Medición automática de la zona avascular foveal de ojos sanos en angiografía por tomografía de coherencia óptica de dominio espectral Heidelberg

PurposeTo develop and evaluate an automated method to measure the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area in healthy eyes on Heidelberg Spectralis Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (HS-OCTA). This method is referred to as the modified Kanno-Saitama macro (mKSM) which is an evolution of the Kanno-Saitama macro (KSM) approach.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 29 eyes of 25 healthy volunteers who underwent HS-OCTA at the macular area twice at the same time. Regardless of the quality of the images, all of them were included. Macular data on the superficial vascular plexus, intermediate capillary plexus (ICP) and deep capillary plexus were processed by mKSM. The FAZ area was measured twice automatically using the mKSM and KSM and twice manually by two independent examiners.ResultsFrom 174 images, KSM could not measure correctly 31% while mKSM could successfully measure all of them. Intrascan intraclass coefficient ranged from 0.948 to 0.993 for manual measurements and was 1 for mKSM method. Despite that the difference between human examiners is smaller than between human examiners and mKSM according to Bland-Altman plots, the scatterplots show a strong correlation between human and automatic measurements. The best results are obtained in ICP.ConclusionsWith mKSM, the automated determination of the FAZ area in HS-OCTA is feasible and less human-dependent. It solves the inability of KSM to measure the FAZ area in suboptimal quality images which are frequent in daily clinical practice. Therefore, the mKSM processing could contribute to our understanding of the three vascular plexuses.     

胆囊结石合并胆总管结石术后患者复发情况及危险因素分析

目的 探讨胆囊结石合并胆总管结石(CBDS)术后患者复发情况及危险因素。方法 纳入114例2019年1月~2020年12月在本院行ECRP联合LC治疗的胆囊结石合并CBDS患者,回顾性分析其临床资料,根据所选患者ECRP联合LC术后随访1年内是否复发(REC)将其分为REC组(32例)和未REC组(82例)。回顾性统计胆囊结石合并CBDS术后患者REC情况,比较REC组和未REC组的临床资料,并分析胆囊结石合并CBDS术后患者REC的危险因素。结果 114例胆囊结石合并CBDS术后患者REC32例,发生率28.07%。胆囊结石合并CBDS术后患者REC的危险因素为胆道感染、胆道口括约肌切开、术者经验≤3年、胆道括约肌功能障碍(OR=4.170、4.047、3.568、3.367,P<0.05)。结论 胆囊结石合并CBDS术后患者REC的危险因素与胆道感染、胆道口括约肌切开、术者经验≤3年、胆道括约肌功能障碍密切相关,可据此针对性制定临床治疗及护理干预措施方案,以降低胆囊结石合并CBDS术后患者REC率。     

Acute care nurses’ attitudes toward nursing students with disabilities: A focused ethnography

Discrimination towards individuals with disabilities is problematic within nursing. There have been calls to increase diversity in nursing and this includes embracing nurses with disabilities. Increasing diversity in nursing requires increasing diversity among nursing students; in this way, nurse educators are gatekeepers to the profession. Clinical education is a crucial element of nursing education, yet there have been very few studies related to the clinical education of nursing students with disabilities. There have been no studies of attitudes of acute care nurse preceptors toward students with disabilities in the United States. This gap is important as the majority of clinical experiences occur in the acute care environment. Utilizing a focused ethnography, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 acute care nurses with at least two years’ experience precepting students. While positive feelings about nursing students with disabilities were shared, thoughts and behavioral intentions remained negative. Six themes emerged: safety, barriers, otherness, communicating to meet needs, disclosure, and student versus colleague. Attitudinal barriers are the primary barriers faced by individuals with disabilities in becoming and practicing as nurses. Nurses in practice and education must embrace more inclusive attitudes towards individuals with disabilities.     

