Irish medical journal
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Irish medical journal · Apr 2014
Case ReportsSpinal cord stimulation in pregnancy with failed back surgery syndrome.
Women of child-bearing age who are candidates for trial and possible implantation of a spinal cord stimulator (SCS) may express concerns regarding its effect on their ability to become pregnant, to maintain a pregnancy and to breastfeed. Despite the large number of SCS implanted worldwide there is a paucity of data regarding its effect on fertility and the course of the pregnancy. We describe a case of 32 year old lady in our centre who became pregnant after SCS implantation and had an uneventful pregnancy with delivery of a healthy baby which was breastfed.
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Irish medical journal · Apr 2014
Arrest in hospital: a study of in hospital cardiac arrest outcomes.
The effect of advances in cardiac arrest management over the last five decades on in-hospital cardiac arrest survival rates is not clear. Data on 212 arrests between January 2010 and May 2013 were retrospectively analyzed by means of an audit form based upon the Utstein template for in-hospital cardiac arrest, with a view to identifying significant associations between arrest characteristics and return of spontaneous circulation or survival to discharge. Significant associations were identified between return of spontaneous circulation and location (ward, 36 patients (38%) vs. ICU, 33 Patients (56%); P = 0.032), whether an arrest was witnessed or not (82 patients (52%) vs. 9 patients (30%); P = 0.029), whether the initial rhythm was shockable or non-shockable (28 patients (85%) vs. 38 patients (31%); P < 0.001), whether the first dose of adrenaline was administered within 2 minutes of arrest onset or later (13 patients (54%) vs. 12 patients (28%); P = 0.04).