Clinical medicine (London, England)
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Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is a common cause of hospital admissions and can cause significant patient discomfort and distress. The most common SVTs include atrioventricular nodal re-entrant tachycardia, atrioventricular re-entrant tachycardia and atrial tachycardia. In many cases, the underlying mechanism can be deduced from electrocardiography during tachycardia, comparing it with sinus rhythm, and assessing the onset and offset of tachycardia. ⋯ All patients treated for SVT should be referred for a heart rhythm specialist opinion. Long-term treatment is dependent on several factors including frequency of symptoms, risk stratification, and patient preference. Management can range from conservative, if symptoms are rare and the patient is low risk, to catheter ablation which is curative in the majority of patients.
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Observational Study
Integrating mental and physical health assessment in a neuro-otology clinic: feasibility, acceptability, associations and prevalence of common mental health disorders.
People with persistent physical symptoms are at risk of psychological symptoms, although recognition in medical settings is low. This is a retrospective observational study of 954 patients in a hospital outpatient neuro-otology clinic in order to assess the feasibility and acceptability of an electronic informatics system for collection of patient-reported outcomes, with real-time feedback to guide clinical care and describe the prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms. The proportion of patients successfully completing the screen was high (70%). ⋯ Suicidal ideation was present in 5%. Anxiety and depression were highly correlated to dizziness specific outcome measures (p<0.01). Electronic screening is feasible and acceptable to patients and staff in this setting, helping to identify service needs, inform care and monitor outcomes.