Danish medical journal
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Danish medical journal · Dec 2012
Comparative StudyIncreased levels of C-reactive protein and leukocyte count are poor predictors of anastomotic leakage following laparoscopic colorectal resection.
Laparoscopic procedure and fast-track regimen with short post-operative hospital stay are gaining ground in colorectal surgery. The aim of the present study was to determine whether the levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and white blood cell counts (WBC) have a role as early predictors of post-operative septic complications including anastomotic leakage in patients operated laparoscopically in a fast-track regimen. ⋯ The insufficient diagnostic accuracy of the levels of CRP and WBC made them weak diagnostic markers in prediction of post-operative septic complications, including anastomotic leakage, in the first three post-operative days after laparoscopic colorectal surgery.
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We have created a mindfulness approach to treat patients who experience multiple, persistent, and disabling physical symptoms that cannot be explained by a well-defined medical or surgical condition. Randomized controlled trials in this area are few, and research is hampered by the lack of clear definitions. Bodily distress syndrome (BDS) or bodily stress is an empirically defined definition unifying various conditions such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and somatization disorder. ⋯ Five and ten years before their inclusion, the BDS patients were less self-supporting than an age-, gender- and ethnicity-matched population control group; the BDS patients accumulated more weeks of sickness benefit and unemployment. Thus, the included BDS patients may have been ill and in high risk for a social decline five and ten years before they received a proper diagnosis and treatment. In conclusion, the social and economic consequences of BDS are significant and mindfulness therapy may have a potential to significantly improve function, quality of life and symptoms, prevent a social decline, and reduce societal costs.
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Danish medical journal · Nov 2012
ReviewImpaired physical function, loss of muscle mass and assessment of biomechanical properties in critical ill patients.
Intensive care unit (ICU) admission is associated with muscle weakness and ICU survivors report sustained limitation of physical capacity for years after discharge. Limited information is available on the underlying biomechanical properties responsible for this muscle function impairment. ⋯ Despite the obvious clinical significance of muscle atrophy for the functional impairment observed in ICU survivors, no preventive therapies have been identified as yet. The overall aim of the present dissertation is to characterize aspects of physical function and biomechanical properties in ICU patients and to provide new insights into ICU-induced muscle wasting and the underlying biomechanical mechanisms responsible for the residual impairment of physical function in ICU survivors.
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Danish medical journal · Nov 2012
Customization of a tool to assess Danish surgeons´ non-technical skills in the operating room.
Errors in surgery often stem from failure related to non-technical skills such as communication and teamwork. Tools for training and assessment of non-technical skills are needed to ensure safe surgery. The aim of this study was to customize the Non-Technical Skills for Surgeons (NOTSS) rating system for Danish general surgeons. ⋯ not relevant.
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Danish medical journal · Nov 2012
Medication problems are frequent and often serious in a Danish emergency department and may be discovered by clinical pharmacists.
Transferring a patient from one health-care sector to another implies a risk of medication errors. It is of interest to evaluate whether a specialist in clinical pharmacy is beneficial for the patients in the emergency departments (ED). The aim of the present study was to report the incidence, categories and seriousness of medication problems discovered by clinical pharmacists in an ED and to evaluate if it is possible for pharmacists to identify those groups of patients who are most at risk of medication problems. ⋯ The Amgros research foundation financed salaries for the independent specialists who reviewed the patient files.