. Rhabdomyolysis quickly followed with high serum creatine phosphokinase levels and myoglobinuria.

Nifedipine in asthma. Dose-related effect on resting bronchial tone.

In order to study the dose-related effect of nifedipine on expiratory flow rates, 15 asthmatic patients were given sublingually 10 mg and 20 mg of the drug on two different days and the FVC and FEV1 were measured during 90 minutes. Then they received 2.5 mg albuterol (Salbutamol) by inhalation, and the two parameters were measured again after 30 minutes.

[Non-cardiac pulmonary edema in a patient with recent cardiac pulmonary edema].

Pulmonary oedema may be cardiac or non-cardiac in origin: these two forms are clinically indistinguishable and their treatments are completely different. A case of pulmonary oedema is reported. This was believed to be of cardiac origin but did not respond to conventional treatment with diuretics and positive fibrotropic drugs.