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Aim To synthesize the available evidence on the relationship between the nursing practice environment in acute care hospitals and five selected nursing‐sensitive patient outcomes (mortality, medication error, pressure injury, hospital‐acquired infection and patient fall). Design A quantitative systematic review of literature was conducted using the PRISMA reporting guidelines (PROSPERO: CRD42020143104). Methods A systematic review was undertaken up to October 2020 using: CINAHL, MEDLINE and Scopus. The review included studies exploring the relationship between the nursing practice environment in adult acute care settings and one of five selected patient outcomes using administrative data sources. Studies were published in English since 2000. Results Ten studies were included. Seven studies reported that a favourable nursing practice environment reduced the likelihood of mortality in acute care hospitals, but estimates of the effect size varied. Evidence on the association between the nursing practice environment and medication administration error, pressure injury and hospital‐acquired infection was mixed.

Background: Under-coding of dementia during hospitalisation results in an inability to identify all patients with dementia using hospital administrative data. Clinical coding can be viewed as a proxy for management; therefore, under-coding indicates dementia was not considered in the patient’s management. While under-coding of dementia is well established, there is sparse evidence on whether dementia is coded in subsequent hospitalisations among patients with a known diagnosis. Objective: (a) To describe patterns of dementia coding over 5 years after a first-coded (i.e. index) admission for dementia; (b) to identify factors associated with clinical coding of dementia; and (c) to identify patient subgroups at risk of not being coded to inform future interventions to improve hospital identification and management of dementia. Method: Retrospective study of longitudinal hospital data from 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2015 for 7919 patients hospitalised during the 5 years’ post-index admission for dementia in a regional local health district of New South Wales, Australia. Results: Dementia was coded in 63.9% of admissions in the 12 months following index admission for dementia; this decreased to 53.7% after 5 years. Patients were 20% more likely to have dementia actively managed when it co-occurred with delirium. Under-coding varied across conditions, with dementia more likely to be coded in admissions for falls and pneumonitis, and less likely for heart failure, pneumonia and urinary tract infection (UTI). Conclusion: The frequency with which dementia was not coded highlights opportunities to improve identification and management of dementia through dementia-specific care, enhanced clinical protocols, and interventions focused around heart failure, pneumonia and UTI admissions.

Background Evidence about the impact of obesity on surgical resource consumption in the Australian setting is equivocal. Our objectives were to quantify the prevalence of obesity in four frequently performed surgical procedures and explore the association between body mass index (BMI) and hospital resource utilization including procedural duration, length of stay (LOS) and costs. Methods A retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing four surgical procedures at a tertiary referral centre in New South Wales, between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2016, was conducted. The four surgical procedures were total hip replacement, laparoscopic appendectomy, laparoscopic cholecystectomy and hysteroscopy with dilatation and curettage. Surgical groups were stratified according to BMI category. Results A total of 699 patients were included in the study. The prevalence of obesity was significantly higher than local and national population estimates for all procedures except appendectomy. BMI was not associated with increased hospital resource utilization (procedural, anaesthetic or intensive care stay duration) in any of the four surgical procedures examined after controlling for age, gender and complexity. For other outcomes of hospital resource utilization (LOS and cost), the relationship was inconsistent across the four procedures examined. A high BMI was positively associated with higher LOS, medical costs and allied health costs in those who underwent an appendectomy, and critical care costs in those who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Conclusion Obesity was common in patients undergoing four frequently performed surgical procedures. The relationship between BMI and hospital resource utilization appears to be complex and varies across the four procedures examined.

There is a need for greater understanding about frequent and high use of inpatient mental health services, and those with ongoing increased needs. Most studies employ a threshold of frequent use (e.g. numbers of admissions) and high use (e.g. lengthy stays) without justification.To identify model-driven thresholds for frequent/high inpatient mental health service use and contrast characteristics of patients identified using various models and thresholds.Retrospective population-based study using 12 years of longitudinal data for 5631 patients admitted with a mental health diagnosis. Two-component negative binomial and poisson mixture (truncated/untruncated) models identified thresholds for frequent/high use in a 12-month period.The two-component negative binomial mixture model resulted in the best model fit. Using negative binomial-derived thresholds, 5.3% of patients had a period of frequent use (admitted six or more times), 15.8% of high use (hospitalised for 45 or more days) and 3.5% of heavy use (both frequent and high use). The prevalence of specific mental health disorders (e.g. mood disorder and schizophrenia) among frequent and high use cohorts varied across thresholds.This model-driven approach can be applied to identify thresholds in other cohorts. Threshold choice may depend on the magnitude and focus of potential interventions.

