Incidence of pressure ulcers in intensive care units and direct costs of treatment: Evidence from Iran

Background and objective

Pressure ulcer (PU) is one of the important and frequent complications of hospitalization, associated with high treatment costs. The present study was conducted to determine the incidence of PU and its direct treatment costs for patients in intensive care unit (ICU) in Iran.

SURGERY OF PERIURETERIC OBSTRUCTION IN 101 CHILDREN OVER ONE YEAR OF AGE

One hundred and one children over 1 year of age have had surgery for pelviureteric obstruction over an 11 year period. The common clinical features were abdominal pain, urinary infection or haematuria, but number presented as an incidental finding. Less commonly, the patients presented with an abdominal mass or with hypertension. The diagnosis was usually made on intravenous pyelography (IVP) but in the latter part of the series, renal nuclide scan (RNS) and ultrasonography (US) were preferred. Ninety–three patients had unilateral pyeloplasty, three had bilateral pyeloplasty and five had nephrectomy or heminephrectomy. Whereas initially nephrostomy drainage was used in the majority of patients after pyeloplasty, trend away from nephrostomy evolved in the latter part of the series. With experience, the incidence of postoperative complications was also reduced and there was reduction in the period of hospitalization. Clinical results were consistently satisfactory. Postoperative assessment after pyeloplasty was made by IVP and/or RNS and also US. A review of these investigations showed that RNS provided more factual information of the result when compared with the IVP.     

靶重建放大扫描对肺孤立性结节病变的诊断意义

目的：探讨靶重建放大扫描技术对肺孤立性结节病变的诊断价值。方法：对63例患者先行常规CT平扫，选定结节处为兴趣区，行薄层靶重建放大扫描，层厚、层距为2mm，FOV为160。结果：42例恶性病变中有37例表现为深分叶，占88．1％；21例良性病变中有15例表现为浅分叶，占71．4％。恶性结节中15例内部出现条状低密度支气管征；7例出现血管集中征；8例出现空泡征；病变内部出现液化坏死13例，其中恶性病变ll例。22例出现钙化，包括12例良性病变和10例恶性病变。2例错构瘤内均见小面积脂肪性低密度影。结论：靶重建放大扫描比普通CT扫描可提供更多的信息，对良恶性病变的鉴别诊断有一定价值。恶性病变大多数为深分叶，良性病变大多数为浅分叶或无分叶。     

Pitfalls in diagnosis of aortic dissection by angiography: Algorithmic approach utilizing CT and MRI

Dissection of the thoracic aorta is a life-threatening event requiring imaging studies to define the level of the tear and the intinmal flap. The “gold standard” has been angiography. This method may fail to demonstrate the dissection, however, due to overlap of the true and false lumens or a very thin flap that is imaged en face rather than tangentially. Computed tomography has a diagnostic accuracy of 95%, but can fail to image the dissection due to technical factors or a thrombosed false hunen. Magnetic resonance imaging requires a hemodynamically stable and cooperative patient. A diagnostic algorithm is proposed for diagnosis of aortic dissection based on renal function and the surgeon's imaging modality preference.     

CT scan and threshold vibrometry in the diagnosis of spinocerebellar degenerations

45 patients with spinocerebellar degeneration (SCD) underwent through quantitative investigation of the ventricular and cisternal systems by CT scanning and threshold vibrometry in the limbs to find out whether these parameters could be used for distinguishing mainly spinal from cerebellar forms or from olivopontoce-rebellar atrophy. The increase in the vibration sense threshold and the mild atrophy in the posterior cranial fossa proved typical of spinal forms and the reverse for cerebellar forms. In olivopontocerebellar atrophy enlargement of the cisterns and dilatation of the ventricles always exceeded 85% of normal values.

