Extubación ultra fast-track vs. convencional tras cirugía cardiaca en un centro de referencia cardiovascular en Colombia. Estudio longitudinal

Introduction

The fast track / ultra-fast-track protocols are techniques used to optimise the patient care process and a quick recovery after cardiac surgery. They are one of the mainstays of efficient practice. With their use, the length of hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) stays are reduced, with a direct impact on costs and the quality of the health service.

Careful assistance? Personal assistance within the family as hybridization of modern welfare policy and traditional family care

The aim of this article is to examine how different ideological perspectives on Swedish disability policy, are reflected in the experiences of disabled people and their families personal assistants. Personal assistance provided within the family can be seen as a hybridization between publicly regulated and paid work performed in the private family sphere, and thus conflicting norms and practices may coexist. In Sweden, family members of the assistant user can be employed as paid personal assistants. Many users combine personal assistance from family members with non-family assistance. Approximately 20–25% of the employed personal assistants are relatives of the assistance users. The empirical data consists of qualitative interviews with seventeen adult users and twenty-three family members employed as PAs with different types of family ties; parent-child relationships, sibling relationships and partner relationships. The findings show that family assistance could entail advantages such as personalised services, to combine instrumental and emotional assistance as well as achieving a power-balance between the parties. But there were also disadvantages, such as unwanted or enforced dependency, with a risk for both parties to be ‘locked up’ in the family. In an overall analysis, we distinguished three broad approaches towards family assistance, family as a substitute, family as a supplement and family first.     

The Geriatrician: The Frontline Specialist in the Treatment of COVID-19 Patients

On February 20, 2020, a man living in the north of Italy was admitted to the emergency room with an atypical pneumonia that later proved to be COVID-19. This was the trigger of one of the most serious clusters of COVID-19 in the world, outside of China. Despite aggressive restraint and inhibition efforts, COVID-19 continues to increase, and the total number of infected patients in Italy is growing daily. After 6 weeks, the total number of patients reached 128,948 cases (April 5, 2020), with the higher case-fatality rate (15,887 deaths) dominated by old and very old patients.This sudden health emergency severely challenged the Italian Health System, in particular acute care hospitals and intensive care units. In 1 hospital, geriatric observation units were created, the experience of which can be extremely useful for European countries, the United States, and all countries that in the coming days will face a similar situation.     

Assessment of referral patterns for boys with suspected undescended testes and identification of risk factors to aid diagnosis

IntroductionUndescended testis (UDT) is a clinical diagnosis and a common reason for referral to paediatric urology outpatients. Our aim was to assess current referral patterns at our unit and to identify predictive factors that may better aid primary care physicians (PCP) in diagnosing UDT based on history and physical exam.MethodsA retrospective analysis of referrals to outpatients from 2014 to 2016 was performed to assess current referral patterns including referral source, age, reason for referral and outcome following assessment by a single consultant paediatric urologist.A prospective analysis of new referrals was performed to identify predictive factors which may aid in the diagnosis of UDT including gestational age, presence of scrotal asymmetry and previously obtained imaging.ResultsFrom 2014 to 2016, 259 boys were referred with suspected UDT. The majority of referrals were received from PCPs (62%) followed by Neonatology (29%), Paediatrics (8%) and general surgery (1%). Median age at time of assessment was 29 (5–180) months. One hundred and eight (41.7%) boys were diagnosed with UDT.There were 74 boys assessed prospectively. Median age at assessment was 24.5 (6–171) months. We identified 3 predictors of a diagnosis of UDT; history of prematurity (p = 0.001), UDT mentioned to the parents at birth (p = 0.027) and scrotal asymmetry on examination (p < 0.001). Greatest diagnostic inaccuracy was found in boys referred beyond one year of age (27.7%). In this cohort, the absence of all three risk factors was associated with a negative predictive value of 94.1%.ConclusionThe majority of boys with suspected UDT are referred beyond the age recommended for orchidopexy (6–12 months). The majority of boys referred for assessment did not have UDT. We have identified three predictive factors that may aid referring physicians when assessing boys, particularly those older than 1 year.     

Efectividad de un nuevo modelo de derivación telefónica compartida entre atención primaria y atención hospitalaria

Aim

The purpose of this study is to find out whether telephone referral from Primary Health Care to Internal Medicine Consult manages to reduce waiting days as compared to traditional referral. This study also aims to know how acceptable is the telephone referral to general practitioners and their patients.

