Conservative,open or percutaneous repair for acute rupture of the Achilles tendon

Purpose. To review the complications and recovery of patients with Achilles tendon rupture managed by percutaneous repair, open repair, and non-operative means in a tertiary referral centre between 2001 and 2003.

Methods. The operating theatre register and logbooks of the Consultants were used to identify surgically managed patients, while plaster room records were used for conservatively managed patients. We collated demographic and management details.

Results. The number of plaster changes (p < 0.001), median length of time in cast (p < 0.001), and number of outpatient visits (p < 0.05) was greater in conservatively managed patients. We performed no formal statistical analysis given the small numbers. Conservative management was the least expensive and open surgery the most costly modality of management. Percutaneous surgery was approximately a third of the cost of open surgery when performed under local anaesthetic.

Conclusion. In our setting, percutaneous repair and conservative management are viable alternatives to open surgery, which carries higher complications rates and was the most costly of the three. Individual patients will have different needs due to their age, occupation, or level of sporting activity.     

Safety of the laparoscopy setup

The safety of the laparoscopy setup is an important issue to guarantee continuous quality of laparoscopic interventions. Important issues are visualization, the insufflator and especially electrosurgery. Appropriate training of the OR personnel and clear responsibilities should be defined. Checklists are advised.     

Expert Knowledge in Palliative Care on the World Wide Web: Palliativedrugs.Org

ABSTRACT.?

In my last Internet-related article, I speculated that social networking would be the coming wave in the effort to share knowledge among experts in various disciplines. At the time I did not know that a palliative care site on the World Wide Web (WWW), palliativedrugs.com, already provided the infrastructure for sharing expert knowledge in the field. The Web site is an excellent traditional formulary but it is primarily devoted to “unlicensed” (“off-label”) use of medications in palliative care, something we in the specialty often do with little to support our interventions except shared knowledge and experience. There is nothing fancy about this Web site. In a good way, its format is a throwback to Web sites of the 1990s. In only the loosest sense can one describe it as “multimedia.” Yet, it provides the perfect forum for expert knowledge and is a “must see” resource. Its existing content is voluminous and reliable, filtered and reviewed by renowned clinicians and educators in the field. Although its origin and structure were not specifically designed for social or professional networking, the Web site's format makes it a natural way for practitioners around the world to contribute to an ever-growing body of expertise in palliative care.     

Psychosocial and Spiritual Care in Hospice: Differences Between Nursing,Social Work,and Clergy

A chart review of the most recent home visits from nursing, social work, and clergy to 37 home hospice patients indicated that all but two psychosocial and spiritual issues examined were addressed by hospice staff on home visits. Spirituality and, secondly, death anxiety were the most frequently discussed variables. Clergy addressed more spiritual issues than the other two professions, and social work addressed more psychosocial issues than the other two professions. These findings underscore the important roles that clergy and social work play on the hospice team, and imply that hospice should make a renewed commitment to psychosocial and spiritual care. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-342-9678. E-mail address: getinfo@haworth.com]     

Demystifying Analytical Approaches for Urine Drug Testing to Evaluate Medication Adherence in Chronic Pain Management

ABSTRACT

This comprehensive review of analytical methods used for urine drug testing for the support of pain management describes the methods, their strengths and limitations, and types of analyses used in clinical laboratories today. Specific applications to analysis of opioid levels are addressed. Qualitative versus quantitative testing, immunoassays, chromatographic methods, and spectrometry are discussed. The importance of proper urine sample collection and processing is addressed. Analytical explanations for unexpected results are described. This article describes the scientific basis for urine drug testing providing information which will allow clinicians to differentiate between valid and questionable claims for urine drug testing to monitor medication adherence among chronic pain patients.     

