Plos One
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Augmentation of curved tip of left-sided double-lumen tubes to reduce right bronchial misplacement: A randomized controlled trial.
During intubation with a blind technique, a left-sided double-lumen tube (DLT) can be misdirected into the right bronchus even though its curved tip of the bronchial lumen turns to the left. This right bronchial misplacement may be associated with the tip angle of DLTs. We thus performed a randomized trial to test the hypothesis that the DLT with an acute tip angle enters the right bronchus less frequently than the tube with an obtuse tip angle. ⋯ Before intubation of left-sided DLTs, augmentation of the curved DLT tip reduced the right bronchial misplacement and facilitated intubation without aggravating airway injury.
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The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is the standard diagnostic tool for classifying and coding diseases and injuries. The Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) is the most widely used injury severity scoring system. Although manual coding is considered the gold standard, it is sometimes unavailable or impractical. There have been many prior attempts to develop programs for the automated conversion of ICD rubrics into AIS codes. ⋯ The process used in this study has proven to be a useful tool for selecting patients who meet the ISS>15 criterion for "major trauma". Further research is needed to improve the conversion process.
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Comparative Study
Propofol-based total intravenous anesthesia did not improve survival compared to desflurane anesthesia in breast cancer surgery.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and several perioperative factors may account for tumor recurrence and metastasis. The anesthetic agents employed during cancer surgery might play a crucial role in cancer cell survival and patient outcomes. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to investigate the relationship between the type of anesthesia and overall survival in patients who underwent breast cancer surgery performed by one experienced surgeon. ⋯ In our non-randomized retrospective analysis, neither propofol nor desflurane anesthesia for breast cancer surgery by an experienced surgeon can affect patient prognosis and survival. The influence of propofol anesthesia on breast cancer outcome requires further investigation.
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While various initiatives have been taken to improve advance care planning in nursing homes, it is difficult to find enough details about interventions to allow comparison, replication and translation into practice. ⋯ The multicomponent ACP+ program involves residents, family, and the different groups of people working in the nursing home. It is deemed feasible and acceptable by nursing home staff and management. The findings presented in this paper, alongside results of the subsequent randomized controlled cluster trial, can facilitate comparison, replicability and translation of the intervention into practice.
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Clinical outcomes of patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) secondary to membranous nephropathy (MN) have not been well described. This study aimed to evaluate patient and/or allograft outcomes of dialysis or kidney transplantation in patients with ESKD secondary to MN. ⋯ MN was associated with superior survival on dialysis and following kidney transplantation compared to patients with other causes of ESKD, and comparable patient survival compared to patients with other forms of glomerulonephritis. However, patients with MN exhibited a higher rate of death-censored allograft loss as a result of primary kidney disease recurrence.