Low-bandwidth teleconsultations for patients with complex congenital heart diseases

We have reviewed our experience with a low-bandwidth paediatric telecardiology link (using ISDN at 128 kbit/s) between a tertiary centre in Belgrade and a tertiary centre in London. Over a two-year period, 12 videoconferences were held, during which 40 case histories of 38 patients were presented from Belgrade. The patients were aged 7 days to 20 years, and most of them had complex congenital heart defects. Changes in diagnosis and/or therapy occurred in 21 cases. Clinically relevant changes in diagnosis occurred in 2/40 cases (5%). In 12 cases, there were slight differences in opinion which resulted in minor changes in therapy for 9 of the patients. In another 9 patients, major changes in therapy occurred. There were no major problems with the quality of image and sound in any of the videoconferences. Our experience suggests that when there are experienced paediatric cardiologists at both ends of the connection, transmission via a single ISDN line is safe and accurate.     

Telemedicine in pediatric and perinatal cardiology: economic evaluation of a service in English hospitals

OBJECTIVES: Pediatric cardiology has an expanding role in fetal and pediatric screening. The aims of this study were to observe how district hospitals use a pediatric telecardiology service, and to compare the costs and outcomes of patients referred to specialists by means of this service or conventionally. METHODS: A telemedicine service was set up between a pediatric cardiac center in London and four district hospitals for referrals of second trimester women, newborn babies, and older children. Clinicians in each hospital decided on the role for their service. Clinical events were audited prospectively and costed, and patient surveys were conducted. RESULTS: The hospitals differed in their selection of patient groups for the service. In all, 117 telemedicine patients were compared with 387 patients seen in London or in outreach clinics. Patients selected for telemedicine were generally healthier. For all patients, the mean cost for the initial consultation was 411 UK pounds for tele-referrals and 277 UK pounds for conventional referrals, a nonsignificant difference. Teleconsultations for women and children were significantly more expensive because of technology costs, whereas for babies, ambulance transfers were much more costly. After 6-months follow-up, the difference between referral methods for all patients was nonsignificant (telemedicine, 3,350 UK pounds; conventional referrals, 2,172 UK pounds), and nonsignificant within the patient groups. CONCLUSIONS: Telemedicine was perceived by cardiologists, district clinicians, and families as reliable and efficient. The equivocal 6-month cost results indicate that investment in the technology is warranted to enhance pediatric and perinatal cardiology services.     

Comparison of the pharmacokinetics and effects on the hemostatic system of saruplase and urokinase in patients with acute myocardial infarction

The aim of the study was to compare in a single trial, using identical methodology, the pharmacokinetic properties and the effect on the hemostatic system of saruplase (unglycosylated scu-PA) and urokinase (glycosylated tcu-PA). Twenty-four patients with an acute myocardial infarction were either treated with saruplase (n = 12; 20 mg IV bolus followed by a 60 mg infusion for 60 minutes) or urokinase (n = 12; 1.5 million IU IV bolus followed by 1.5 million IU infusion for 60 minutes). Blood samples from saruplase-treated patients were analyzed for u-PA antigen and total u-PA and tcu-PA activities; those from urokinase-treated patients for u-PA antigen and tcu-PA activity. The effect of treatment on, including recovery of, plasma ₂-antiplasmin, fibrinogen, and plasminogen was examined in both groups. The total clearance of urokinase (179 ± 55 ml/ min) is about half that of saruplase (406 ± 154 ml/min), and the mean residence time of urokinase (59.1 ± 22.5 minutes) is nearly twice that of saruplase (28.3 ± 7.8 minutes), which results in a slower elimination of urokinase from plasma. Whether differences in the pharmacokinetic behavior of the unglycosylated saruplase and the glycosylated urokinase observed in this study are due to the difference in glycosylation or to other factors is not resolved. The systemic effect of saruplase on ₂,-antiplasmin, fibrinogen, and plasminogen is similar to that of urokinase, although retarded.     

Glucose transporters in rat peripheral nerve: Paranodal expression of GLUT1 and GLUT3

Peripheral nerve depends on glucose oxidation to energize the repolarization of excitable axonal membranes following impulse conduction, hence requiring high-energy demands by the axon at the node of Ranvier. To enter the axon at this site, glucose must be transported from the endoneurial space across Schwann cell plasma membranes and the axolemma. Such transport is likely to be mediated by facilitative glucose transporters. Although immunohistochemical studies of peripheral nerves have detected high levels of the transporter GLUT1 in endoneurial capillaries and perineurium, localization of glucose transporters to Schwann cells or peripheral axons in vivo has not been documented. In this study, we demonstrate that the GLUT1 transporter is expressed in the plasma membrane and cytoplasm of myelinating Schwann cells around the nodes of Ranvier and in the Schmidt-Lanterman incisures, making them potential sites of transcellular glucose transport. No GLUT1 was detected in axonal membranes. GLUT3 mRNA was expressed only at low levels, but GLUT3 polypeptide was barely detected by immunocytochemistry or immunoblotting in peripheral nerve from young adult rats. However, in 13-month-old rats, GLUT3 polypeptide was present in myelinated fibers, endoneurial capillaries, and perineurium. In myelinated fibers, GLUT3 appeared to be preferentially expressed in the paranodal regions of Schwann cells and nodal axons, but was also present in the internodal aspects of these structures. The results of the present study suggest that both Schwann cell GLUT1 and axonal and Schwann cell GLUT3 are involved in the transport of glucose into the metabolically active regions of peripheral axons.     

