Thoracoscopic treatment of a broncho-esophageal fistula: A case report

IntroductionBroncho-esophageal fistula is a rare clinical condition which can be manifested with non-specific signs and symptoms.Presentation of a caseHere, we report an adult case of a broncho-esophageal fistula in a 43-year-old man referred for chronic cough after fluid food intake and weight loss. Barium swallow, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, bronchoscopy and Computed Tomography of the chest demonstrated a broncho-esophageal fistula between the apical segmental bronchus of the lower right lobe and the middle section of the esophagus. The patient underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for resection of the fistula. No post-operative complications occurred.DiscussionBroncho-esophageal fistula in adults is rare and its diagnosis is often delayed due to the frequent lack of specific symptoms. Although there is no standard protocol, the most widely used treatment is thoracotomy with identification and dissection of the fistula tract followed by repair of bronchial and esophageal defects.ConclusionsVideo-assisted thoracoscopic surgery appears to be an effective and minimally invasive approach for the treatment of broncho-esophageal fistulas, especially in young, healthy subjects.     

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptom severity and sleep problems in adult participants of the Netherlands sleep registry

BackgroundWe examined whether current overall attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), inattention, or hyperactivity symptom severities are associated with the current presence and persistent history of sleep problems.MethodsN = 942 participants of the Netherlands Sleep Registry filled out online several validated questionnaires. Regression analyses were performed to assess the association between (1) current overall ADHD symptom severity and the current presence of sleep problems, (2) current ADHD symptom-severity groups and the persistent history of sleep problems, and (3) current inattention or hyperactivity symptom severities and the current presence of sleep problems.Results(1) Current overall ADHD symptom severity was associated with the odds of suffering from probable obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), restless legs syndrome (RLS), periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD), insomnia disorder (ID) with predominant difficulties initiating sleep (DIS) and maintaining sleep (DMS), but not with the odds of suffering from narcolepsy or ID with predominant early-morning awakening (EMA). Current overall ADHD symptom severity was also associated with an extreme evening chronotype but not with short sleep. (2) The group with the most severe current ADHD symptoms was more likely to have a history of persistent OSAS, RLS, and ID. (3) The severity of symptoms of hyperactivity, but not of inattention, was specifically associated with probable RLS, PLMD, ID with DIS or DMS, and short sleep. Inattention symptom severity was only related to the probability of being an extreme evening chronotype.ConclusionADHD severity, especially the severity of hyperactivity, is associated with the current presence and persistent history of sleep problems.     

Measuring hospital-acquired pressure injuries: A surveillance programme for monitoring performance improvement and estimating annual prevalence

AimsTo describe a surveillance approach for monitoring the effect of improvement initiatives on hospital-acquired pressure injuries and findings arising from that surveillance.MethodsRandom sampling of patients on the same day of each successive month from a campus of child and adult hospitals using a standard audit tool to identify presence of hospital-acquired pressure injury. Where multiple pressure injuries were present, the most severe grade injury contributed to prevalence. Statistical process control charts were used to monitor monthly performance and Maximum Likelihood Estimation to determine timing of step change.Results8274 patients were assessed over 3 years from an eligible population of 32,259 hospitalised patients. 517 patients had hospital-acquired pressure injuries giving an overall prevalence of 6.2% (95% CI 5.7–6.8%). Annual prevalence was 8.4% (95% CI 7.4–9.5%) in the first year, falling to 5.6% (95% CI 4.7–6.4%) in the second year and 4.8% (95% CI 4.0–5.6%) in the third year. A step change was signalled with mean prevalence up to July 2013 being 7.9% (95% CI 7.1–8.8%) and mean prevalence thereafter 4.8% (95% CI 4.2–5.4%). Hospital-acquired pressure injuries were found in all age ranges, but were more frequent in children up to 14 years (17.4%) and those aged 75 years or older (38.7%).ConclusionMonthly random sampling of patients within clinical units can be used to monitor performance improvement. This approach represents a rational alternative to cross-sectional prevalence surveys especially if the focus is on performance improvement.     

Approach and treatment of the adult acquired flatfoot deformity

Adult acquired flatfoot deformity (AAFD), embraces a wide spectrum of deformities. AAFD is a complex pathology consisting both of posterior tibial tendon insufficiency and failure of the capsular and ligamentous structures of the foot. Each patient presents with characteristic deformities across the involved joints, requiring individualized treatment. Early stages may respond well to aggressive conservative management, yet more severe AAFD necessitates prompt surgical therapy to halt the progression of the disease to stages requiring more complex procedures. We present the most current diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to AAFD, based on the most pertinent literature and our own experience and investigations.     

未成年人解脲支原体DNA检测

目的:为了解未成年人UU感染特点。方法:FQ PCR方法用于定量检测未成年人和成年人样本中的UU DNA。结果:未成年人UU DNA阳性率(28.57%,24/84)显著小于成年人(48.87%,2569/5257)(χ2=13.64,P=0.00022),而UU DNA载量(5.72±1.11)则高于成年人(4.69±1.42)(t=3.54,P=0.00040);未成年女性感染阳性率(31.51%,23/73)显著低于成年人(55.10%,2238/4062)(χ2=16.10,P=6.00E-5),而载量(5.71±1.14)则高于成年女性(5.00±1.52)(t=2.21,P=0.027)。两组男性感染率则无统计学差异(χ2=1.87,P=0.17)。结论:未成年人UU DNA感染率显著小于成年人,UU DNA载量则高于成年人。     

Is it sufficient to treat adult lumbar spinal deformity using anterior lumbar interbody fusion with percutaneous pedicle screw fixation?

Anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) has been performed for lumbar spinal restoration and stabilization without extensive paraspinal muscle damage or massive bleeding. The authors retrospectively investigated surgical results of multilevel ALIF followed by percutaneous pedicle screw fixation (PPSF) in adult lumbar spinal deformity (ALSD). This study included 28 patients with degenerative lumbar spinal deformity, who underwent selective multilevel ALIF and PPSF between January 2013 and August 2016 at our hospital. Standing X-rays were performed and coronal Cobb angle (CCA) of scoliosis, sagittal vertical axis (SVA), lumbar lordosis (LL), thoracic kyphosis (TK), pelvic tilt (PT), and sacral slope (SS) were measured. Pain and functional assessment were performed using visual analogue scale (VAS) scores for low back pain and leg pain, and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores. CCA, SVA and LL were significantly improved immediately after surgery and relatively well maintained until the last follow-up. After surgery, PT was significantly decreased and SS was increased, respectively. However, cases with SVA > 95 mm or PT > 30° showed a loss of correction in sagittal balance parameters to a greater extent at the last follow-up compared to the group of patients with minor sagittal imbalance. VAS scores for back and radicular pain, and ODI score were significantly decreased at the final follow-up (p < 0.05). Multilevel ALIF with PPSF yielded favorable clinical and radiological outcomes in coronal and sagittal balance without severe surgical mortality or morbidity in patients with ALSD. However, correction loss in sagittal balance was observed in cases with SVA > 95 mm or PT > 30˚.