Irish journal of medical science
-
To describe the impact of a nurse-led telephone self-management support (SMS) service for people with asthma and COPD in Ireland. ⋯ Roll-out of SMS should include staff training to promote positive service user experience and should include routine monitoring and evaluation to assure equitable reach and quality of key evidence-based care processes.
-
A feature of contemporary obstetrics in wealthy countries has been both the continuing increase in caesarean section (CS) rates and the emergence of high levels of maternal obesity. ⋯ The study found that although the prevalence of being overweight or obese changed little over the period, the odds of having a CS if a woman is obese have increased for multiparas. For nulliparas, increasing CS rates were found to be strongly associated with an increase in maternal age over the period which is important because of the evidence that Irish women are choosing to defer having their first baby until later in life.
-
Vitamin D status may play a role in the development of atopic diseases due to its action on lung development and immune system development and function. ⋯ The development of childhood atopy may be associated with maternal vitamin D deficiency in early pregnancy among a cohort of women at risk of vitamin D deficiency. Further research is required to explore the relationship between vitamin D and atopy, particularly among women with poor vitamin D status, and whether supplementation should be prioritised in early pregnancy to reduce childhood atopy.
-
Obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is a common sleep-related respiratory disease. Despite reports of low-temperature plasma radiofrequency ablation of tonsils and adenoids for the treatment of OSAHS, the effects on lung function and quality of life are unclear. ⋯ Low-temperature plasma technique performed in OSAHS children has a good clinical effect, which can reduce the operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative pain, pseudomembrane detachment time, hospitalization time, and improve pulmonary function and quality of life.
-
With lower rates of sepsis and re-interventions, arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is the preferred vascular access modality. The aim of this study is to evaluate the outcomes of patients referred for AVF construction at a single center in Cork, Ireland. ⋯ AVF outcomes at this center are consistent with reported statistics in the literature. Patient age, sex, and diabetic status may influence the use of proximal AVF. AVF creation rates in Ireland are below international reported recommendations.