Efficacy of communication skills training for giving bad news and discussing transitions to palliative care

BACKGROUND: Few studies have assessed the efficacy of communication skills training for postgraduate physician trainees at the level of behaviors. We designed a residential communication skills workshop (Oncotalk) for medical oncology fellows. The intervention design built on existing successful models by teaching specific communication tasks linked to the patient's trajectory of illness. This study evaluated the efficacy of Oncotalk in changing observable communication behaviors. METHODS: Oncotalk was a 4-day residential workshop emphasizing skills practice in small groups. This preintervention and postintervention cohort study involved 115 medical oncology fellows from 62 different institutions during a 3-year study. The primary outcomes were observable participant communication skills measured during standardized patient encounters before and after the workshop in giving bad news and discussing transitions to palliative care. The standardized patient encounters were audiorecorded and assessed by blinded coders using a validated coding system. Before-after comparisons were made using each participant as his or her own control. RESULTS: Compared with preworkshop standardized patient encounters, postworkshop encounters showed that participants acquired a mean of 5.4 bad news skills (P<.001) and a mean of 4.4 transitions skills (P<.001). Most changes in individual skills were substantial; for example, in the bad news encounter, 16% of participants used the word "cancer" when giving bad news before the workshop, and 54% used it after the workshop (P<.001). Also in the bad news encounter, blinded coders were able to identify whether a standardized patient encounter occurred before or after the workshop in 91% of the audiorecordings. CONCLUSION: Oncotalk represents a successful teaching model for improving communication skills for postgraduate medical trainees.     

A case of black magic

The authors present the case of a 64-year-old woman who presented with massive subcutaneous emphysema 2 weeks after unknowingly inhaling a Brazil nut. Foreign body inhalation should be a differential diagnosis in all such patients, with computed tomography scanning of the chest being the most appropriate investigation.     

Experimental Hand and Knee Pain Cause Differential Effects on Corticomotor Excitability

Acute pain elicits a well-known inhibitory effect on upper limb corticomotor excitability, whereas the temporal effects of lower-limb experimental pain and pain in a remote limb are less clear. The aim of this study was to compare the temporal corticomotor excitability changes in the upper and lower limbs in response to acute upper and lower limb pain. In a cross-over design, 13 participants (age 29 ± 9 years; 12 male) attended 2 sessions where experimental pain was induced by injecting hypertonic saline into either the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) muscle or infrapatellar fat pad at the knee, inducing a short-lasting pain experience scored on a numerical rating scale (NRS). Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) in response to transcranial magnetic stimulation were recorded in the FDI and vastus lateralis (VL) muscles before, during, and following pain. Hand and knee pain NRS scores were not significantly different. Hand pain elicited a short duration inhibition of the FDI MEPs (P < .0001) together with a facilitation of VL MEPs (P = .001) that outlasted the duration of pain. Knee pain elicited a short-duration facilitation of VL MEPs (P = .003) with no significant effect in the FDI MEPs (P = .46). The findings indicate a limb-specific corticomotor response to experimental pain that may be related to limb function.PerspectiveThese data demonstrate the impact of acute, experimental pain on corticomotor excitability in the upper and lower limbs. This facilitates our understanding of the effect of pain on motor control of both local and distant muscles.     

Introducing a nationally shared electronic patient record: Case study comparison of Scotland,England, Wales and Northern Ireland

AimTo compare the experience of the four UK countries in introducing nationally accessible electronic summaries of patients’ key medical details, intended for use in emergency and unscheduled care episodes, and generate transferable lessons for other countries.MethodSecondary analysis of data collected previously on all four schemes; cross-case comparison using a framework derived from diffusion of innovations theory.Main findingsWhilst all four programmes shared a similar vision, they differed widely in their strategy, budget, implementation plan, approach to clinical and public engagement and approach to evaluation and learning. They also differed, for various reasons, in stakeholder alignments, the nature and extent of resistance to the programme and the rate at which records were created. A nationally shared, widely accessible electronic record has powerful symbolic meaning; it may or may not be perceived as improving the quality and safety of care or (alternatively) as threatening patient confidentiality or the traditional role of the doctor or nurse. ‘Hard’ project management oriented to achieving specific milestones and deadlines sometimes appeared counterproductive when it cut across the ‘softer’ aspects of the programmes.ConclusionWhen designing and implementing complex technologies with pervasive implications, policymakers must consider not only technical issues but also the personal, social and organisational aspects of the programme. A judicious blend of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ management appears key to managing such programmes.