We administered hyperbaric oxygen or air in a double-blind prospective protocol to 39 patients with ischemic cerebral infarction. We interrupted the study when we noticed what appeared to be a trend favoring the air-treated patients, whose neurological deficits were less severe (mean±SEM score on graded neurological examination: air, 25.6±4.9; oxygen, 34.5±7.5) and whose infarcts were smaller (air, 29.0±12.2 cm 3 ; oxygen, 49.2 ±11.7 cm 3 ) at 4 months. The trend, we decided, was probably an artifact of the randomization process. Nevertheless, we chose not to resume the trial because the treatment was difficult to administer by schedule (for various reasons the treatment protocol was broken in 15 of the 39 patients), was poorly tolerated (eight of the 39 patients refused to continue treatments), and did not produce dramatic improvement (Stroke 1991^2:1137-1142)
The authors report the use of intraoperative tissue expansion in the treatment of a neonate with aplasia cutis congenita, a congenital defect of the scalp and skull. The case for immediate surgical intervention is presented, and intraoperative tissue expansion and cranioplasty are recommended as components of an effective surgical approach.
Advances in personal computer technology have made powerful methods for the collection and analysis of patient information available to clinical users. This report details the development of a multi-user database distributed across a network of personal computers that facilitates operative scheduling, and collection and analysis of operative data. Clinicians from each surgical service in our medical center developed customized data entry programs that contribute information centrally through a telephone-line network to prepare the daily operative schedule. Subsequently, information from the operating rooms is added to the preoperative database to form an operative log, which is distributed to client services for further analysis and modification. This system has improved the efficiency and accuracy of operative scheduling and information management and shifted the burden of data collection away from the physician. Widespread availability of these data has contributed to the development of an effective quality improvement program and facilitated effective management of personnel and resources.
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