UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DEL NORDESTE

FACULTAD DE MEDICINA
CATEDRA INGLS II
Apellido y Nombres: .. L.U.N: ..
CRITERIOS DE EVALUACIN:

Comprender consignas.

Utilizar vocabulario especfico y estructuras aprendidas.

Producir textos coherentes, cohesivos y significativos.

Extraer / inferir informacin requerida.

READ THE FOLLOWING TEXT:

Appendicitis
The appendix is a small outgrowth of tissue forming a tube-shaped sac attached to the lower end of the large intestine. The
Inflammation of the appendix itself in acute and chronic forms is called Appendicitis and affects both the sexes equally.
This disease accounts for about half the acute abdominal emergencies occurring between the ages of ten and thirty.
Appendicitis usually begins with a sudden pain in the centre of the abdomen. The pain may be preceded by general
discomfort in the abdomen, indigestion, diarrhoea, or constipation. Gradually, the pain shifts to the lower right side, and is
usually accompanied by a fever varying from 38 oC to 39 oC.
Nausea is common and the patient may vomit once or twice. In the chronic state of appendicitis, the patient may suffer from
recurrent pain in the right lower abdomen, constipation, loss of appetite, and mild nausea.
Appendicitis is initiated by the presence of an excessive amount of poisonous waste material in the caecum. As a result, the
appendix gets irritated and inflamed. Inflammation and infection are caused by certain germs which are usually present in
the intestinal tract.
At the first symptoms of severe pain, vomiting, and fever, the patient should resort to fasting and nothing except water
should enter the system.
Fruit juices may be given from the third day onwards for the next three days. Thereafter the patient may adopt an all-fruit
diet for a further four or five days. After this tightly regulated regimen, he should adopt a well-balanced diet, consisting of
seeds, nuts, grains, vegetables, and fruits.
The most frequent complication of appendicitis is perforation. Perforation of the appendix can lead to a periappendiceal
abscess (a collection of infected pus) or diffuse peritonitis (infection of the entire lining of the abdomen and the pelvis). The
major reason for appendiceal perforation is delay in diagnosis and treatment.
A less common complication of appendicitis is blockage of the intestine. Blockage occurs when the inflammation
surrounding the appendix causes the intestinal muscle to stop working, and this prevents the intestinal contents from
passing. If the intestine above the blockage begins to fill with liquid and gas, the abdomen distends and nausea and
vomiting may occur. It then may be necessary to drain the contents of the intestine through a tube passed through the nose
and esophagus and into the stomach and intestine.
A feared complication of appendicitis is sepsis, a condition in which infecting bacteria enter the blood and travel to other
parts of the body. This is a very serious, even life-threatening complication. Fortunately, it occurs infrequently.

Other Appendicitis treatments

Half litre of Warm-water enema
When the first symptoms of pain, vomiting, and fever occur, the patient must be put to bed immediately, as rest is of the
utmost importance. A low enema, containing about half a litre of warm water, should be administered once every day for the
first three days to cleanse the lower bowel if it can be tolerated with comfort.
Hot compresses and abdominal packs of wet sheet strip
Hot compresses may be placed over the painful area several times daily. Abdominal packs, made of a strip of wet sheet
and covered by a dry flannel cloth bound tightly around the abdomen, should be applied continuously until all acute
symptoms subside.
Avoid constipation
In other words, the patient of appendicitis should adopt all measures to eradicate constipation. Once the waste matter in the
caecum has moved into the colon and is then eliminated, the irritation and inflammation in the appendix will subside and
surgical removal of the appendix may not be necessary.
Read the text and answer these questions in Spanish:
1. What is the appendix?
2. What is appendicitis?
3. Which are its symptoms?
4. How does appendicitis initiate? What causes inflammation and infection?
5. What should a patient with appendicitis symptoms do?
6. When can fruit juices be given to the patient?
7. Which is the most frequent complication? What can it lead to?
8. When does blockage of the intestine occur?
9. What is sepsis?
10. What does the Half litre of Warm-water enema treatment consist on?