Journal of perioperative practice
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Biography Historical Article
Percival Pott; Pott's fracture, Pott's disease of the spine, Pott's paraplegia.
There is a commonly held belief that Percival Pott sustained that ankle fracture that bears his name. This probably is not true; the injury was more likely a fracture of the tibial shaft, as suggested by careful reading of the account of the accident left to us by his son-in-law.
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High risk general surgical patients account for the largest proportion of surgical deaths. There is concern from the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCSEng) and National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) that these patients may receive suboptimal care. ⋯ An agreed method of patient identification and quantification of risk was recommended. The use of an emergency laparotomy proforma was suggested.
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Surgery plays a prominent role in healthcare worldwide. It has been estimated that the rate of fatal events occurring in surgery is about one in ten thousand exposures and up to one million deaths per year. ⋯ The WHO surgical safety checklist has shown that patient safety could be improved by using a simple and effective method. However, achieving high compliance requires research, training and local adaptation.
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A prospective review of theatre time utilisation of the senior author's elective orthopaedic lists was carried out over a period of 10 weeks. A total of 41 cases were included. ⋯ The anaesthetic time was 12.0%, and 9.3% of theatre time was used for positioning and draping. Delays in starting the list and turnover time accounted for the remaining 25%.