OBJECTIVES To quantify the number of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) procedures in Australia by year, patient age and sex, and to estimate age group-specific population rates and the associated costs. Design, setting: Retrospective observational study; analysis of Australian National Hospital Morbidity Database hospital procedures data. PARTICIPANTS Patients with an ICD insertion, replacement, adjustment, or removal procedure code, July 2002 - June 2015. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Number of ICD procedures by procedure year, patient age (0-34, 35-69, 70 years or more) and sex; age group-specific population procedure rates; number of procedures associated with complications. RESULTS The number of ICD procedures increased from 1844 in 2002-03 to 6504 in 2014-15; more than 75% of procedures were in men. In 2014-15, the ICD insertion rate for people aged 70 years or more was 78.1 per 100 000 population, 22 per 100 000 for those aged 35-69 years, and 1.40 per 100 000 people under 35. The reported complication rate decreased from 45% in 2002-03 to 19% in 2014-15, partly because of a change in the coding of complications. The number of removals corresponded to at least 4% of the number of insertions each year. The aggregate cost of hospitalisations with an ICD procedure during 2011-14 was $445 644 566. CONCLUSION ICD procedures are becoming more frequent in Australia, particularly in people aged 70 or more. Patterns of care associated with ICD therapy, particularly patient- and hospital-related factors associated with adverse events, should be investigated to better understand and improve patient outcomes.

Objectives To describe morbidity and multimorbidity patterns among adults readmitted to an Australian regional health service, in terms of occurrence of the same and different morbidities at index admission and readmission. Methods This cohort study used hospital admissions data for patients admitted between 1 July 2014 and 30 June 2016 to estimate proportions of unplanned readmissions (‘early’ within 30 days and ‘late’ within 1–6 months) with the same and different morbidities as the index admission. Readmission rates were estimated by selected sociodemographic, admission and diagnostic characteristics. Results The majority of early and late readmissions were in different diagnostic groups and for different primary morbidities to the index admission. Only 38.8% of readmissions were in the same major diagnostic group as the index admission and 18.4% in the same Adjacent Diagnosis-Related Group. Twenty one percent of admitted patients were readmitted within six months, with this increasing to 35.3% among multimorbid patients. Conclusion With increasing prevalence of multimorbidity, particularly among those at increased risk of readmission, it is essential to step away from a single disease focus in the design of both hospital avoidance and chronic disease management programmes. Holistic interventions and strategies that address multiple chronic conditions are required.

Issue addressed Utilisation of professional health care interpreting services improves the quality and safety of health care among patients with limited English proficiency. Health care interpreter service utilisation is inconsistent and suboptimal in Australia. Evidence of the impact of interpreter service use on patient outcomes and costs is limited. This study aimed to identify the proportion of hospitalised patients who received a health care interpreter during admission and describe the characteristics and outcomes for those requiring interpreter services. Methods A retrospective cohort analysis of linked admitted patient data with internal interpreter audit data. This study included all inpatients in a health district-wide clinical audit of interpreter service use conducted between July 2016 and March 2018. The dataset comprised 74 patients (including 79 unique hospital stays and 90 episodes) from eight hospitals in one regional health district in New South Wales, Australia. Results Interpreting services were utilised at least once for 54.4% (n = 43) of admissions. Females were more likely to receive an interpreter (65.1% vs 47.1%, P = .04). Age, preferred language, hospital, Diagnosis-Related Group partition and comorbidities were not associated with interpreter service utilisation. Differences in length of stay and cost associated with use of interpreter services were not statistically significant after casemix adjustment. Conclusions Approximately half of those who required an interpreter received one during their hospital stay. Further investigation is needed to establish whether regular clinical audits contributed to this rate of utilisation, which is higher than reported elsewhere in the literature. SO WHAT?: A detailed understanding of regional interpreting service use with evidence from the literature provides compelling and contextual evidence for change, at the level at which the service is delivered. This supports meaningful action to increase utilisation, and improve the quality and safety of health care delivered to patients with limited English proficiency.

