The impact of Rapid Response System on delayed emergency team activation patient characteristics and outcomes—A follow-up study

Objective

To evaluate the impact of Rapid Response System (RRS) maturation on delayed Medical Emergency Team (MET) activation and patient characteristics and outcomes.

Design

Observational study.

Setting

Tertiary hospital.

Patients

Recent cohort of 200 patients receiving a MET review and early control cohort of 400 patients receiving a MET review five years earlier at the start of RRS implementation.

Measurements and results

We obtained information including demographics, clinical triggers for and timing of MET activation in relation to the first documented MET review criterion (activation delay) and patient outcomes. We found that patients in the recent cohort were older, more likely to be surgical and to have Not For Resuscitation (NFR) orders before MET review. Furthermore, fewer patients (22.0% vs. 40.3%, p < 0.001) had delayed MET activation. When delayed activation occurred, there was a non-significant difference in its duration (early cohort: 12.0 [IQR 23.0] h vs. recent cohort: 9.0 [IQR 20.5] h, p = 0.554). Similarly, unplanned ICU admissions decreased from 31.3% to 17.3% (p < 0.001). Delayed MET activation was independently associated with greater risk of unplanned ICU admission and hospital mortality (O.R. 1.79, 95% C.I. 1.33.-2.93, p = 0.003 and O.R. 2.18, 95% C.I. 1.42-3.33, p < 0.001, respectively). Being part of the recent cohort was independently associated with a decreased risk of delayed activation (O.R. 0.45, 95% C.I. 0.30-0.67, p < 0.001) and unplanned ICU admission (O.R. 0.5, 95% C.I. 0.32-0.78, p = 0.003).

Conclusions

Maturation of a RRS is associated with a decrease in the incidence of unplanned ICU admissions and MET activation delay. Assessment of a RRS early in the course of its implementation may underestimate its efficacy.     

The influence of dual-task conditions on movement in young adults with and without Down syndrome

This investigation compared spatial and temporal movement parameters of a sample of young adults with Down syndrome (DS) (N = 12) and individuals without disabilities (IWD) (N = 12) under dual-task conditions. Subjects performed a walking task at a preferred speed in isolation and again while holding a plate and cup, carrying tray and cups, talking on a phone, or buttoning a shirt. Spatial and temporal values were compared using a 2 (group) × 5 (conditions) repeated measures analysis of variance. Analysis of spatial components separately indicated that step length, step width, stride length and stride width revealed significant group and condition interactions (p ≤ .01). Temporal components yielded significance in velocity and single-leg support time (p ≤ .01). The current results support the notion that along with impairments to qualitative motor skills, individuals with DS are also impaired in higher order executive functioning (EF), as measured by a dual-task paradigm. It was concluded that movements are less efficient and functional in individuals with DS when an additional task is encountered while walking. We theorized that the motor program was sufficient for general locomotion but was not sufficiently developed to allow individuals with DS to modify or alter their movements to changing cognitive conditions that increasingly taxed EF. As gait and balance are trainable in this population, we recommend developing appropriate exercise and motor skill interventions during childhood and adolescents to increase strength, stability, and more “robust” ambulatory motor schema.     

儿童和青少年颞叶癫癎的术后长期疗效观察

目的总结儿童和青少年颞叶癫癎手术后的长期疗效和生活质量。方法回顾性分析31例儿童和青少年颞叶癫癎病人的临床资料,行标准前颞叶切除术26例,扩大前颞叶切除术2例,前颞叶切除术＋软化灶切除术2例,颞后顶下致癎灶切除术1例。评估术后癫癎发作改善情况及认知、生活质量等。结果术后随访5年以上,其中癫癎发作消失、达到EngelⅠ级26例,EngelⅡ级1例,EngelⅢ级2例,EngelⅣ级2例。术后病理示：海马组织硬化13例,皮质发育异常伴胶质增生9例,皮质发育异常伴海马组织硬化6例,神经元胶质肿瘤2例,继发性瘢痕脑回形成1例。术后并发症多数可恢复。结论儿童和青少年颞叶癫癎术后长期疗效良好,生活质量提高。     