The Bachelor’s thesis in nursing: Characteristics and students’ approach and satisfaction

AimThe aim of the study was to describe the characteristics of the Bachelor’s thesis of fourth-year nursing students at a Spanish public university, the criteria that students used to choose a topic and students’ degree of satisfaction after completing the Bachelor’s thesis.DesignQuantitative study.MethodsWe examined 420 Bachelor’s theses carried out from 2013 to 2018 and conducted an online survey among fourth-year students in the 2017–18 and 2018–19 academic years (81 completed questionnaires).ResultsThe Bachelor’s thesis took the form of a research proposal. The most frequent proposal type was a qualitative hospital-based study whose objective was to understand the experiences of adult or adolescent patients, close family members, or nurses. Students chose topics for personal reasons. Most participants reported feeling satisfied with the knowledge and skills acquired.ConclusionsStudents completing a Bachelor’s thesis in the form of a research proposal have the potential to transfer their research skills to their nursing practice.     

Diagnosing pulmonary thromboembolism: Concerns and controversies

Pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) is an important cause of mortality/morbidity even today despite advancement in clinical understanding as well as diagnostic facilities. Clinical diagnosis of PTE is often challenging because of nonspecific sign/symptoms. Adherence to clinical decision-making protocols and appropriate use of diagnostic modalities like computed tomography pulmonary angiography can resolve the diagnostic dilemma in most cases and help in the overall management of PTE. This article deals with various concerns as well as controversies surrounding accurate diagnosis of PTE as on date.     

Atrial functional tricuspid regurgitation: An underappreciated cause of secondary tricuspid regurgitation

Secondary tricuspid regurgitation (TR) caused by right ventricular enlargement in the setting of left heart disease/pulmonary hypertension has been well described. In contrast, that associated with right atrial enlargement—atrial functional TR (AF‐TR)—remains largely underappreciated. AF‐TR most often occurs in the setting of lone atrial fibrillation, although it is also seen in its absence (idiopathic AF‐TR). Several recent studies have found that the prevalence, hemodynamic significance, and prognosis of AF‐TR are not inconsequential, suggesting increased physician awareness of this novel clinical entity is warranted. This article discusses the pathogenesis, echocardiographic findings, and treatment of this underappreciated cause of secondary TR.     

利用微信平台延续性护理对老年腰椎间盘突出症术后患者康复及生活质量的影响

目的探讨微信平台延续性护理对老年腰椎间盘突出症术后患者康复及生活质量的影响。方法选取2015年6月—2018年5月在郑州市骨科医院接受手术治疗的老年腰椎间盘突出症患者96例进行研究。对照组行常规延续性护理,观察组行微信平台延续性护理。对比两组康复效果、治疗依从性及生活质量。计数资料采用卡方检验分析,计量资料采用t检验分析。结果观察组有效率为95.83%,明显高于对照组的81.25%。观察组总依从率为91.67%,明显高于对照组的77.08%。干预前两组生活质量量表得分相当,治疗后两组生活质量均有明显改善,但观察组改善程度更为明显。结论微信平台延续性护理相比传统延续性护理可明显提高老年腰椎间盘突出症患者康复效果、提高治疗依从性和改善生活质量。     

Coronary Artery Embolism: Two Case Reports and a Review of the Literature

Coronary embolism (CE) is an uncommon and unique cause of acute myocardial infarction. In this report, we review 216 cases of CE including 2 new cases from our institution. The mean patient age was 52.5 years and 62% of the patients were males. Chest pain was the most common presenting symptom followed by dyspnea, and the most commonly affected vessel was the left anterior descending artery. Leading etiologies of the embolus were atrial fibrillation, septic emboli, and iatrogenic causes. Treatment approaches varied with thrombus aspiration being used in 30% of cases. In-hospital mortality rate was 36% and 13% of the cases were complicated by cerebrovascular accident. CE is a unique pathology that leads to acute myocardial infarction. It portends a high mortality rate and requires a high level of suspicion as symptoms may be misleading. Further research is needed in order to improve recognition and management and to lower associated mortality.