Background Suicide is a major public health issue worldwide. Those who have made a recent suicide attempt are at high risk for dying by suicide in the future, particularly during the period immediately following departure from a hospital emergency department. As such the transition from hospital-based care to the community is an important area of focus in the attempt to reduce suicide rates. There is a need for evaluation studies to test the effectiveness of interventions directed to this stage (termed ‘aftercare’ interventions). Methods A controlled non-randomised two group (intervention vs treatment-as-usual control) design, using an intention-to-treat model, will evaluate the effectiveness of a suicide prevention aftercare intervention providing follow-up after presentations to a hospital emergency department as a result of a suicide attempt or high risk for suicide. The intervention is a community-based service, utilising two meetings with a mental health clinician and follow-up contacts by peer workers via a combination of face-to-face and telephone for four weeks, with the option of extension to 12 weeks. Seventy-five participants of the intervention service will be recruited to the study and compared to 1265 treatment-as-usual controls. The primary hypotheses are that over 12 months, those who participate in the aftercare follow-up intervention are less likely than controls to present to a hospital emergency department for a repeat suicide attempt or because of high risk for suicide, will have fewer re-presentations during this period and will have lower all-cause mortality. As a secondary aim, the impact of the intervention on suicide risk factors for those who participate in the service will be evaluated using pre- and post-intervention repeated measures of depression, anxiety, stress, hopelessness, belongingness, burdensomeness, and psychological distress. Enrolments into the study commenced on 1 November 2017 and are anticipated to cease in November 2019. Discussion The study aims to contribute to the understanding of effective interventions for individuals who have presented to a hospital emergency department as a result of a suicide attempt or at high risk for suicide and provide evidence in relation to interventions that incorporate peer-workers. Trial registration ACTRN12618001701213. Registered on 16 October 2018. Retrospectively registered.

Objective To describe patterns of hospitalisation in the years preceding the first (index) admission coded with dementia. Methods Retrospective longitudinal analysis of hospitalisation preceding an index admission for dementia for 7919 patients and a matched cohort in a regional local health district of New South Wales, Australia, from 1 July 2006 to 31 December 2016. Results The dementia cohort experienced a sharp increase in frequency of hospitalisation, particularly in the year pre-index, and primarily for falls and urinary tract infections. They also demonstrated more episodes for nervous and musculoskeletal illnesses and injuries than controls and visited emergency department more frequently with neurological illnesses and injuries. Conclusion Findings highlight opportunities for earlier diagnosis of dementia in hospital, through more targeted screening and follow-up of suspected cases with comprehensive geriatric assessment prior to discharge. This may result in a definitive diagnosis on discharge, allowing for better coordination of ongoing management to prevent unnecessary readmissions.

BACKGROUND: The current study sought to examine the diagnostic overlap in DSM-IV and DSM-5 alcohol use disorder (AUD) and determine the clinical correlates of changing diagnostic status across the 2 classification systems. METHODS: DSM-IV and DSM-5 definitions of AUD were compared using cross-national community survey data in 9 low-, middle-, and high-income countries. Participants were 31,367 respondents to surveys in the World Health Organization's World Mental Health Survey Initiative. The Composite International Diagnostic Interview, version 3.0, was used to derive DSM-IV and DSM-5 lifetime diagnoses of AUD. Clinical characteristics, also assessed in the surveys, included lifetime DSM-IV anxiety; mood and drug use disorders; lifetime suicidal ideation, plan, and attempt; general functional impairment; and psychological distress. RESULTS: Compared with DSM-IV AUD (12.3%, SE = 0.3%), the DSM-5 definition yielded slightly lower prevalence estimates (10.8%, SE = 0.2%). Almost one-third (n = 802) of all DSM-IV abuse cases switched to subthreshold according to DSM-5 and one-quarter (n = 467) of all DSM-IV diagnostic orphans switched to mild AUD according to DSM-5. New cases of DSM-5 AUD were largely similar to those who maintained their AUD across both classifications. Similarly, new DSM-5 noncases were similar to those who were subthreshold across both classifications. The exception to this was with regard to the prevalence of any lifetime drug use disorder. CONCLUSIONS: In this large cross-national community sample, the prevalence of DSM-5 lifetime AUD was only slightly lower than the prevalence of DSM-IV lifetime AUD. Nonetheless, there was considerable diagnostic switching, with a large number of people inconsistently identified across the 2 DSM classifications.

The proposed criteria for alcohol and cannabis use disorders in the 11th edition of ICD (ICD-11) will be presented to the World Health Assembly in 2017, but the beta-phase descriptions have been released. We compared them with those in the tenth edition (ICD-10) and the American Psychiatric Association's DSM fourth edition (DSM-IV) and fifth edition (DSM-5), in a nationally representative sample of adult Australians. Disorders were assessed with the WHO World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview. The proportions classified as being dependent on alcohol and cannabis were similar with ICD-10, ICD-11, and DSM-IV, whereas for DSM-5, the proportion of lifetime users meeting the criteria for moderate to severe use (most comparable to dependence in the other systems) was far higher. We assessed whether criteria for alcohol and cannabis use described unidimensional syndromes for each, and all definitions seemed to do so. Classification of alcohol and cannabis use disorders, although simplified in ICD-11, was in almost perfect agreement with the classifications of ICD-10 and DSM-IV. With DSM-5, use disorder seemed to capture a different aspect of problematic use and selected a different group of individuals from the other systems. How the newest definitions will become used remains to be seen. The choice of classification might depend on the clinical population of interest.

