Acta Medica Port
-
The Susceptibility-weighted (SWI) imaging is a recent MRI sequence that shows the magnetic susceptibility differences of various tissues. A large number of neurological / neurosurgical diseases can benefit with this MRI sequence. ⋯ Some clinical cases show the utility of SWI. The anatomic detail of some brain structures, the deep venous system and mesencephalic structures is shown.
-
The improvement rescue and transport of politrauma patients (PTP) increases the number of patients admitted to the Emergency departments in very severe conditions. The early prediction of later complications and bad outcomes is paramount for a good strategy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the severity of PTP in the Trauma Room (TR) of a Level 1 Hospital, using the ISS, RTS, TRISS scores and define variables associated with bad outcomes, namely ICU admission (ICU), ARDS, MODS and Death. ⋯ This study confirms scores validity in PTP assessment, as they are able to predict severe complications. TRISS seems to be the best score for prediction of bad outcomes.
-
Child Mental Health Services have been dealing¸ over the last decades, with a growing number of children in need of evaluation and treatment. Recent studies estimate that 10 to 20% of children and adolescents met criteria for, at least, one psychiatric diagnosis, and that only one fifth gets appropriate treatment. Thus, in order to optimize service planning and management we performed an analysis of the cases referred to and observed at one Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic between 2004 and 2007, as well as descriptive analysis of the youth population observed at the same clinic during 2007. ⋯ According to DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria for Axis I disorders, we found 30% of Emotional Disorders and 24.8% of Conduct Disorders and Attention Deficit and Hyperactive Disorder. Mean waiting times between referral and the first appointment varied between 55 days (cases referred from the Emergency Department) and 141 days (school referrals). Only a deeper and detailed analysis of this reality will allow the planning and implementation of measures needed to optimize Child and Adolescent Mental Health services and the answer they can give to patients and families.
-
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy is rare in pediatrics. It is a complex regional pain syndrome, of unknown etiology, usually post-traumatic, characterized by dysfunctions of the musculoskeletal, vascular and skin systems: severe persistent pain of a limb, sensory and vascular alterations, associated disability and psychosocial dysfunction. The diagnosis is based in high clinical suspection. ⋯ She had been diagnosed depression the year before. The bone scintigraphy was a decisive test. The treatment with gabapentin, C vitamin, physiotherapy and pshycotherapy has been effective.
-
This study aims to validate the Portuguese population the instrument PG-13 (Prolonged Grief Disorder), created by Prigerson et al. (2007) for diagnosis of prolonged grief, whose criteria are: the experience of loss generating intense longing and yearning for the deceased that extends for a period exceeding six months; emotional, cognitive and behavioral symptoms, dysfunction and meaningful life social and occupational functioning. The population includes 102 caregivers of patients accompanied by Support Team Palliative Care, Hospital Santa Maria. The participants are mostly female (82.4%) with mean age of 58.87 (SD: 13.41) and range between 15 and 84 years. ⋯ We found that 22.5% of the population manifests symptoms of prolonged grief. There were no significant differences in terms of socio-demographic variables or in the circumstances of illness and death. Prolonged Grief Disorder is more prevalent in female subjects (91.3%), widowed (68.2%) and in cases where the deceased was being the spouse (65.2%).