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Sommario 45 pazienti affetti da degenerazione spinocerebellare (SCD) sono stati sottoposti ad uno studio approfondito di esplorazione quantitativa del sistema ventricolare e cisternale alla TAC e della soglia di percezione vibratoria agli arti per valutare la possibilità di distinguere con questi parametri le forme prevalentemente spinali da quelle cerebellari o delle atrofie olivopontocerebellari. L'aumento della soglia vibratoria e la modesta atrofia in fossa posteriore è risultata tipica delle forme spinali, mentre l'inverso si verifica per le forme cerebellari. Nelle atrofie olivopontocerebellari l'allargamento delle cisterne e la dilatazione dei ventricoli supera quasi sempre l'85% rispetto ai casi normali.

     

强化胰岛素治疗的2型糖尿病患者胰岛素脱离与否相关因素分析

目的比较强化胰岛素治疗的2型糖尿病患者在脱离胰岛素治疗和继续胰岛素治疗时的临床特点,分析脱离胰岛素的相关因素。方法统计66例入院的2型糖尿病患者的患病时间,检测开始胰岛素强化治疗、治疗过程、治疗结束时的糖化血红蛋白(HbA1 c)、体重指数(BM I)、胰岛素用量,观察脱离胰岛素所需时间。结果34例患者脱离胰岛素治疗,32例继续治疗,两组患者在年龄、治疗开始时间、BM I、HbA1 c差异均无统计学意义,而患病时间比较差异有统计学意义(P<0.05),脱离时的胰岛素用量和HbA1 c比继续治疗患者显著减低(P<0.01)。结论患病时间长短是胰岛素脱离与否的重要因素,胰岛素投入量及HbA1 c数值对脱离胰岛素与否有积极作用。     

Renal involvement in the Laurence-Moon-Bardet-Biedl syndrome: report of five cases

.We report five patients with Laurence-Moon-Bardet-Biedl syndrome (LMBBS) who had renal involvement. Intravenous pyelography showed bilateral or unilateral calyceal clubbing and blunting in all patients. In addition, one patient had a parapelvic cyst in the left kidney and another had bilateral lobulated renal outlines of the fetal type. One patient had a urinary concentrating defect and two patients showed increased fractional sodium excretion. Estimated tubular phosphate reabsorption values were in normal limits in all of five patients. No patient had a urine acidification defect, proteinuria, glycosuria, or hyperaminoaciduria. One patient died from end-stage renal failure. The remaining four patients had normal serum creatinine values and estimated creatinine clearances. ^99mTechnetium-diethylenetriamine pentaacetate renal scanning showed prolonged and delayed concentration and delayed excretion in three of the four patients who survived. A focal scar was determined on the left kidney of one of four patients by ^99mtechnetium-dimercaptosuccinic acid renal scanning. All LMBBS cases with or without renal symptoms should be routinely evaluated for renal abnormalities. Renal scanning is a valuable method, especially for determining the renal involvement in the early stage of disease. Received November 14, 1995; received in revised form and accepted May 23, 1996     

Bacterial colonization and infection in an intensive care unit

One hundred and one patients, nursed in an intensive care unit for at least 24h, were monitored for bacterial colonization and infection. The infection rates were similar to those in other reports. Patients were not generally colonized with common environmental strains in the unit. Bacterial dissemination between patients was uncommon. No gentamicin resistant gram negative or Staphylococcus aureus strains were observed, nor methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains. the hypothesis that these favourable conditions are partly related to the excellent isolation and barrier nursing facilities in the unit cannot be fully substantiated.     

Cause of death after critical illness

This study reports the causes of death after discharge following treatment of life-threatening illness on an Intensive Therapy Unit. Details of survivors discharged between June 1985 and December 1988 were sent to the Registrar General for Scotland who subsequently issued copies of death certificates of those patients who had died between discharge and 1 January 1990. The results show that the commonest causes of death after discharge were malignancy and respiratory failure, although there is wide variation in the post-discharge mortality rates for different diagnostic categories. The admission diagnoses were identical to, or contributed to, the causes of death in 64% of patients who died after discharge. Eighty-five percent of patients who died from the same condition which prompted admission did so within a year following discharge, but after 2 years no deaths were attributed to the admission diagnosis.