Objectives To compare rates and trends in hospital admissions due to medication misadventure for older adults (≥65 years) with and without dementia. Methods A retrospective analysis of hospital admissions that occurred between 2012 and 2016, for medication misadventures among older adults living in regional Australia. Results Medication misadventures contributed to 10 555 (4.6%) of the total 228 165 admissions for older adults over the study period. Among these admissions, older adults with dementia were three times more likely to be hospitalised with medication misadventures (14.0%), than their non-dementia counterparts (4.2%). Medication misadventures relating to "anticoagulants" and "opioids/related analgesics" accounted for the majority of admissions (24.3% dementia vs 30.7% non-dementia). Conclusions This study highlights that the proportion of older adults hospitalised for a medication misadventure is much higher among those with dementia, than those without dementia. Strategies should target older adults, and especially those with dementia, to reduce medication-related harm and improve patient safety.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The World Health Organization's (WHO's) proposed International Classification of Diseases, 11th Edition (ICD-11) includes several major revisions to substance use disorder (SUD) diagnoses. It is essential to ensure the consistency of within-subject diagnostic findings across countries, languages and cultures. To date, agreement analyses between different SUD diagnostic systems have largely been based in high-income countries and clinical samples rather than general population samples. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of, and concordance between diagnoses using the ICD-11, The WHO's ICD 10th Edition (ICD-10), and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th and 5th editions (DSM-IV, DSM-5); prevalence of disaggregated ICD-10 and ICD-11 symptoms; and variation in clinical features across diagnostic groups.DESIGN: Face-to-face household surveys.SETTING: Representative surveys of the general population in ten countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Iraq, Northern Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Spain) of the World Mental Health Survey Initiative.PARTICIPANTS: Questions about SUDs were asked of 12,182 regular alcohol users and 1,788 cannabis users.MEASUREMENTS: Each survey used the World Mental Health Survey Initiative version of the WHO Composite International Diagnostic Interview Version 3.0 (WMH-CIDI).FINDINGS: Among regular alcohol users, prevalence (95% confidence interval) of lifetime ICD-11 alcohol harmful use and dependence were 21.6% (20.5%-22.6%) and 7.0% (6.4%-7.7%), respectively. Among cannabis users, 9.3% (7.4%-11.1%) met criteria for ICD-11 harmful use and 3.2% (2.3%-4.0%) for dependence. For both substances, all comparisons of ICD-11 with ICD-10 and DSM-IV showed excellent concordance (all κ≥0.90). Concordance between ICD-11 and DSM-5 ranged from good (for SUD, and comparisons of dependence and severe SUD) to poor (for comparisons of harmful use and mild SUD). Very low endorsement rates were observed for new ICD-11 feature for harmful use ('harm to others'). Minimal variation in clinical features was observed across diagnostic systems.CONCLUSIONS: The World Health Organization's proposed International Classification of Diseases, 11th Edition (ICD-11) classifications for substance use disorder diagnoses are highly consistent with the ICD 10th Edition and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM-IV). Concordance between ICD-11 and the DSM 5th Edition (DSM-5) varies, largely due to low levels of agreement for the ICD harmful use and DSM-5 mild use disorder. Diagnostic validity of self-reported "harm to others" is questionable.

Objective The aim of this study was to assess 15-year trends in unplanned readmissions in an Australian regional health service. Methods Drawing on data held in the Illawarra Health Information Platform (IHIP), this longitudinal retrospective study of adults admitted to hospital between 2001–02 and 2015–16 assessed rates of unplanned all-cause readmissions within 30 days (‘early’) and 1–6 months (‘late’) following discharge. Rates were compared over time and between patient groups. Results Age-adjusted early readmission rates declined over the 15 years by an average of 1.3% per annum, whereas late readmission rates increased by an average of 0.6% per annum. Together, there was an overall decline in readmission rates. The entire decline in early readmission rates and a reversal of the increasing trend in late readmission rates occurred since 2010–11. Similar trends occurred across age groups, but were most pronounced among those aged ≥75 years. Conclusions The decline in readmissions since 2010–11 suggests that the region has achieved improvements in discharge planning and in continuity between hospitals and community-based care. These improvements have occurred across broad patient groups. The longitudinal and linked data held in the IHIP provides a unique opportunity to examine patterns of service utilisation at a regional level. What is known about the topic? Published reports of longitudinal trends in readmissions are typically limited by short study periods and narrow criteria used to define study populations and readmissions. Australian longitudinal data suggest rates of early readmission have remained relatively unchanged in recent years, despite the focus on readmission rates as a metric to assess the quality and continuity of care. What does this paper add? This unique longitudinal study reports on long-term readmission trends over 15 years to hospitals within a single geographic area, with trends reported for both early (30-day) and late (1- to 6-month) readmissions by age group and major diagnostic categories. The findings reflect more complex patterns than are typically reported in cross-sectional and more limited longitudinal studies. What are the implications for practitioners? The results suggest improvements at a regional level that may be associated with care during the initial hospitalisation and discharge (reflected particularly in early readmissions) and in the community (reflected particularly in late readmissions). Future investigations will explore specific patient groups and the effects of specific initiatives, services and models of care to better predict those at risk of readmission and to inform translation locally and further afield. The relationship between readmissions and the use of ambulatory services (primary care, emergency department and out-patient) also warrants further investigation.

