Summary
The prevalence and severity of aortic stenosis in unselected patients admitted with a hip fracture is unknown. Derriford Hospital operates a routine weekday, pre‐operative, targeted bedside echocardiography examination on all patients admitted with a hip fracture. We carried out a prospective service evaluation for 13 months from October 2007 on all 501 admissions, of which 374 (75%) underwent pre‐operative echocardiography. Of those patients investigated, 8 (2%) had severe, 24 (6%) moderate and 113 (30%) had mild aortic stenosis or aortic sclerosis. Eighty‐seven of 278 (31%) patients with no murmur detected clinically on admission had aortic stenosis on echocardiography and of the 96 patients in whom a murmur was heard pre‐operatively, 30 (31%) had a normal echocardiogram. Detection of a murmur does not necessarily reflect the presence of underling aortic valve disease. However, if a murmur is heard then the likelihood of the lesion's being moderate or severe aortic stenosis is increased (OR 8.5; 95% CI 3.8–19.5). Forty‐four (12%) of our unselected patients with fractured femur had either moderate or severe aortic stenosis (with or without moderate or severe left ventricular failure), or mild stenosis with moderately or severely impaired left ventricular function.
Background. Day-case laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is a safe and cost-effective treatment for gallstones. In 2006, our institution recorded an 86% laparoscopic, 10% day-case, and 5% readmission rate. A gallbladder pathway was therefore introduced in 2007 with the aim of increasing daycase rates. Methods. Patients with symptomatic gallstones, proven on ultrasound, were referred to a specialist-led clinic. Those suitable for surgery were consented, preassessed, and provided with a choice of dates. All defaulted to day case unless deemed unsuitable due to comorbidity or social factors. Results. The number of cholecystectomies increased from 464 in 2006 to 578 in 2008. Day-case rates in 2006, 2007, 2008, and June 2009 were 10%, 20%, 30%, and 61%, respectively. Laparoscopic and readmission rates remained unchanged. Conversion rates for elective cholecystectomy fell from 6% in 2006 to 3% in 2009. Conclusions. Development of a gallbladder pathway increased day-case rates sixfold without an associated increase in conversion or readmission rates.
Two per cent articaine is safe and effective for peribulbar anaesthesia by inferotemporal injection and is a suitable alternative to the traditional mixture of 0.5% bupivacaine and 2% lidocaine.
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