Negative predictive value of a vision screening program aimed at children aged 3 to 4 years old

PURPOSE: Nova Scotia has a vision screening program which assesses children aged 4[1\2] to 5[1\2] years. However, its use in younger children proved impossible. This study will examine a modified screening protocol for the younger children (3 to 4 years old) and determine its negative predictive value and minimum age for reliable application. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Public health nurses administered the study protocol to 3- to 4-year-old children. One hundred seventy-eight children were screened over two summers. Medical and family history, external inspection, as well as measures of visual acuity with the Lea Hyvarinen symbols chart and stereoacuity with Frisby plates were recorded. Results were compared with a gold standard examination that included full orthoptic and ophthalmologic evaluations. One hundred forty-one (79%) children underwent the gold standard examination. Agreement between screening and gold standard examinations was studied. RESULTS: Data showed increased concordance between screening and gold standard examination results with increasing age up to 41 months. Negative predictive value (NPV) and specificity also improved when data were separated by this age. In children <41 months old, the screening test NPV was 90%, specificity, 68%, and sensitivity, 75%. In comparison, children >/=41 months old had screening test NPV of 96%, specificity, 95%, and sensitivity, 50%. Specificity was higher in the older age group ( P < 0.001). Sensitivity was lower ( P = 0.004). CONCLUSION: This study's vision screening protocol appears better suited for children 41 months and older. They had better pass/fail reproducibility than children <41 months. The test's simplicity allows easy use by non-eye-care professionals. It could potentially lower the reliable screening age of children by 13 months, from 54 months of age (4[1\2] years old) to 41 months. This screening may miss some refractive errors and microtropia/monofixation syndrome, despite normal visual acuity, stereoacuity, and external inspection.     

Hypertension in pregnancy: New recommendations for managemen

Hypertension in pregnancy is a frequent complication that has substantial adverse perinatal outcomes. Hypertension may be preexisting (chronic) essential or secondary hypertension; a second entity is pregnancy induced (gestational hypertension, preeclampsia). Recent advances have identified newer markers for pregnancy hypertension: several potential candidate genes may explain the apparent family inheritance of preeclampsia, and some thrombophilic markers have been associated with the condition. Management options for mild to moderate hypertension include a short hospital stay to exclude ongoing severe hypertension and to ascertain fetal well-being. Outpatient care with appropriate maternal and fetal surveillance, including umbilical artery doppler velocimetry, is recommended for better perinatal outcomes. Acute care for severe hypertension includes the use of magnesium sulfate to prevent eclampsia and antihypertensive medication. Expeditious delivery is recommended when the maternal or fetal states cannot be stabilized. Follow-up after delivery allows the uncovering of any other coexisting hypertensive or cardiovascular disorder.     

BC Patient Safety & Quality Council: Using network and social movement theory to improve healthcare

The BC Patient Safety & Quality Council has a mandate to bring health system stakeholders together in a collaborative partnership to improve quality of care. Our experience has demonstrated the value of networks to provide a forum for individuals to “think like a system,” considering the perspectives of others in addressing system issues. This transition from silo-based thinking is important as we move to improve the quality of care at the pace that is required.     

Total intravenous anesthesia vs inhaled anesthetic for intraoperative visualization during endoscopic sinus surgery: a double blind randomized controlled trial

Background

Bleeding during endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) can impair visualization and delay surgical progress. The role that anesthetic technique may have on the quality of surgical field during ESS has been previously studied. However, meta‐analyses have deemed the current literature inconclusive and lacking methodological consistency. This study was designed with these critiques in mind to assess the effect of total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) vs inhaled anesthetic on the quality of the surgical field during ESS.

Methods

This study was a double‐blind, randomized, controlled trial of 30 patients of American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class 1 or 2 undergoing bilateral ESS for the primary diagnosis of chronic rhinosinusitis. In addition to standard techniques to minimize blood loss, study patients were randomized to maintenance anesthesia with intravenous propofol or inhaled desflurane. Anesthetic depth was standardized using bispectral index (BIS). The primary outcome measured was the Wormald grading scale to assess the endoscopic surgical field.

Results

The use of TIVA was associated with a statistically significant reduction in mean Wormald score compared to desflurane (4.21 vs 5.53, p = 0.024). Mean Boezaart score was also lower in the TIVA arm (2.18 vs 2.76, p = 0.034). Experimental groups were homogeneous in all compared baseline characteristics. Secondary outcomes including surgical duration, time to extubation, and estimated blood loss were not found to be statistically significant between experimental groups.

Conclusion

Even with all other factors implemented to optimize the surgical field, utilization of TIVA vs inhaled anesthetic still resulted in a statistically significant improvement in surgical field during ESS.