The WHO World Mental Health (WMH) Survey Initiative uses the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) for data collection and operationalizes diagnoses using DSM-IV criteria. The first 13 WMH surveys used CIDI version 3.0, which only assessed substance dependence among respondents with a history of substance abuse, while subsequent surveys also assessed substance dependence without symptoms of abuse. The aim of the current report is to compare results across the two sets of surveys to assess the implications of the revised skip logic and develop an imputation model for missing values of lifetime dependence without symptoms of abuse in the earlier surveys. Prevalence of lifetime dependence without symptoms of abuse was low in the second set of WMH surveys (0.3% for alcohol and 0.2% for drugs). Regression-based imputation models were built in random half-samples of the new surveys and validated in the other half-samples. There were minimal difference in the distributions of imputed and reported cases in the validation dataset for important correlates such as age, gender and quantity though higher numbers of additional mental disorders and number of days out of role were found in the imputed than reported cases. Concordance between imputed and observed estimates of total lifetime dependence in the full sample was high both for alcohol dependence (sensitivity 88.0%, specificity 99.8%, TCA 99.5% and AUC 0.94) and drug dependence (sensitivity 100.0%, specificity 99.8%, TCA 99.8% and AUC 1.00). This study provides cross-national evidence of the degree to which each of lifetime alcohol dependence and lifetime drug dependence occur without symptoms of abuse. Additionally imputation of substance dependence without symptoms of abuse in the earlier WMH surveys will result in improved estimates of lifetime prevalence for comparison with other epidemiological studies both cross-nationally and over time.

Objective to evaluate mothers' satisfaction with a caseload-midwifery scheme, and whether this varied according to the extent of continuity of care provided. Design mothers' satisfaction with care was assessed using a postal survey, which was linked with their clinical outcomes data. Setting the Wollongong Hospital, the major public hospital in the Illawarra region, New South Wales, Australia. Participants 174 women gave birth during the evaluation period of a pilot midwifery group practice (MGP) programme at the Wollongong Hospital between 5 July 2004 and 30 April 2005. This group included 87 primiparous and 87 multiparous women, all of whom met the Australian College of Midwives' criteria for low-risk pregnancies. Intervention the MGP was staffed by six midwives working in two groups of three. Each midwife took on a primary caseload of 40 women per year, and provided support as a secondary midwife to women cared for by colleagues. Measurements mothers' satisfaction with care and adjustment to motherhood were assessed with self-completed questionnaires. Survey responses were linked with clinical data, allowing examination of the relationship between maternal satisfaction and continuity of care. Findings the MGP achieved high levels of continuity of care, both objectively (based on birth records) and from mothers' perspectives. Overall, mothers' evaluations of their care were very positive. Women indicated that their relationships with their midwives were genuinely caring and a valued source of reassurance and comfort during pregnancy, labour and early motherhood. Although continuity of care did not predict summary scores for maternal satisfaction, it was related to some individual items on the satisfaction scales. Satisfaction with control and communication was predicted by parity and the level of intervention during labour and birth. Key conclusions continuous care appears to facilitate the development of supportive relationships between women and their midwives. Women's perceptions about continuous and respectful treatment were related to objectively measured continuity of care. The qualitative data confirm the importance of less tangible benefits, such as the quality of relationships between women and their caregivers. Implications for practice the viability of caseload-midwifery-led care for low-risk pregnancies depends, in part, on the model's acceptability to consumers. This study demonstrated that the caseload model is associated with high levels of maternal satisfaction. Supportive relationships with midwives in a caseload scheme are highly valued by women.

