Neurodevelopmental outcomes of preterm infants

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Preterm birth is emerging as a major public health problem in the USA. Improvements in preterm birth and survival rates translate to increasing numbers of preterm survivors, and many develop motor, cognitive and sensory impairments. RECENT FINDINGS: The review discusses the recently reported prevalence of neurodevelopmental disabilities in preterm survivors, in addition to studies of factors associated with neurodevelopmental outcome. SUMMARY: A 2007 report from the Institute of Medicine emphasizes preterm birth as an increasingly common complex condition with multiple risk factors resulting from multiple gene-environmental interactions, leading to birth before 37 weeks gestation, neonatal complications and a disproportionately high contribution to neurodevelopmental disability rates. The increased risk of cerebral palsy with decreasing gestational age categories is well documented, but recent studies highlight the range and severity of cognitive, sensory, language, visual-perceptual, attention and learning deficits in very preterm children. Combined with increasingly sophisticated neuroimaging studies to identify perinatal risk factors, neurodevelopmental follow-up of neonatal intensive care unit trials offers the potential to really improve our understanding of how the preterm brain develops, is injured and recovers from injuries. Knowledge of what influences neurodevelopmental outcomes is key to developing better treatment strategies.     

Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) as a safe alternative for the resection of pulmonary metastases: a retrospective cohort study

Background  

VATS has become a preferred method for benign surgical conditions, yet still remains controversial for malignancies. The purpose of this study was to review our results of pulmonary metastasectomies using both conventional open thoracotomy and VATS techniques.     

Parent report of antidepressant, anxiolytic, and antipsychotic medication use in individuals with Williams syndrome: Effectiveness and adverse effects

Williams syndrome (WS) is a neurodevelopmental genetic disorder characterized in part by anxiety and behavioral difficulties. We examine the effectiveness and adverse effects of antidepressant, anxiolytic, and antipsychotic medications in individuals with WS. A total of 513 parents/caregivers completed a survey of psychotropic medication usage regarding their child or adult with WS. Twenty-four percent (24%) of the individuals had been prescribed an SSRI medication, while 12% had been prescribed another type of antidepressant or anxiolytic. Overall, 81% of respondents indicated that SSRI medications were either "Helpful" or "Somewhat Helpful", with paroxetine reported to be the least helpful. Sixty-four percent (64%) of survey participants reported that non-SSRI antidepressants and anxiolytics were either "Helpful" or "Somewhat Helpful" in treating symptoms of anxiety. Side effects for the antidepressants and anxiolytics were typically neurological in nature. Ten percent (10%) of the survey participants reported taking an antipsychotic medication, with risperidone and quetiapine described as more helpful than aripiprazole. Medication effectiveness may be related to the impact on serotonin levels. These findings call for further studies of medication usage in WS in order to improve their quality of life.     

Propionobacter acnes Infection as an Occult Cause of Postoperative Shoulder Pain: A Case Series

Background  

Infections after shoulder surgery are potentially devastating complications. Propionibacterium acnes is recognized as a causal agent in shoulder infections. The clinical presentation is usually insidious and nonspecific, but a P. acnes infection could be an occult cause of postoperative shoulder pain.     

Rosai-Dorfman disease presenting as a breast mass and enlarged axillary lymph node mimicking malignancy: a case report and review of the literature

Rosai-Dorfman disease (also called sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy) involves lymph nodes or lymph nodes with extranodal sites. We present a unique case of a patient presenting with a breast mass and axillary lymphadenopathy, mimicking malignancy clinically and radiographically. Core needle biopsies of the breast and axillary lymph node showed histologic features concerning the lymphoma. However, excisional biopsy specimen demonstrated characteristic features of Rosai-Dorfman disease. The disease recurred locally 6 months later in the same breast, 1 month later in the contralateral breast, and 11 month later in the subcutaneous tissue of left flank. A review of the literature of Rosai-Dorfman disease involving the breast is also presented.     

Determinants of patient satisfaction with outcome after shoulder arthroplasty

The purpose of this investigation was to identify the determinants of patient satisfaction with outcome after hemiarthroplasty and total shoulder arthroplasty. Seventy patients who underwent shoulder arthroplasty were studied to determine predictors of patient satisfaction. Patient satisfaction was graded on an ordinal scale from 1 to 10. There was a significant association between patient satisfaction and age (P = .010) and between patient satisfaction and worker's compensation status (P = .018). There was no significant decrease in patient satisfaction for patients with rotator cuff tears. Patient satisfaction was significantly associated with all pain and function variables at follow-up (P < .05). The American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score was significantly correlated with patient satisfaction (P = 0.680, P < .05). Independent predictors of satisfaction included pain with activities of daily living, painless use of the arm above the shoulder, and difficulty with toileting (R(2) = 0.555). Subjective variables associated with pain were independent predictors of patient satisfaction. Thus, in assessing patient satisfaction after shoulder arthroplasty, we emphasize the importance of patient-derived subjective assessment of symptoms and function.     

Nursing assessment of cancer pain

McGuire¹⁶ has developed a one-page assessment tool to assure the gathering of essential information in a systematic manner. The author has developed a brief assessment acronym (Table 6) that serves to remind the nurse of the key components in a thorough nursing assessment of pain. Other more extensive methods of assessment are used for research purposes and in pain clinics. 1., 17. and 18.However, in day-to-day practice, the methods described in this article have proven practical (easily used by large numbers of nurses and done in very little time) and effective (reliable and helpful in choosing pain control measures that reduce pain).Accurate assessment of the pain experience is the first step toward understanding the experience as the patient perceives it, determining the best methods for alleviating the physical and psychologic distress of pain, structuring the environment to assist the patient in efforts to prevent the pain from controlling him, and knowing whether the efforts have been effective or not. Good baseline assessment promotes the patient-nurse alliance, directs choice of intervention, and is the yardstick by which success is measured.