A primi at 35 weeks of gestation presented with symptoms and signs of severe pregnancy induced hypertension. Soon after admission she developed eclampsia. A healthy baby was delivered by emergency lower segment cesarean section. The patient developed bilateral lower extremity weakness 12 hours after surgery. A contrast CT identified superior sagittal sinus thrombosis as the cause of her symptoms. The patient was anti-coagulated and made a complete recovery.
Background: Tracheostomy-tube change protocols are implemented primarily due to concern regarding infections. Currently changes vary from within 4 weeks post-insertion to 3 monthly thereafter. However, currently no evidence-based guidelines exist to justify these protocols. This study aims to assess the colonization of tracheostomy-tubes associated with the frequency of changes. Methods: A prospective cohort study over 18-months of adult tracheostomy patients at a single institution (inpatient/outpatients). Patients were grouped based on whether tubes were changed at ≤4 weeks or >4 weeks and microbiology swabs sent for microscopy, culture and sensitivities. Results: A total of 65 patients were enrolled. No statistically significant difference in colonization in patients undergoing tube changes more than every 4 weeks to those less than every 4 weeks was found (56.2% versus 57.1%, χ 2 = 0.004, P = 0.95). Conclusion: The timing of tracheostomy-tube changes may not affect colonization and infection rates. Routine changes for the purpose of reducing infection risk may not be needed unless clinically indicated.
Abstract:Abstract BACKGROUND: Diverticulosis is extremely common in western society. A recent study has shown that outpatient, non-antibiotic management of acute uncomplicated diverticulitis may be a feasible and safe option. However the ability to identify these patients is still difficult. This study explores the ability of white cell count, C-reactive protein and bilirubin in differentiating patients with complicated and uncomplicated diverticulitis as well as progression to surgical intervention. METHODS: This is a retrospective study of patients admitted with acute diverticulitis over a 5-year period (2009)(2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014) at a single institution in Australia. Patients were classified into three groups; uncomplicated diverticulitis, complicated diverticulitis without surgery and complicated diverticulitis with surgery. ANOVA and Bonferroni's post-hoc analyses were used to compare markers across the groups. RESULTS: A total of 541 patients met the inclusion criteria for this study. One-way ANOVA showed a significant difference in white cell count (p<0.0001), C-reactive protein (p<0.0001) and bilirubin (p=0.0006) between all three groups. Post-hoc analyses showed a significant difference in white cell count, C-reactive protein and bilirubin when comparing uncomplicated diverticulitis against complicated diverticulitis without surgery (p<0.05) and complicated diverticulitis with surgery (p<0.05). White cell count also showed a significant difference when comparing complicated diverticulitis without surgery and complicated diverticulitis with surgery (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: White cell count, C-reactive protein and bilirubin can distinguish between uncomplicated and complicated diverticulitis.
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