Extending the communication phenotype associatedwith 22q11.2 Microdeletion Syndrome

This paper has three aims. The first is to describe and critically evaluate two recent studies from the authors' centre. Study one is a retrospective, consecutive series case note audit of 76 children aged 3.01 – 9.11 years of age, aimed at examining the age at which children with 22q11 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) are able to achieve oral pressure in their speech, and providing an overview of presentation. Study two is a pilot study to investigate the prevalence of dyspraxic features in a consecutive series of 21 school age children with 22q11DS, aged 4.0 – 8.11 years of age. The second aim is to discuss these studies within the context of a critical review of the current knowledge about 22q11 deletion syndrome. The third aim is to challenge some common thinking around the management of velopharyngeal dysfunction ( VPD) in 22q11DS. This discussion highlights that it is sometimes possible to investigate and treat palate function with good outcomes in the preschool years based on limited speech and language and investigations. Areas for future research are discussed. This paper further underlines the complexity of the communication profile in this population, with confirmation of the unique speech and language phenotype.     

Collection,verification, sharing and dissemination of data: the CONTRAST experience

The scientific community is charged with growing demands regarding the management of project data and outputs and the dissemination of key results to various stakeholders. We discuss experiences and lessons from CONTRAST, a multidisciplinary alliance that had been funded by the European Commission over a 4-year period, in order to optimize schistosomiasis control and transmission surveillance in sub-Saharan Africa. From the start, project partners from Europe and Africa set out an ambitious goal: to sample data following standard protocols at all field sites and then sharing the data in a way that would enable all project partners to have access through a password-protected Internet-based data portal. This required anonymous agreement on several common standardized sample forms, ranging from the mundane but important issue of using the same units of measurement to more complex challenges, for instance agreeing on the same protocols for double-treatment of praziquantel in different settings. With the experiences gained by the CONTRAST project, this paper discusses issues of data management and sharing in research projects in the light of the current donor demand, and offers advice and specific suggestions for similar interdisciplinary research projects.     

输血前不规则抗体筛查与输血安全

目的:探讨输血前不规则抗体筛查在输血安全中的重要性。方法:选取我院2009年3月至2012年3月共3 215例输血患者为试验组,采用聚凝胺法、微柱凝胶法行输血前不规则抗体筛查。以2006年1月至2009年2月期间我院3 113例输血患者为对照组,统计输血反应不良发生率。结果:试验组阳性率0.40%,女性阳性率(0.60%,10/1500)为男性(0.17%,3/1715)的3.5倍;女性阳性患者中,孕产妇阳性率(1.14%,8/701)是非孕产妇(0.25%,2/799)的4.5倍;肝胆外科、普外科、肾内科共10例(76.92%,10/13),其他科室3例(23.08%,3/13),差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05)。对照组发生输血不良反应29例,发生率为0.93%,试验组输血不良反应发生3例,发生率为0.093%,差异有统计学意义(χ2=9.239,P<0.05)。结论:具输血、妊娠病史患者为高危人群,肝胆外科、普外科、肾内科为高危科室,在严格执行不规则抗体检测过程后,临床输血患者中发生输血不良反应发生率明显减少。     

行为转变理论对高血压患者血压、血脂水平及生存质量的影响

目的:探讨行为转变理论对高血压患者血压水平及生存质量的影响.方法:78例原发性高血压患者均分为观察组和对照组,对照组患者给予常规降压药物治疗,观察组患者在对照组基础上进行行为转变理论教育,两组患者持续治疗1年,对比分析两组患者干预前后血压、血脂、体质指数及生存质量的差异.结果:两组患者治疗后收缩压、舒张压显著低于治疗前,而治疗后观察组患者收缩压、舒张压及体质指数下降幅度显著大于对照组,降压药物用量显著少于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05);观察组治疗后总胆固醇(TC)、甘油三酯(TrG)、低密度脂蛋白(LDL-C)显著低于治疗前,高密度脂蛋白(HDL-C)水平则高于治疗前(P＜0.05),而对照组血脂水平与治疗前相比无差异(P＞0.05);治疗后观察组患者生理机能、躯体疼痛、总体健康、生理职能、社会功能、情感职能、精神健康、精力及SF-36总评分显著高于对照组(P＜0.05).结论:对高血压患者在常规治疗同时进行行为转变理论教育能有效降低患者血压及血脂水平,改善患者生存状况,提高患者生存质量.