Læknablađiđ
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Acute coronary angiography with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), if executed with sufficient expertise and without undue delay, is the best therapy for patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). At Landspitali-University Hospital 24 hour on-call service has been provided since December the 1st 2003. This hospital is the single center for all coronary catherizations in Iceland. This report is a review of this service during the first year. ⋯ The experience of a 24 hour on-call service at Landspitali-University Hospital to carry out primary PCI for all patients in Iceland with STEMI proved excellent during its first year, with a short door-to-needle time, short hospital stay and low mortality.
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Special observation (constant observation) of patients is common on psychiatric wards, both in Iceland and abroad, but very few studies have been conducted on their therapeutic value. The objective was to investigate the extent and nature of special observation on emergency wards at the division of psychiatry at the Landspitali-University Hospital in Iceland as well as the attitudes of patients and staff toward special observation. ⋯ The extent, nature and process of observation on acute inpatient wards in Iceland seems to be comparable to other studies from abroad. In view of the importance of special observations in psychiatric emergency care and their influence on patients' private life it is important to develop and implement clinical guidelines about their use.
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To determine the prevalence of methylphenidate use among children in Iceland and show utilization trends from 1989 to 2006. Patterns of use were analyzed by sex, age and region of habitation, short-acting vs. long-acting formulations and presciber's specialty. ⋯ Use of methylphenidate among children in Iceland increased considerably from 1989 to 2004, when a plateau seems to have been reached. In accordance with the trend in many Western countries, a rise in use of long-acting drugs was detected concurrently with a steep decrease in use of short-acting drugs. Compared to utilization rates in Europe, prevalence of methylphenidate use among children in Iceland is high.
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Modern medical practice has changed dramatically during the past decades because of improved technology. Still, fetal surveillance during labor is relatively unchanged since 1960 s when fetal heart rate monitoring (FHR) became standard practice. Newborn infants are still suffering from birth asphyxia and in severe cases leading to hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) which sometimes results in permanent neurological damage. The incidence of birth asphyxia and HIE in Iceland is unknown and so are the risk factors for severe asphyxia. The objective of this study was to assess the incidence, obstetric risk factors and the sequela of severe asphyxia at Landspitali university hospital (LSH). ⋯ The incidence of birth asphyxia is higher in LSH compared with the incidence found in other studies. Signs of fetal distress on CTG and delivery with operative interventions are common. With current available methods to detect intrapartum asphyxia there is a poor correlation with CTG and the development of HIE after severe asphyxia. The presence of severe maternal diseases does not correlate with increased incidence of asphyxia, presumably due to increased surveillance of these pregnancies and a lower treshold for intervention during delivery. In low risk pregnancies there is a lack of appropriate methods with high sensitivity and specificity to detect intrapartum asphyxia.