Intussusception in Taiwanese children: analysis of incidence, length of hospitalization and hospital costs in different age groups.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This study investigated the characteristics of intussusception in Taiwanese children of different age groups, including the incidence, length of hospitalization and hospital costs. METHODS: Children with a diagnosis of intussusception who were hospitalized from 1999 through 2001 were identified from a nationwide health insurance claims database. The incidence of intussusception was calculated by age, gender, and season. Length of hospitalization and hospital costs were also analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 6988 cases of intussusception were identified in Taiwan from 1999 to 2001. Among them, 4859 cases occurred in children below 15 years of age. The average incidence among children below age 15 years was 34.5 per 100,000, with a peak incidence of 118.8 per 100,000 observed among children younger than 24 months old. The highest incidence of intussusception in Taiwanese children occurred between 12 and 24 months of age. According to the data for patients below 15 years of age hospitalized for intussusception in year 2000, males were more likely to be affected than females (61.3% vs 38.7%). Intussusception-related hospitalizations were rare in infants in the first few months of life, increased in those 6 to 12 months old, and peaked among children 1 to 3 years old. Among the 952 patients with intussusception admitted to hospitals in 2000, 297 (31.2%) received surgery, incurring higher median medical costs (New Taiwan Dollars [NT dollars] 42,265 or US dollars 1234) and longer median hospital stay (6.2 days) than the 655 patients who did not require surgery (NT dollars 6290 or US dollars 185 for hospitalization of 2.4 days). CONCLUSIONS: The study found that the incidence of intussusception peaked in the second year of life in Taiwanese children. There was also a male predominance and lack of seasonal variation in incidence.     

Acute pancreatitis combined with acute Budd-Chiari syndrome as the initial manifestation of small cell lung cancer.

Tumor metastasis to the pancreas is a rare but recognized cause of acute pancreatitis. Autopsy series have reported a 24-40% of pancreatic involvement in small cell lung cancer. However, only a very few cases of tumor-induced acute pancreatitis have been described. Budd-Chiari syndrome complicating lung cancer is a rarely reported condition. We report a 68-year-old woman with extensive small cell lung cancer with the unusual initial presentation of both acute pancreatitis and acute Budd-Chiari syndrome. This patient suffered from progressive epigastralgia for 3 weeks. Severe epigastralgia with radiation to back and progressive jaundice developed 2 days prior to admission. After admission, the liver enlarged rapidly and the ascites increased markedly. Chest roentgenogram showed a mass lesion over the left lower lung field. Poorly differentiated carcinoma cells were found in ascites and bone marrow. The patient died on the ninth day of hospitalization before chemotherapy was initiated. Prompt diagnosis of extensive-stage small cell lung cancer may allow early chemotherapy treatment which favorably influences recovery when the pancreatitis is mild. Although prolonged survival might have been expected had this patient recovered from pancreatitis and received chemotherapy, diagnosis was delayed due to difficulty in immunohistochemical diagnosis of the tumor and the unusual clinical presentation. The use of stains employing antibodies against neurofilament and neuron-specific enolase cell antigens is important for early diagnosis of poorly differentiated metastatic tumor cells.     

Unusual case of Klüver-Bucy syndrome in a Chinese boy.

Following an encephalopathic illness, a 13-year-old Chinese boy had a partial form of Klüver-Bucy syndrome with emotional disturbance, recent memory loss, hypersexuality, and polyphagia. Other unusual features included narcolepsy, polydipsia, and polyuria. Virologic studies failed to incriminate the etiologic agent, including herpes simplex virus. Brain biopsy of the frontal lobe demonstrated Alzheimer type II astrocytosis.     