A number of different methods can be used for the design of individualized drug dosage regimens, based on measurements of the plasma concentration. This paper extends an adaptive control method coupled with Bayesian feedback to include all common routes and restrictions on the dosage regimens. Bolus administration and a piecewise constant administration (a model for the intravenous infusion) are both considered for pharmacokinetic systems of order n . Besides, a MATLAB package for the design of individualized drug dosage regimens was developed, both for clinical use and simulation purposes. The techniques are illustrated with the dosage of theophylline

Autonomic dysfunction seems to play a central role in the pathophysiology of neurocardiogenic syncope (NCS) but conflicting data have recently become available. We evaluated autonomic nervous system (ANS) function (heart rate variability (HRV), systolic blood pressure variability (SBPV) and baroreceptor gain (BRG)) and non-invasive haemodynamics (cardiac output and total peripheral resistance) in patients with neurocardiogenic syncope. Retrospectively, we evaluated 12 NCS patients (positive head-up tilt without pharmacological provocation) in the basal state and at initial tilt, 12 non-NCS patients with tilt-negative syncope and 12 aged-matched normal controls. Prospectively, we evaluated 16 NCS patients to analyse the haemodynamics and ANS activity throughout the tilt test (beginning of tilt and before syncope occurs). HRV and SBPV were accessed by fast Fourier transforms (FFT) and spontaneous BRG by temporal sequences, slope and a index. Modelflow was used to quantify the non-invasive haemodynamics. None of the autonomic and haemodynamic parameters at baseline or in the first 10 min of tilt was different among the respective NCS, non-NCS syncope and normal control groups, except for SBP, which was higher at baseline in controls. Throughout the tilt test in the prospective NCS group, the heart rate increased (88-95 beats x min(-1), P

The introduction of an automation system in a clinical laboratory represents an innovative issue as for IVD technology is concerned. It requires changes in internal organization, review of workflows and design of laboratory reengineering. The final aim is to improve services and outcomes for patients.

The sensitivity and specificity of heart rate variability (HRV) in the corroboration of brain death diagnosis in patients with acute traumatic intracranial lesions was evaluated in 20 patients with clinical criteria of brain death, nine patients in deep coma (Glasgow scale

Laparoscopic resection for carcinoma of the colon and rectum is currently under intense scrutiny. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to review our three-year experience of laparoscopic surgery for colon and rectal carcinoma. METHODS: From October 1991 to September 1994, 76 laparoscopic procedures were performed for colorectal neoplasia (32 males and 44 females; mean age, 69 years). Fifty-five procedures were done for carcinoma, 16 for large polyps, and five for diversion in patients with unresectable cancer. For resectable tumors, the average size was 4 cm; staging was as follows: Dukes A, 10 patients; Dukes B1, 11; Dukes B2, 18; Dukes C1, 1; Dukes C2, 9; and Dukes D, 8. Fourteen cases (25 percent) that were converted to open procedures were compared with the 41 cases that were completed laparoscopically for differences in tumor size, surgical margins, number of lymph nodes harvested, length of hospital stay, and evidence of recurrence. Procedures completed laparoscopically were then compared with a group of open controls completed during the same time period. RESULTS: During the first six months, the conversion rate was 32 percent but dropped to 8 percent in the last six months. There were a total of 19 complications (25 percent), of which 8 (14 percent) were directly related to the laparoscopic technique. The mean number of lymph nodes harvested in laparoscopic resection for carcinoma was 8.5, and the average closest tumor margin was 4.5 cm. When laparoscopic resections were compared with converted and standard open colectomies, there was no significant difference in tumor margins or numbers of nodes resected. Length of stay was significantly shorter for anterior resections completed laparoscopically than for converted or conventional colectomies. Although this was also the trend for right hemicolectomies, it did not reach statistical significance. Mean follow-up of the group completed laparoscopically was 16.7 months, during which there was one recurrence. There were no trocar site recurrences. CONCLUSIONS: This early experience seems to indicate that laparoscopic surgery for colorectal carcinoma does not per se compromise surgical oncologic principles and encourages us to continue our critical appraisal of this technique.

Transgenic mice expressing both human apolipoprotein (apo) B and human cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) have been developed. When fed a normal mouse chow diet, the apoB/CETP double transgenic animals had threefold higher serum CETP activity than humans and had human apoB levels that were similar to those of normolipidemic humans. When compared with nontransgenic mice, the total serum cholesterol levels in the female apoB/CETP transgenic animals were increased significantly. Serum HDL cholesterol levels were decreased significantly in both male and female apoB/CETP transgenic animals. The percentages of the total cholesterol within the HDL, LDL, and VLDL fractions of the apoB/CETP animals were approximately 30%, 65%, and 5%, respectively, similar to the distribution of cholesterol in the plasma of normolipidemic humans. Thus, by expressing both human apoB and human CETP, the lipoprotein cholesterol distribution in the serum of a chow-fed mouse was transformed into one that resembles a human profile.