难治性癫癎MRJ颞极信号特点与癫癎的相关性分析

目的探讨难治性癫癎MRI颞极信号特点与致癎区相关性。方法回顾性分析339例难治性癫癎病人MRI颞极信号特点。根据癫癎发作起始区将研究对象分为颞叶癫癎、额叶癫癎、顶叶癫癎、枕叶癫癎、岛叶癫癎、多脑叶癫癎等6类。结果颞极信号异常187例,颞极信号异常侧别与致癎区侧别一致率达98．93％,颞极信号异常与癫癎类型或致癎区有关（χ2=311．339,P〈0．001）。与颞叶外癫癎比较,颢极信号异常更常见于颞叶癫癎。结论在各类癫癎中均可出现MR／颞极信号异常,但更常见于颞叶癫癎。颞极信号异常侧常与致癎区侧别一致．特别是颞叶癫癎。     

耐药性颞叶内侧癫痫发作前期海马脑电特征分析

目的 观察耐药性颞叶内侧癫痫患者发作前期海马电极脑电活动特点,为判断和切除癫痫病灶提供神经电生理学依据.方法 对16例非侵入性手段难以明确病灶的耐药性颞叶内侧癫痫患者进行双侧海马电极监测,患者停用抗癫痫药在非麻醉状态下监测48～72 h,分析癫痫发作前期海马电极脑电图资料,探讨耐药性颞叶内侧癫痫发作前期海马电极脑电活动特点.结果 16例发作间期记录到背景活动基础上出现局限于某几个电极点的阵发性高幅慢波1例、发作性快波节律1例、棘波或棘尖慢复合波14例,视为异常脑电活动;经过48～ 72 h监测,10例监测到33次临床癫痫发作,发作起始期海马电极均可记录到清晰可辨的癫痫样脑电波形.结论 颞叶内侧癫痫临床发作起始期海马电极癫痫样放电清晰可辨,部位局限,易于确定癫痫性活动起源部位.对于非侵入性手段难以判断癫痫样放电起源的颞叶内侧癫痫可采用脑立体定向技术植入海马深部电极进行脑电监测.     

Resultados quirúrgicos a largo plazo en pacientes con epilepsia fármaco-resistente del lóbulo temporal sin anormalidades histológicas

Introduction

Reports on surgical outcomes in patients with drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy without histological abnormalities are scarce.

Methods

Retrospective review of data from patients with drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy and no histopathological alterations who underwent anterior mesial temporal lobectomy. We analysed the following variables: age, sex, age at seizure onset, age at surgery, time elapsed between diagnosis and the date of the surgery, follow-up time, and classification according to the Engel rating scale.

Results

From a database of 256 temporal lobectomies, 21 were identified as meeting the inclusion criteria. The average age upon diagnosis of epilepsy was 8.3 years and average age at time of surgery was 28.6 years. The mean time elapsed between diagnosis and surgery was 20.2 years. After a mean follow-up of 6.5 years, 90.5% of the patients showed favourable outcomes (classes i and ii) and 42.9% were seizure-free (class IA). Comparative analysis of the variables revealed that average age at seizure onset was the only statistically significant difference between groups, with age at onset being lower in patients with favourable outcomes.

Conclusion

Although long-term surgical outcomes were favourable for a large majority of patients, the percentage of seizure-free patients is lower than in patients with lesional epilepsy and comparable to that previously reported in the literature.     

Ventral simultanagnosia and prosopagnosia for unfamiliar faces due to a right posterior superior temporal sulcus and angular gyrus lesion

We report a patient with ventral simultanagnosia, prosopagnosia for “unfamiliar faces” (dorsal prosopagnosia), spatial agraphia, and constructional disorder, particularly on the left spatial side, due to a lesion in the right posterior superior and middle temporal gyri and angular gyrus. The patient showed impairment of fundamental visual and visuospatial recognition, such as in object size, configuration, and horizontal point location, which probably underlay the mechanism of simultanagnosia and prosopagnosia. This case also suggests that the coexistence of simultanagnosia and prosopagnosia results from a right hemispheric insult, and damage to the temporoparietal area interrupts the incorporation of spatial information into object recognition. This disconnection of information flow, together with impaired object recognition per se, may impair the parallel processing of multiple objects, leading to object-by-object or part-by-part recognition.