The Medical journal of Australia
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Review Comparative Study
Infective endocarditis in the 1980s. Part 2. Treatment and management.
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We review the histories of 26 patients who were treated at the Royal Perth Hospital for retained rectal foreign bodies. The foreign bodies that were retrieved and the age, sex and marital status of each patient are recorded and a number of the histories is presented. The complications that arose from either the insertion or removal of the foreign body are discussed, as are the methods of treatment that were employed. The various methods that the practitioner has at his disposal for dealing with this increasing problem are reviewed, and a plan of management of patients with non-perforating rectal foreign bodies is suggested.
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Between January 1978 and August 1985, 1500 patients underwent coronary artery bypass grafting by one surgical team, with a total mortality of 0.46% (seven patients). All these patients were suffering from class 3 or class 4 angina and more than half (54%) had evidence of preoperative infarction. The achievement of minimal mortality and morbidity is the immediate aim of surgery; a continuing long-term improvement in symptoms and life expectancy is the ultimate goal. Every physician should be aware of the risks of the invasive treatment of coronary artery disease either by bypass grafting or by angioplasty.