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Applied diagnosis

Schamroth window test

User for diagnosing lung cancer or heart related problems. But usually lung cancer. It is basically checking if fingers are clubbed. Clubbed fingers point to heart or lung problems (usually about oxygen levels in blood) 1. Press your index fingers on each each other (nails will be touching and facing each other) 2. Try too see if there is a gap. Careful: *Diamond-shaped gap * If there is a gap/diamond shape, nothing to worry about * If no gap or widening gap to the tip of the finger; possible lung cancer. See an oncologist immediately.

Caloric stimulation

Used to check hearing or balance issues in acustic nerves. In some cases it's also used to diagnose brain-stem problems.

  1. Check if eardrum is solid: no perforation, holes or punctures
  2. Lay down the patient on their back, set head's rotation to 30 degrees.
  3. Distract patient with something else. Make them count prime numbers, animals with feather, words that start with 'a'. It is necessary, they should speak it out audible.
  4. Deliver approx. 25cc cold (25-30C, maybe even icy water in extreme cases) water to the ear canal over the course of 30 seconds. It'll take around 15-30 seconds after application for it to show results
  5. After cold water is inserted, you should observe eyes move towards the ear that you applied cold water. Also you'll see some jerking motion (nystagmus) on the eye. Remember, using cold water eyes will point to the applied ear and do some jolts.
  6. You may also do the same test with warm (around 44, do not exceed 50 you may burn eardrum !). Opposing to the cold-water test, in this test the eyes will point away from the applied ear. Jolts and jerking motions (nystagmus) are also expected.

If the eyes doesn't move as described: possible brainstem injury or something wrong with acustic nerves.

On cold water, it is expected under normal (healthy) circumstances that eyes will point towards the affected ear.