Articles: patients.
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A postal questionnaire was sent to 357 consultant surgeons who were thought to be involved in a general surgical on-call rota, to ascertain their current management of patients with acute cholecystitis. Replies were received from 250 consultants (70 per cent) of whom 242 (68 per cent) were involved in a general surgical take. Sixteen of these consultants, however, handed their patients with acute cholecystitis on to a different team the following day for further management. ⋯ Despite evidence to support the increased use of emergency cholecystectomy, this practice is routinely carried out by only 12 per cent of consultants. However, of the consultants who treat their patients conservatively, 28 per cent are prepared to undertake emergency cholecystectomy if an unexpected space appears on the theatre list.
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Un sondage sur les pratiques de cardiostimulation au Canada effectue en 1997 a revele un profond desir pour des lignes directrices nationales sur le suivi des cardiostimulateurs. Ces lignes directrices sur le suivi des cardiostimulateurs representent une declaration de consensus du Groupe de travail canadien sur la cardiostimulation. Le suivi des patients en personne plutot que par moyens transtelephoniques est preferable. ⋯ Des examens plus frequents peuvent etre requis pour certains patients. Ceci dependra des problemes cardiovasculaires associes et des appareils en particulier. Une visite de suivi typique devrait comprendre un examen cardiovasculaire oriente, l'interrogation du systeme de cardiostimulation et une revue des donnees de telemetrie, un examen du rythme sous-jacent, un examen des seuils de stimulation et de detection et une reprogrammation adequate des parametres pour optimaliser le fonctionnement et la longevite de l'appareil.
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Physician-assisted suicide was legalized in Oregon in October 1997. There are data on patients who have received prescriptions for lethal medications and died after taking the medications. There is little information, however, on physicians' experiences with requests for assistance with suicide. ⋯ Our data indicate that in Oregon, physicians grant about 1 in 6 requests for a prescription for a lethal medication and that 1 in 10 requests actually result in suicide. Substantive palliative interventions lead some--but not all--patients to change their minds about assisted suicide.
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[American College of Emergency Physicians. Emergency physicians' patient care responsibilities outside of the emergency department. Ann Emerg Med. February 2000;35:209.].
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The Utstein guidelines recommend that emergency medical services (EMS)-witnessed cardiac arrests be considered separately from other out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases. The objective of this study was to assess EMS-witnessed cardiac arrest and to determine predictors of survival in this group. ⋯ EMS-witnessed cases are clearly an important subset of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and are characterized by 2 distinct symptom groups: chest pain and dyspnea. These symptoms are important predictors of survival and may also help determine underlying mechanisms before patient collapse. A later phase of the OPALS study will prospectively evaluate the impact of out-of-hospital advanced life support on the survival of victims of EMS-witnessed cardiac arrest. [De Maio VJ, Stiell IG, Wells GA, Spaite DW, for the OPALS Study Group. Cardiac arrest witnessed by emergency medical services personnel: descriptive epidemiology, prodromal symptoms, and predictors of survival. Ann Emerg Med. February 2000;35:138-146.].