Pathologic findings after recession and resection of extraocular muscles in rabbits

A study on the pathologic findings after recession and resection of extraocular muscles in rabbits was performed. Fibrosis of the extraocular muscles increased with time, which showed no difference between the recessed and resected muscles. Inflammation and foreign body reaction decreased with time, which showed no difference between the recessed and resected muscles. Adhesions of extraocular muscles to the sclera were observed from one month after the operation. The resected muscles showed milder adhesion to the sclera than the recessed ones. The operated extraocular muscles showed atrophies at one month, which showed no difference between the recessed and resected muscles. According to our results, when reoperation is needed, fibrosis of the extraocular muscles after recession and resection should be considered when making a decision on the amount of muscle to be recessed and resected.     

Development of a risk-adjusted capitation model based on principal inpatient diagnoses in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) program has considered the use of capitation payments to health care providers as a method for control of the rising costs of the system. The establishment of capitation payments usually requires the performance of risk adjustment. The purposes of this study were to develop a diagnosis-based risk adjustment model for the NHI and to evaluate its predictability. METHODS: Using a 2% random sample of 371,620 NHI enrollees, the authors developed a Taiwan version of the Principal Inpatient Diagnosis Cost Groups (TPIPDCGs) from 1996 claim records to predict an individual's expenditure in 1997. Weighted least squares regression models were built in an estimation sample (two-thirds of the study sample), and were cross-validated in a validation sample (the remaining one-third of the study sample). Predictive R2 and predictive ratios were used to evaluate the model's predictability. RESULTS: Only 7.88% of the study sample could be classified into 1 of the 16 TPIPDCGs. Combined with demographic variables, which alone could explain 3.7% of the variation in an individual's future expenditure, the risk adjustment model based on TPIPDCGs could explain 12.2% of expenditure variation. In addition, the finding that the predictive ratios of the TPIPDCG model approximated unity better than those of the demographic model in all subgroups indicates that the capitation payment as predicted by the TPIPDCG model for each subgroup would better correlate to the actual spending. CONCLUSION: Taiwan's risk-adjusted capitation model based on principal inpatient diagnoses has higher predictability on individual's future expenditure than its counterpart in the USA. This finding provides insight into not only the development of Taiwan's diagnosis-based risk adjustment models but also the necessity of modification when applying foreign-developed risk adjustment models to the NHI.     

2例经皮球囊椎体成形术治疗胸腰椎压缩性骨折患者的护理

对2例经皮球囊椎体成形治疗胸腰椎压缩性骨折患者进行护理，术前做好心理护理，疼痛的护理，功能锻炼的指导，完善相关检查；术后做好生命体征的观察，积极预防骨水泥外渗、肺栓塞等并发症的发生，并指导合理饮食，加强功能锻炼。结果2例术后未发生并发症，痊愈出院，治疗效果满意。     

湿润烧伤膏治疗褥疮26例的临床体会

目的:进一步观察湿润烧伤膏对治疗褥疮的疗效,寻找最理想的治疗方法。方法:通过对26 例不同原因所致褥疮的治疗,探索湿润烧伤膏对治疗褥疮病人最合理的用药方法,创面的变化及其愈合时间。结果:25例病人创面愈合,死亡1例。结论:湿润烧伤膏治疗褥疮方法简便,实用性强,疗效显著,值得各级医院推广。     

在模型上应用Cerec Ⅲ制作全瓷冠

目的:应用间接法制作cerecⅢ全瓷冠,避免了直接法的缺点,使完成的修复体更为精确.方法:从2002年1月至2003年7月采用间接法制备cerecⅢ全瓷冠35个单位,对后牙采用功能法进行设计;对前牙采用数据库法进行设计.戴牙后1个月随访检测颈缘密贴性、牙周状况和与邻牙的邻接状况.结果:后牙采用功能法制备,在模型上调改较少,而前牙采用数据库法制备,在模型上调改较多.戴入患者口内1个月有一后牙病例破损.其它病例全瓷冠颈缘与基牙肩台密贴,与邻牙的邻接状况良好,牙周状况未见异常.结论:对于大多数CerecⅢ的初学者来说,应用间接法可利用较长的时间来反复制取光学印模,光学印模较直接法更准确.还可更为精细地进行修复体的设计并在模型上调改精修修复体.完成修复体后也会有较长时间来总结经验.