Effect of Short-term Psychiatric Intervention in Amputees

A total of 40 patients with limb amputations were included in the present study aimed at evaluating the psychological status of amputees. All patients filled a specially designed proforma and the following psychological questionnaires: General Health Questionnaire, Carroll Rating Scale for Depression, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test and Disability Assessment Questionnaire. Analysis of the results showed that 29 (72.5%) of the amputees had psychiatric disorders and this number had reduced to 20 (50%) after therapy. The difference was statistically significant. Psychiatric treatment also resulted in a statistically significant reduction in level of depression as measured by Carroll Rating scale for Depression. The amputees had the highest score on vocational subscale of Dysfunction Analysis Questionnaire. Short term psychiatric treatment was found to be very useful in treating psychiatric morbidity and depression in amputees.Key Words: Amputees, Depression, Psychiatric morbidity     

Capillary haemangioma involving the middle and external ear: Radiotherapy as a treatment method

Capillary haemangiomas rarely occur in the auditory canal and have mainly been managed with surgical excision or kept on close follow up for development of symptoms. Radiotherapy, as a treatment method, has not been reported previously in the published work. We describe a study of a capillary haemangioma in the auditory canal of a 26‐year‐old woman who presented with bleeding. She was treated with radiotherapy, after the lesion was found to be unsuitable for surgery and embolization. The patient remains well 5 years after completion of treatment.     

White cell reduction in platelet concentrates and packed red cells by filtration: a multicenter clinical trial. The Trap Study Group

BACKGROUND: Most previous studies on white cell (WBC) reduction by filtration have been small-scale studies conducted under tightly controlled laboratory conditions. Their results would be the ideal, rather than what might be expected during routine operation. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: To obtain information on routine filtration of blood components, data have been collected from a large-scale, ongoing, multicenter clinical trial designed to determine the effectiveness of WBC reduction in or ultraviolet B radiation of platelet concentrates before transfusion in preventing platelet alloimmunization and platelet transfusion refractoriness. The WBC content of blood components both before and after filtration was determined by automated cell counters and a manual propidium iodide-staining method, respectively. Platelet and red cell losses during filtration were measured. RESULTS: The average platelet losses after filtration were 24 +/? 15 percent and 20 +/? 9 percent for apheresis platelets and pooled platelets, respectively. The frequencies at which filtered platelet concentrates contained high levels of residual WBCs (> 5 × 10(6)) were 7 percent and 5 percent for apheresis platelets and pooled platelets, respectively. Further analysis of the platelet filtration data showed that greater numbers of total initial WBCs in the pooled platelets were associated with increased percentages of filtration failure (> 5 × 10(6) residual WBCs). For packed red cells, the average losses during filtration were 23 +/? 4 percent and 15 +/? 3 percent for CPDA-1 units and Adsol units, respectively. The frequencies at which filtered red cells contained > 5 × 10(6) residual WBCs were 2.7 percent for one type of filter and 0.3 percent for another type of filter. CONCLUSION: There were significant losses of platelets during filtration, which could add to the costs of WBC reduction and lead to possible increases in donor exposures. Filtration failures still occurred, despite careful observation of the standard filtration procedures. The number of total WBCs in pooled platelets before filtration has been identified as an important factor in determining the success of WBC reduction.     

