Hemostatic plug formation in normal and von Willebrand pigs: the effect of the administration of cryoprecipitate and a monoclonal antibody to Willebrand factor

Hemostatic plug (HP) formation was investigated in the ear bleeding time incision in normal and von Willebrand pigs. HP volume was calculated by integrating the areas of serial sections. In normal pigs (n = 11), platelets immediately formed a layer on the surface of the cut channel. Platelet aggregates formed at the ends of transected vessels and gradually enlarged. Finally, all transected vessels were occluded by HP and bleeding stopped. In contrast, large HPs were formed in the incision in von Willebrand's disease (vWD) pigs (n = 4); these HPs did not cover the ends of the transected vessels, which continued to bleed, allowing the formation of large hemostatically ineffective platelet aggregates in the incision. Canals traversed these HPs, and bleeding from the open vessels may have continued through them. After infusion of cryoprecipitate into a vWD pig, the bleeding time shortened, and the morphological findings of the HPs were similar to those of normal pigs. In normal pigs (n = 3) infused with an anti- Willebrand factor monoclonal antibody, which prolonged the bleeding time, a large HP formed in the incision, similar to that observed in the vWD pig. The volume of the normal and vWD HPs increased with time. These in vivo findings suggest that Willebrand factor is involved in the localization of the HP to the damaged vessel and may also play a role in platelet-platelet interaction. A computerized morphometric technique was used for measuring the volume of the hemostatic plugs and the distance of sequential points on the perimeter of the HP from the center of selected bleeding vessels.     

The effect of hospital infection control policy on the prevalence of surgical site infection in a tertiary hospital in South-South Nigeria

Background:

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a significant cause of morbidity, emotional stress and financial cost to the affected patients and health care institutions; and infection control policy has been shown to reduce the burden of SSIs in several health care institutions. This study assessed the effects of the implementation of the policy on the prevalence of SSI in the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Nigeria.

Patients and Methods:

A review of the records of all Caesarean sections carried out in the hospital, before and 2 years after the implementation of the infection control policy was conducted. Data collected include the number and characteristics of the patients that had Caesarean section in the hospital during the period and those that developed SSI while on admission.

Results:

The proportion of patients with SSI decreased from 13.33% to 10.34%, 2 years after the implementation of the policy (P-value = 0.18). The implementation of the policy did not also result in any statistically significant change in the nature of the wound infection (P-value = 0.230), in the schedule of the operations (P-value = 0.93) and in the other predisposing factors of the infections (P-value = 0.72); except for the significant decrease in the infection rate among the un-booked patients (P-value = 0.032).

Conclusion:

The implementation of the policy led to a small decrease in SSI, due to the non-implementation of some important aspects of the WHO policy. The introduction of surveillance activities, continuous practice reinforcing communications and environmental sanitation are recommended to further decrease the prevalence of SSI in the hospital.     

Unusual chest pain syndromes caused by implanted cardiac device leads: a case series

Chest pain can occur after cardiac device lead placement through various mechanisms. Commonly, this is secondary to perforation. We present four cases of unusual chest pain syndromes secondary to device leads with normal function and position without evidence of typical complications. The possible etiologies and management considerations for these cases are discussed.     

Virtual rounding via videoconference-enabled smartphones: a case for multifacility rounds

Telemedicine is defined as the use of medical information exchanged from one site to another via electronic communications to improve delivery of care. This improvement in delivery of care is evident by more-efficient consults, triaging, and real-time communication between patient and surgeon. Internet-capable smartphones are capable of transferring radiographs and other images. Aziz and Ziccardi in 2009 demonstrated using smartphones for downloading images from the hospital archiving system to the resident's phone and then e-mailing or texting them to the attending for immediate review. Here we build on the work of Aziz and Ziccardi as we describe a novel use of smartphones for virtual rounding between residents and faculty based on improvements in technology, specifically video capability and increased accessibility of compatible devices.