Articles: cations.
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Recent literature suggests that focus in health care should shift from reducing costs to improving quality; where quality of health care improves, cost reduction will follow. Our primary aim was to investigate whether improving the quality of surgical colorectal cancer care, by using a national quality improvement initiative, leads to a reduction of hospital costs. ⋯ This report presents evidence for simultaneous quality improvement and cost reduction. Participation in a nationwide quality improvement initiative with continuous quality measurement and benchmarked feedback reveals opportunities for targeted improvements, bringing the medical field forward in improving value of health care delivery. The focus of health care should shift to improving quality, which will catalyze costs savings as well.
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The SCN9A gene product is a critical component in human pain perception. Recent studies found that single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in this gene contributed to the risk and severity of common pain phenotypes. ⋯ The current study provides evidence that postoperative pain was affected by SCN9A variability in gynecological patients. Notably, our results provide the first indication that SCN9A SNP rs4286289 can be used as a predictor for hypersensitivity to postoperative pain.
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Introduction. Psychosocial and somatosensory factors are involved in the pathophysiology of chronic migraine (CM) and chronic temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Objective. ⋯ Conclusion. No differences were observed in pain catastrophizing and kinesiophobia between women with CM and with chronic TMD. Women with CM or chronic TMD showed higher levels of pain catastrophizing than asymptomatic subjects.
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Only one previous case report has described scald burns secondary to hair braiding in pediatric patients. The present case study is the largest to date of scald burns as a result of hair braiding in children and adults. Charts of all 1609 female patients seen at a single burn center from 2008 to 2014 were retrospectively reviewed to identify patients with scald burns attributed to hair braiding. ⋯ Complications included functional limitations (n = 2), hypertrophic scarring (n = 1), cellulitis requiring antibiotics (n = 1), and anxiety requiring medical/psychological therapy (n = 2). This peculiar mechanism of injury not only carries inherent morbidity that includes the risks of functional limitations, infection, and psychological repercussions but also increases usage of resources through hospital admissions and multiple clinic visits. Further work in the form of targeted outreach programs is necessary to educate the community regarding this preventable mechanism of injury.
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Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is an established surgical treatment for medically intractable epilepsy with more than 75 000 devices implanted worldwide. While there are many reports documenting efficacy, complications, and clinical use, there are very few reports concerning VNS battery replacement and revision surgeries. ⋯ VNS battery replacement, revisions, and removals account for almost one-half of all VNS procedures. Our findings suggest important long-term expectations for VNS including expected complications, battery life, and other surgical issues. Review of the literature suggests that this is the first large review of VNS revisions by a single center. Our findings are important to better characterize long-term surgical expectations of VNS therapy. A significant portion of patients undergoing VNS therapy will eventually require revision.