Mean hourly parameters obtained from all beats (long series) were compared with those obtained from a sample of 512 beats extracted each hour (short series) in nine presumably normal subjects. For both the short and long series, the spectral components, very low frequency, (VLF), low frequency (LF), and high frequency (HF), and time-domain indices (such as the Ewing statistic [PNN50] and RR standard deviation [SD-RR]), have been estimated. The spectral components LF and HF, estimated from the short and long series, were not significantly different, whereas significant differences were found between VLF, SD--RR, and PNN50. In both the short and long series, a strong correlation was found between LF and SD-RR and between HF and PNN50. The results suggest that, over a period of 24 hours, hourly LF and HF spectral components can be obtained using a single series of 512 beats every hour, with a great advantage over the evaluation of the mean hourly parameters. This method would be particularly useful in the study of circadian heart rate spectral analysis in Holter recordings with multiple artifacts or ectopic beats, and in general, when analysis of the entire 24-hour series is not feasible.

ECMO or Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation is a specialized heart-lung bypass machine used to take over the body’s heart and lung function while the body heals from injury or illness. One of the disturbing hallmarks of the novel A/H1N1 flu virus is that it produces severe lung damage resulting in ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome). Normally, patients with ARDS are placed on mechanical ventilation in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and treated with a variety of pharmacological agents to reduce infection and lung inflammation. With A/H1N1 viral pneumonia, mechanical ventilation often does not result in adequate oxygenation so with ECMO the burden of pumping and oxygenating the blood is taken from the heart and lungs, and they are given time to heal. San Matteo Polyclinic Hospital was nominated by the Lombardy Region and the Ministry of Health as national reference for the installation of ECMO to deal severe heart failure and pulmonary caused by novel A/H1N1 flu virus. Clinical Engineering Department of the hospital had a fundamental coordination role in biomedical technology-related issues. It supported high-level management decisions (strategy, management, planning, procurement and maintenance) to answer to Lombardy’s guidelines about the organization of ECMO machines in the region. Moreover it had an important role in the assessment, by the use of HTA procedures, of ECMO alternative technologies.

The introduction of the laparoscopic surgery has led the progress of surgery towards a new area. In fact, it allows a minor surgical trauma, a better preservation of immune function, a better aesthetic results and contributes to reduce days of hospitalization. But laparoscopic technique presents some disadvantages: depth precision is lost, tactile feedback is reduced, instruments movements and degrees of motion of the surgeons hands are reduced.

The purpose of this study was to conduct a survey examining the impact of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) on patients’ and their caregivers’ daily activities. Questionnaires were distributed to patients registered in the APDI (Portuguese Association for IBD) database and their respective caregivers in 2007. Of 422 patient respondents, 251 had Crohn’s disease (CD) and 171 had ulcerative colitis (UC), with the majority of patients being women (58.1%) and aged over 40 years (37.4%). The number of disease flares experienced by IBD patients was slightly higher for patients with CD than for patients with UC (2.64 vs. 2.34), and surgery was more often required in CD patients as compared to UC patients (42.4 vs. 7%). Sixty percent (60%) of patients reported having no problems with mobility, daily activities, or personal hygiene; however, over half of all patients experienced some pain and anxiety. Adult patients and children and adolescents respectively experienced time off work or school due to their disease but caregivers were not affected in this regard. The caregivers life (N = 324) was affected by anxiety, with the major concern reported as the risk of the patient developing cancer. Both IBD patients and caregivers thought that the provision of information on new drugs and contact time with a doctor would have the biggest impact on improving care. The symptoms and complications of IBD have a considerable impact on the lives of patients and their caregivers, and several actions could be taken to improve their care.

Background: Neonates undergo many painful procedures during their NICU stay. These may include tracheal intubation/ventilation, skin-breaking procedures, drainage/suctioning of body orifices or cav ...

Background: Pain and stress induced by mechanical ventilation, invasive procedures, or painful diseases supports the use of sedation/analgesia (S/A) in newborns admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care ...