外周动脉疾病的有效治疗与最佳预后

目的:已经证明新的药物治疗对间歇性跛行患者有效,且近年来外周血管的介入技术发展迅速,促进了外周动脉疾病的治疗。综述外周动脉疾病治疗的临床进展,为最佳的药物治疗配合适当的介入治疗提供参考,使外周动脉疾病患者取得最好的长期预后。资料来源:应用计算机检索Medline数据库1991/2006-04期间的相关文章,检索词“peripheralarterialdisease,catheterization,peripheral,genetics”,限定文章语言种类为English;同时计算机检索中国期刊全文数据库、万方数据库1994/2006-04期间的相关文章,检索词“外周动脉疾病/周围动脉疾病、间歇性跛行、治疗”,限定文章语言种类为中文。资料选择:对资料进行初审,选取包括外周动脉疾病治疗的相关文献,开始查找全文。纳入标准:外周动脉疾病与药物治疗、支架、血管成行术、基因治疗、外科手术。寻找有关外周动脉疾病治疗方面的基础研究、临床研究、正式组织发表的科学标准。排除标准:重复研究、综述文献、Meta分析类文献。资料提炼:共收集到60篇关于外周动脉疾病治疗的相关文章,纳入30篇包括外周动脉疾病治疗的相关文献进行综述,排除30篇为重复研究、综述文献、Meta分析类文献。资料综合:①外周动脉疾病的患病率取决于如何诊断。以检查足部动脉搏动为标准的方法会过高估计患病率。相反,询问间歇性跛行病史又会过低估计患病率。血管造影已经证实外周动脉疾病患者踝/肱指数测定是有效的,其敏感性为95%,特异性为100%。②外周动脉疾病的危险因素与心脑血管疾病相似。外周动脉疾病患者治疗的主要目的是预防全身动脉粥样硬化疾病的进展和临床心血管事件,预防截肢和改善间歇性跛行患者的功能状态。③外周动脉疾病的治疗必须包括冠状动脉粥样硬化性心脏病二级预防策略中对危险因素的控制,包括戒烟、减轻体质量、控制血糖、控制血压、降低高胆固醇血症等;有指导的运动疗法是非介入性治疗策略中最有效的方法;药物治疗主要包括抗血小板治疗、血管扩张药物治疗、抗凝治疗。如患者有明显的临床缺血性症状而内科治疗无效则需行经皮介入治疗或外科手术治疗。结论:有指导的运动疗法、最佳的药物治疗配合适当的介入治疗,可以使外周动脉疾病患者取得最好的长期预后。     

Evaluation of POSSUM and P-POSSUM as a tool for prediction of surgical outcomes in the Indian population

Background

Increased scrutiny and the need to institute a truly patient centered approach to surgical care has motivated the growing interest in measuring the quality of surgical care through comparative surgical audit. This study aimed to assess the validity of the POSSUM (Physiological and Operative Severity Score for enumeration of Mortality and Morbidity) and P-POSSUM (Portsmouth-POSSUM) score in predicting the risk of morbidity and mortality respectively in general surgical patients presenting with conditions of various operative severities at a tertiary care centre in Haryana, a northern state of India.

Method

A prospective study was performed in 100 general surgical patients including an equal number of patients in each of the four groups of operative severity i.e. minor, moderate, major, major plus. The risks of mortality and morbidity were calculated by using the POSSUM equation for morbidity and the P-POSSUM equation for mortality in each patient. The predicted risks were compared with the observed risks of mortality and morbidity and statistically analysed.

Results

The difference in p value of predicted risk of morbidity by POSSUM equation and observed morbidity; calculated by chi square test was 0.756 which was not statistically significant. The difference in p value of predicted mortality by P-POSSUM equation and observed mortality; calculated by chi square test was 0.472 which was also not statistically significant.

Conclusion

POSSUM and P-POSSUM appear to be good and valid indices for use in the risk prediction of morbidity and mortality in the north Indian population.Key Words: POSSUM, P-POSSUM, Surgical outcome     

White Lesions in the Oral Cavity: A Clinicopathological Study from a Tertiary Care Dermatology Centre in Kerala,India

Context:

White lesions in the oral cavity may be benign, pre-malignant or malignant. There are no signs and symptoms which can reliably predict whether a leukoplakia will undergo malignant change or not. Many systemic conditions appear initially in the oral cavity and prompt diagnosis and management can help in minimizing disease progression and organ destruction.

Aim:

The aim of the paper was to study the clinical and histopathological patterns of white lesions in the oral cavity presented at the study setting and to study the factors associated with the histopathological patterns of the lesions.

Settings and Design:

A hospital based cross-sectional study of patients with white lesions in the oral cavity attending the Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram was done.

Materials and Methods:

After taking a detailed history, microscopic examination of Potassium hydroxide smear and an oral biopsy with histopathologial examination was done.

Results:

Out of the 50 patients in the study, clinically the diagnoses made were Lichen planus (32 patients; 64%), Frictional Keratosis (4;8%), Dysplasia (2;4%), Oral Hairy Leukoplakia (1;2%), Pemphigus Vulgaris (2;4%), Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus (1;2%), Oral Submucous fibrosis (3;6%) and Oral Candidiasis alone (5;10%). Out of the 45 patients who had undergone biopsy, 25 (55.6%) had Lichen planus, 9 (20%) had Frictional Keratosis and mild Dysplasia was found in 4 (8.9%) patients.

Conclusion:

The measure of agreement between the clinical and pathological diagnosis was only 32%. Older age, difficulty in opening the mouth, consumption of non-smoked tobacco, site of the lesion (gingival, floor of mouth or lingual vestibule) and presence of tenderness on the lesion were significantly associated with Dysplasia.