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MEDICAL ANIMATION TRANSCRIPT: Asthma is a lung disease that inflames and narrows your airways. Normally, as you inhale, air moves freely through your trachea, or windpipe, then through large tubes, called bronchi, smaller tubes, called the bronchioles, and finally into tiny sacs, called alveoli. Small blood vessels, called capillaries, surround your alveoli. Oxygen from the air you breathe passes into your capillaries. Then carbon dioxide from your body passes out of your capillaries into your alveoli, so that your lungs can get rid of it when you exhale. Your bronchioles expand when the air is warm, moist, and free of irritants and allergy-causing substances, called allergens. When air is cold or dry, or contains irritants or allergens, your bronchials contract. If you have asthma, your airways are frequently inflamed and swollen. Certain substances can cause your inflamed airways to overreact even more, resulting in an asthma attack. Triggers of asthma attacks are slightly different for everyone, but usually include outdoor irritants and allergens such as pollen, smoke, pollution, and cold weather. Indoor irritants and allergens such as mold, pet dander, dust mites, and cockroach droppings. Food allergens such as fish, shellfish, eggs, peanuts, and soy. And conditions such as respiratory infections, stress, strong emotions, and exercise. The symptoms of an asthma attack include coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and tightness in your chest. During an asthma attack, also known as a bronchospasm, the muscles around your airways tighten, and the airway wall becomes more swollen. Your airways also produce thick mucus that narrows them even more, making it hard for you to breathe. If you have asthma, your doctor may prescribe medications to reduce inflammation in your airways, constriction of the muscles surrounding your airways, or mucus secretion in your airways. During an asthma attack, you may need to use a short-acting rescue medication, called a bronchodilator. This medication causes your airway muscles to relax quickly, and provides symptom relief within minutes. Since there is no cure for asthma, the goal is to prevent you from having asthma attacks by using long-acting, anti-inflammatory control medications. If you take them every day, they will reduce the inflammation of your airways, making them less sensitive to triggers of asthma attacks.
"Thank you for the wonderful illustrations. The case resulted in a defense verdict last Friday. I know [our medical expert witness] presented some challenges for you and I appreciate how you were able to work with him."
Robert F. Donnelly
Goodman Allen & Filetti, PLLC
Richmond, VA
"Thank you very much for the great work on the medical exhibits. Our trial
resulted in a $16 million verdict for a 9 year old boy with catastrophic
injuries, and the medical illustrations definitely played key role in the
trial."
David Cutt
Brayton Purcell
Salt Lake City, UT
"Thank you for the splendid medical-legal art work you did for us in the
case of a young girl who was blinded by a bb pellet. As a result of your
graphic illustrations of this tragic injury, we were able to persuade the
insurance company to increase their initial offer of $75,000.00 to
$475,000.00, just short of their policy limits.
We simply wanted you to know how pleased we were with your work which, to
repeat, was of superlative character, and to let you know that we would be
more than willing to serve as a reference in case you ever need one. Many
thanks for an extraordinary and dramatic depiction of a very serious injury
which clearly "catapulted" the insurance company's offer to a "full and
fair" amount to settle this case."
Philip C. Coulter Coulter &Coulter Roanoke, VA
"The illustrations have consistently been well documented, accurate and
timely. Most important though is that the illustrations demonstrate to
juries and claims people the persuasive power of visual communication. Our
firm has achieved multiple eight figure settlements and verdicts over the
past ten years... Medical Legal Art has been there with us on every case."
Thomas C. Jones
Davis, Bethune & Jones, L.L.C.
Kansas City, MO www.dbjlaw.net
Medical Legal Art creates medical demonstrative evidence (medical
illustrations, drawings, pictures, graphics, charts, medical animations,
anatomical models, and interactive presentations) for use during legal
proceedings, including research, demand letters, client conferences,
depositions, arbitrations, mediations, settlement conferences, mock jury
trials and for use in the courtroom. We do not provide legal or medical
advice. If you have legal questions, you should find a lawyer with whom you
can discuss your case issues. If you have medical questions, you should seek the advice of a healthcare provider.