Isr Med Assoc J
-
Surgical adverse events are errors that emerge during perioperative patient care. The World Health Organization recently published "Guidelines for Safe Surgery." ⋯ A significant reduction in postoperative fever after the implementation of the surgical safety checklist occurred. It is possible that the improved usage of preoperative prophylactic antibiotics may explain the reduction in postoperative fever.
-
Treatment with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) is often complicated by muscle-related adverse effects (MAEs). Studies of the association between low plasma vitamin D levels and MAEs have yielded conflicting results. ⋯ There is apparently no relationship between plasma vitamin D level and risk of MAEs in statin users.
-
Eye injuries are common in sports. Sports-related eye injuries have the potential for major morbidity ⋯ Most sports-related eye injuries can be prevented with adequate eye protection.
-
Peripheral arterial occlusive disease is common in patients with chronic renal failure requiring dialysis. Despite the increasing use of endovascular revascularization for lower extremity ischemia, the success rates of treating lower extremity ischemia in this challenging population remain obscure. ⋯ Despite improvement in endovascular techniques for lower extremity revascularization, the incidence of limb salvage among dialysis patients remains poor, resulting in a high rate of major amputations.
-
Goal-oriented ultrasound examination is gaining a place in the intensive care unit. Some protocols have been proposed but the applicability of ultrasound as part of a routine has not been studied. ⋯ Bedside ultrasound examinations performed by critical care physicians provide an important adjunct to diagnostic and therapeutic performance, improving quality of care and patient safety.