Topically injected adrenocorticotropic hormone induces mechanical hypersensitivity on a full‐thickness cutaneous wound model in rats

Cutaneous wound pain causes physical and psychological stress for patients with wounds. Previous studies reported that stress induces hyperalgesia and deteriorates wound healing. However, the effect of the stress response such as in hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal (HPA) axis on local wound area is unclear. We aimed to investigate the effects of a stress response on the mechanical withdrawal threshold in the local wound area and describe the identification of a wound pain exacerbation. We topically injected adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) into the granulation tissue of full‐thickness cutaneous wound model rats on the fifth day postwounding and measured the mechanical withdrawal thresholds, cytochrome P450 2Bs levels and concentration of 5,6‐epoxyeicosatrienoic acid in wound exudate. We found that ACTH induced mechanical hypersensitivity at 4 and 6 hours after injection (P = .004 and .021, respectively), and increased gene expression of cytochrome P450 2B12 expression (P = .046). Concentration of 5,6‐EET in the wound exudate was moderately correlated with the mechanical withdrawal threshold (r = ?.630). Finally, the mechanical withdrawal threshold in the 5,6‐EET group was significantly lower than that in the control group at 2 hours after the injection (P = .015). We propose that 5,6‐EET is one of the most promising contributors to the wound pain exacerbation. These findings could guide clinical wound and pain management.     

癌症患者心理韧性质性研究的系统评价

目的 系统评价有关癌症患者心理韧性发展的真实体验,为更好地制定心理韧性干预方案提供理论依据。方法 计算机检索Cochrane Library、Medline、CINAHL、Embase、PubMed、Web of Science、Psyc INFO以及中国生物医学文献数据库、中国知网、维普、万方数据库从建库至2019年6月相关的质性研究。采用澳大利亚乔安娜布里格斯研究所循证卫生保健中心质性研究质量评价标准（2016）对文献进行评价,采用汇集性整合方法进行结果整合。结果 共纳入10篇文献,提炼42个明确的结果,形成8个类别,汇总成3个整合结果。①心理韧性发展是动态循环的过程：危机负性期,调节成长期,积极转化期,循环强化期;②心理韧性的阻碍因素：个体（消极应对,错误认知,症状和体象困扰）,环境（传统社会文化,医疗环境,家庭负担）;③心理韧性的保护因素：个体（积极心理与应对方式,复原经历,宗教信仰,自我表露,利他主义与行为）,环境（家庭因素,医疗照护,人际支持）。结论 心理韧性的发展是动态循环过程,受个体和环境因素影响,医护人员应根据不同阶段的影响因素给予针对性护理措施,促进患者心理韧性的形成和发展,提高患者的生活质量。     

农村青少年不同时期家庭逆境与精神病理症状的关联

目的探讨家庭逆境致精神病理症状结局的累积性与关键期效应,为预防与干预逆境伤害提供依据。方法2017年12月,采用方便抽样的方法选取安徽省阜阳地区2所农村学校的710名青少年。采用《童年期不良经历问卷》评估家庭逆境,《MacArthur健康与行为问卷》评价内化症状和外化症状。采用多元线性回归分析家庭逆境发生时间与数量和精神病理症状的关联。结果持续家庭逆境组与内化症状、外化症状增加均有相关性[β值(95%CI)分别为0.35(0.15~0.54),0.16(0.01~0.32)]。家庭逆境数量为2和≥3与内化症状[β值(95%CI)分别为0.20(0.04~0.36),0.42(0.24~0.60)]、外化症状[β值(95%CI)分别为0.14(0.01~0.26),0.23(0.09~0.37)]增加有关。在仅童年期家庭逆境中,家庭逆境数量为2和≥3的内化症状[β值(95%CI)分别为0.23(0.06~0.41),0.34(0.11~0.58)]、外化症状[β值(95%CI)分别为0.17(0.02~0.31),0.21(0.02~0.39)]的风险增高。在持续家庭逆境组中,逆境数量≥3与内化症状、外化症状相关[(β值(95%CI)分别为0.56(0.31~0.82),0.24(0.02~0.45)]。仅青春期家庭逆境与精神病理症状无关。结论家庭逆境的多次发生可增加精神病理症状风险,童年期可能是家庭逆境致精神病理症状的关键期。