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Background: Bupivacaine and Ropivacaine are the commonly used drugs in spinal anesthesia. The efficacy of these drugs along with adjuvant fentanyl, remains better but the question remains unsolved that whether bupivacaine plus fentanyl or ropivacaine plus fentanyl, which works better. Hence this study was undertaken to compare the efficacy, hemodynamic stability and side effects of these drugs for lower abdominal and lower limb surgeries. Methods: This prospective randomized, control study was conducted among patients undergoing lower abdominal and lower limb surgeries in Rohilkhand Medical College Hospital, Bareilly for elective surgical procedures. Ninety four patients were included in the study with forty seven cases in group A (0.75% hyperbaric Ropivacaine-3ml plus 25mcg fentanyl) and forty cases in group B (0.5% hyperbaric bupivacine-3ml plus 25mcg fentanyl). Data analysis was done using SPSS version 17. Results: Intrathecal 0.5% Hyperbaric bupivacaine plus fentanyl combination produces a significantly longer duration of analgesia, sensory block and motor block when compared to intrathecal hyperbaricbaric ropivacaine plus fentanyl combination. Greater hemodynamic stability was observed in Ropivacaine plus fentanyl group. Conclusion: Ropivacaine plus fentanyl provides a higher degree of hemodynamic stability plus allows early ambulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective  Previous analyses of neonatal intensive care units (NICU) antimicrobial stewardship programs have identified key contributors to overall antibiotic use, including prolonged empiric therapy >48 hours for early-onset sepsis (EOS). However, most were performed in mixed NICU settings with onsite birthing units, resulting in a high proportion of inborn patient admissions. The study aimed to describe and analyze the most common reasons for antimicrobial use in an outborn tertiary care NICU. Study Design  This was a 10-month review of all antimicrobial doses prescribed in a 20-bed level III NICU. The primary outcome was the total days of therapy (DOT) and length of therapy (LOT) for each clinical indication. Secondary outcomes included total DOT for each antimicrobial and appropriateness of antimicrobial courses. Results  Of 235 antibiotic courses and 1,899 DOT (519 DOT/1,000 patient days) prescribed in 173 infants during the study period, the most common indications were suspected EOS, followed by prophylaxis. Among the 85 DOT/1,000 patient days (PD; 38 courses) prescribed for prophylaxis, 52.5 DOT/1,000 PD (25 courses; 62%) were for surgical prophylaxis. Of 17 postoperative antibiotic courses, 15 (88.2%) were deemed to be inappropriate mostly due to a duration greater than 24 hours postoperatively (n  = 13; median LOT = 3 days). Conclusion  Surgical prophylaxis is a common reason for antimicrobial misuse in outborn NICU. NICU-based prospective audit and feedback between neonatologists and antimicrobial stewardship teams alone may not be impactful in this setting. Partnerships with neonatologists and surgeons will be key to achieving the target of less than 24 hours of postoperative antimicrobials. Key Points Surgical prophylaxis is a common reason for antimicrobial misuse in the NICU. Antimicrobial prophylaxis duration of less than 24 hours postoperatively should be encouraged. NICU-based prospective audit and feedback may not be impactful unless surgeons are involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pediatric asthma emergency department (ED) visits and repeat visits place a substantial burden on healthcare. National and provincial level studies demonstrate geographic variation in asthma ED visits and links to marginalization, but preclude translation into practical targeting of healthcare delivery. It is important to understand the relationship between pediatric asthma ED visits and marginalization at a more granular level. To map the city-level geographic variation in pediatric asthma ED visit and re-visit rates at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) in Ottawa, Canada and the relationship with marginalization. We performed a single center retrospective cohort study of children ages 1–17 with one or more ED visits for asthma at the CHEO in Ottawa. Using postal codes, we linked patients to census tracts. Per census tract, we mapped pediatric asthma ED visit and re-visit rates within one year and identified overlap with the Ontario Marginalization Index. Of 1,620 children with an index ED visit, 18.5% had a repeat ED visit. We identified 10 hot spot census tracts each for pediatric asthma ED visit and re-visit rates. We identified an overlap between urban hot spots and areas with high ethnic concentration or low dependency. At a granular, city-wide level, pediatric asthma ED visit and re-visit rates are heterogeneous. Urban hot spots, in contrast to rural, have more overlap with marginalization, especially ethnic concentration. These methods can be used in other jurisdictions to inform practical community strategies for geographically-targeted prevention of pediatric asthma-related ED visits in vulnerable areas. ED: Emergency department; CHEO: Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario; PRAM: Pediatric Respiratory Assessment Measure; ON-Marg: Ontario Marginalization Index; SES: Socioeconomic status; US: United States Supplemental data for this article can be accessed at . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pediatric outcomes after flexor tendon repairs are variable, and evidence in the literature remains scarce. Methods: Repair of pediatric flexor tendon injuries was reviewed over a 10-year period (2005-2015). Data collection consisted of patient demographics, injury characteristics, anesthetic choice, repair technique, rehabilitation protocol, American Society for Surgery of the Hand Total Active Motion (TAM) scores, and complications. Results: There were 109 patients included in our study, with a total of 162 digits injured and 235 flexor tendon injuries. The mean age was 12 ± 4.6 years. The small finger (48 of 162; 30%) and the flexor digitorum profundus tendon (126 of 235) were the most commonly injured. The mechanism of injury was mainly from a knife (46 of 109; 42.2%) in zone II (82 of 159; 52%). Injuries were mostly repaired under general anesthetic (61 of 104; 56%). The Kessler technique was the predominant repair mechanism (111 of 225 repairs; 49%). Most patients (103 of 109; 95%) had excellent or good TAM scores with 5 postoperative ruptures reported. The most common complication was stiffness (17 of 121 complications; 14%), with most patients having no complications (74 of 109 patients; 68%). Patients were commonly immobilized (mean 8.4 ± 10.3 weeks) with a splint (93 of 109; 85%). There were 85 patients who followed a postoperative rehabilitation protocol for 12 ± 18 weeks. Patient demographics, time of repair, injury characteristics, anesthetic choice, and rehabilitation protocol were not significantly correlated with TAM scores or complication rates. Conclusions: Pediatric tendon injuries have good outcomes with no predictive factors identified. Surgical repairs performed under local anesthetic have similar outcomes without increased rates of complications, but remain underused in the pediatric population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hand fractures and dislocations are common injuries in the pediatric population. This study aims to characterize the pediatric hand injuries that required closed reduction and identify those that required multiple reduction attempts. Methods : A retrospective cohort study was carried out in patients younger than 18 years of age with hand fractures or dislocations who underwent closed reduction in the emergency department (ED). Patients who ultimately required surgical reduction and fixation were not included. Results : Of the 310 hand injuries identified, 148 (114 fractures and 34 dislocations) underwent closed reduction in the ED; 7.4% of those required repeat reduction. Hand injuries that most often required repeat reduction included metacarpophalangeal joint dislocations (20.0%) and proximal phalanx neck (16.7%), metacarpal shaft (15.4%), metacarpal neck (6.2%), and proximal phalanx base (5.6%) fractures. No modifiable risk factors predicting the need for repeat reduction were identified. Conclusions : Some pediatric hand injuries are more likely to require repeat closed reduction by a hand surgeon. This retrospective study is the first step toward quality improvement as it provides opportunities for further research into the factors contributing to reductions that are unsuccessful at the first attempt. Identification of these factors and implementation of quality improvement measures are necessary to ensure the effective treatment of all pediatric hand injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To explore ethics education needs in Canadian Neonatal Perinatal Medicine (NPM) training programs. Methods A retrospective review of NPM trainees' performance at the National NPM Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) was undertaken for 2012 to 2017 and two distinct cross-sectional online surveys were carried out. One survey targeted recently graduated neonatologists (RGNs) who completed 2 years' training in a Canadian NPM program between 2010 and 2015; the other survey was sent to Canadian NPM training program directors (PDs). The domains of interest were: perception of education, ethics and communication topics, educational strategies, assessment of trainees' competencies, and barriers to neonatal ethics education. Results NPM trainees generally performed less well in stations involving ethics and communication relative to other domains on the National OSCE. Forty-seven RGNs (44.3%) and 12 PDs (92.3%) completed the survey. Over 90% of PDs and RGNs agreed on the importance of training in ethics and communication. Both groups highly valued training on topics related to communication. Preferred teaching strategies were experiential: observation and feedback. PDs mentioned the importance of using validated tools to regularly and formally assess trainees. They recognized challenges in regard to financial resources, physical space, and faculty training in patient–physician communication. Conclusions National OSCE results indicate the need to improve neonatal ethics and communication training in Canadian NPM programs. RGNs and PDs identified important topics, as well as teaching and evaluation strategies. These results can be used to develop a training program for ethics and communication in NPM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]