Medicine
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Observational Study
The influence of resident seniority on supervised practice in the emergency department.
To investigate the influence of resident seniority on supervised clinical practice in the emergency department (ED). This was a retrospective, 1-year cohort study conducted in 5 EDs within Taiwan largest healthcare system. All adult nontrauma visits presenting to the EDs during the day shift between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012 were included in the analysis. ⋯ Furthermore, compared with attending-alone visits, supervised visits with junior residents had a greater odds of ED observation (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.1; 95% CI, 1.07-1.20), while supervised visits with all 3 resident-seniority groups had significantly greater odds of laboratory examinations (junior: aOR, 1.1; 95% CI, 1.03-1.16; intermediate: aOR, 1.1; 95% CI, 1.04-1.15; and senior: aOR, 1.1; 95% CI, 1.05-1.15). As resident seniority increases, less time is needed for decision making in supervised visits. However, compared to attending-alone visits, supervised visits still resulted in greater use of laboratory examinations and delayed patient disposition.
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Benign pneumoperitoneum (BPPT) is defined as asymptomatic free intraabdominal air or as pneumoperitoneum without peritonitis. Symptomatic free air requires surgical anagement, but management of asymptomatic pneumoperitoneum is controversial. In this study, we investigate the diagnosis and treatment of BPPT in children. ⋯ The diagnosis of BPPT mainly relies on clinical symptoms in patient, careful abdominal examination, abdominal X-ray combined with abdominocentesis, and the exclusion of gastrointestinal perforation for confirmation. Conservative treatment can cure the disease. Attention should be paid to distinguish with surgical pneumoperitoneum to avoid unnecessary surgical exploration.
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Case Reports
Pneumonitis in cancer patients receiving anti-PD-1 and radiotherapies: Three case reports.
In development of novel therapies for the treatment of patient with cancer, the use of radiotherapy (RT) can produce significant local control and, in recent studies, has also been shown to mediate anti-tumor responses at distant sites by triggering and enhancing the endogenous cellular immune responses. Although RT induces an abscopal effect in some patients due to enhanced immune response to the tumor, immune-escape mechanisms, including up-regulation of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) on tumor cells, limit this benefit in other patients. Hence, many studies have promoted the synergy of RT and anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) treatment for antitumor immunity. However, outcome may be improved when more therapies are combined, but risk of side effects can be increased. ⋯ Our review of 3 cases warrants careful workup to reduce the risk of side effects by combinative therapy with RT and anti-PD-1 treatment.
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The HATCH score (hypertension <1 point>, age >75 years <1 point>, stroke or transient ischemic attack <2 points>, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease <1 point>, and heart failure <2 points>) was reported to be useful for predicting the progression of atrial fibrillation (AF) from paroxysmal to persistent or permanent AF for patients who participated in the Euro Heart Survey. The goal of the current study was to investigate whether the HATCH score was a useful scheme in predicting new-onset AF. Furthermore, we aimed to use the HATCH scoring system to estimate the individual risk in developing AF for patients with different comorbidities. ⋯ The incidence increased from 0.8 per 1000 patient-years for patients with a HATCH score of 0 to 57.3 per 1000 patient-years for those with a HATCH score of 7. After an adjustment for the gender and comorbidities, the hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) of each increment of the HATCH score in predicting AF was 2.059 (2.027-2.093; P < 0.001). The HATCH score was useful in risk estimation and stratification of new-onset AF.
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Crossed cerebellar diaschisis (CCD) is a poor prognostic factor after stroke because without immediate cerebral reperfusion no further improvements in the patient's condition can be achieved. We investigated the clinical effects of intravascular laser irradiation therapy (ILIB) on CCD and evaluated the therapeutic effect in the sub-acute post-stroke stage. ⋯ We found that ILIB helped eliminate CCD, which was previously shown to be an untreatable condition using any intervention during the sub-acute post-stroke stage. Stroke patients could therefore greatly benefit from ILIB.