The objective of this study was to assess the influence of day-night cycle and sleep-awake period on the circadian pattern of heart rate variability (HRV). Twelve male oil refinery security shift workers, aged 39 +/- 7 years, were studied with 24-hour Holter monitor recordings during morning and night work periods. Hourly HRV parameters in the time and frequency domains were evaluated. For both shifts, all HRV parameters during awake or work periods were found not to be statistically different. In both day and night work shifts, the very low frequency and high-frequency components of HRV and the proportion of differences in successive R-R intervals greater than 50 ms increased during the sleep period, while the low frequency/high frequency ratio decreased. The low-frequency component in absolute units and the SD of the R-R interval did not show any variation in either shifts for the different periods. These results suggest that the circadian pattern of HRV seems to be predominantly related to sleep (supine) and wakefulness (standing) and remains independent of night-day cycle.

Primary care presentations at emergency departments (EDs) have been the subject of much attention in recent years. This paper is a demographic analysis using administrative data from the Emergency Department Information System (EDIS) for 2005 of such presentations in New South Wales EDs and of self-reported reasons for presentation. Age and sex differences in the reasons given by patients for such presentations are analysed using data from a survey of patients conducted in a subset of EDs in 2004. The rate of ?potential primary care? presentations varies greatly with age and to a lesser extent with sex. Almost half (47%) of these presentations are made by people under 25 years of age. Children aged 0?4 years account for 14% of the total. The pattern is distinctly different to the corresponding rate of ED presentations that do not fit the ?potential primary care? definition. Reasons given for ?potential primary care? presentations are consistent across all age groups, reflecting self-assessed urgency, access to diagnostics and self-assessed complexity. Older ?primary care? patients are particularly unlikely to give reasons associated with GP affordability or availability for their presentations. Young adults? responses are consistent with the overall population, and children under the age of five seem most susceptible to availability issues.

This study was designed to determine the prevalence and type of peristomal skin complications in ileostomy and colostomy patients. The influence of sex, race, age, and stoma location as possible risk factors for developing these conditions was examined. A chart review in combination with a telephone survey was conducted. The population included all ileostomy and colostomy patients (362) who had their procedure between January 1, 1984 and December 31, 1985 at the Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York. Ninety-three patients were ultimately surveyed. There were 58 ileostomy and 35 colostomy cases. This study concluded that there may be a direct relationship between age and peristomal skin problems; gender is not a risk factor for acquiring these conditions in ileostomy (p greater than 0.7) or colostomy (p greater than 0.3) patients; most patients seek the enterostomal therapist for treatment of peristomal skin problems; and the most common peristomal skin condition is minor to moderate skin irritation with redness. It is recommended that both the health professional managing the ostomy patients, and the ostomy patients themselves, receive more education concerning the techniques and the importance of proper stoma care. Future studies examining the role of the dermatologist with regard to these problems are recommended.

This study investigates why some patients with apparently less urgent conditions present to emergency departments (EDs). We report on a survey of "potential primary-care" ED patients, who were asked about their reasons for choosing the ED over GPs. The sample consisted of 397 patients (with a response rate of 99% = 397/400), recruited in the former Illawarra Health Area. The three main reasons selected were: self-assessed urgency; being able to see the doctor and having tests or X-rays done in the same place; and self-assessed seriousness or complexity. The results do not appear to be sensitive to two potential sources of bias (fixed question ordering and non-random sampling). The results suggest a number of potential policy levers for encouraging some people to present to GPs rather than EDs. However, the main conclusion is that the majority of "potential primary-care" patients appear to be presenting for appropriate reasons. Thus "inappropriate attendances" do not seem to be the cause of EDs being under stress. We also argue that the results are useful for drawing inferences more broadly than just in relation to the Illawarra.

This paper examines trends in potential 'primary care' presentations at emergency departments (ED), comparing these with other ED presentations and to primary care attendances in the community. The study draws on EDIS data (Emergency Department Information System), which, at December 2005, covered 76% of attendances in New South Wales, and from Medicare Australia MBS data. Annual counts of potential primary care presentations to EDs are compared with those of other ED presentations and to primary care presentations in the community. Changes in the percentage of ED presentations that are potentially for primary care are examined, as are changes in the percentage of total primary care presentations seen in EDs. Trends in age standardised presentation rates are also calculated for each of the three series. Primary care presentations at EDs increased marginally in the period under consideration, as did primary care presentations in the community. There was a substantial increase in other ED presentations. The proportion of ED presentations potentially for primary care decreased over the period. The proportion of primary care presentations seen in EDs and the proportion seen in the community changed little. Decline in the proportion of potential primary care presentations to EDs may have been impacted by new guidelines for the application of triage categories in 2001. However, trends over time do not show acute alterations and they continue to hold for the subsequent period after introduction of new guidelines. Primary care presentations at EDs are not responsible for recent changes to ED overcrowding in New South Wales, at least not for hospitals covered in the EDIS database. Future research might consider more specific trends in rural EDs.