Irish journal of medical science
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Hip fracture is a common serious injury afflicting the geriatric population and is associated with poor clinical outcomes, functional and walking disabilities and high 1-year mortality rates. A multidisciplinary approach has been shown to improve outcomes of geriatric patients with fragility fracture. ⋯ A multidisciplinary management approach to fragility fracture of the femoral neck that involves comprehensive geriatric assessment, daily medical involvement of a geriatric team and specialised follow-up assessment leads to a significant reduction in mortality and improved outcomes.
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Diabetic Charcot neuroarthropathy (DCN) is a devastating complication for people with diabetes mellitus. The failure to diagnose DCN and institute treatment in the acute phase leads to permanent deformity and significant morbidity. There is a paucity of data on the prevalence and characteristics of patients who have developed this complication of diabetes. ⋯ This is the first prevalence estimate of DCN in Ireland. These data suggest diagnosis of DCN is missed in the acute phase. There exists a significant risk of diabetic foot ulceration and amputation with DCN.
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Observational Study
Cardiac arrest secondary to acute coronary syndrome: a 4-year observational study of patient characteristics and outcomes.
Cardiac arrest due to ischaemia is frequently the first manifestation of cardiovascular disease. We sought to describe the characteristics and outcomes of patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with a diagnosis of cardiac arrest secondary to acute coronary syndrome (ACS). ⋯ A significant proportion of patients admitted to the intensive care unit with a diagnosis of cardiac arrest secondary to acute coronary syndrome survive to hospital discharge with meaningful recovery in neurological and cardiac function.
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The participation of inflammation in the progression of cancer for many years have been the subject of research. ⋯ In this article we present a brief history of the discovery mechanisms and potential links between acute and chronic inflammation and cancer.
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Sepsis is the most frequent cause of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). Procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) are well-known predictors of sepsis. Serum PCT levels are associated with blood culture positivity in patients with sepsis, but the magnitude of elevation of PCT and CRP levels at the onset of sepsis is unknown in Gram-negative (GN) bacteremia and in Gram-positive (GP) bacteremia. ⋯ Serum PCT levels are higher in GN sepsis than GP sepsis in 72 h. There are not differences in CRP. The separation of PCT and CRP phenomenon is helpful for early diagnosis of GP sepsis.