This is a repository copy of Effectiveness of a national quality improvement programme to improve survival after emergency abdominal surgery (EPOCH) : a stepped-wedge cluster-randomised trial. Effectiveness of a national quality improvement programme to improve survival after emergency abdominal surgery (EPOCH) : a stepped-wedge cluster-randomised trial. The Lancet. ISSN 0140-6736 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32521-2 eprints@whiterose.ac.uk https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/
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Implications of all the available evidenceDespite the success of some smaller projects, there was no survival benefit from a national quality improvement programme to implement a care pathway for patients undergoing emergency abdominal surgery. To succeed, large national quality improvement programmes need to allow for differences between hospitals and ensure teams have both the time and resources needed to improve patient care.
An older lady presented 1 week after being discharged from hospital with acute cholecystitis. She suffered a sudden onset lower abdominal pain and was in hypovolaemic shock upon arrival. It was noted that she had been on antiplatelet therapy after suffering a recent myocardial infarction, an immunosuppressor and steroids for rheumatoid arthritis. Her admission bloods revealed a platelet count of 83 with normal clotting factors. After resuscitation, a CT scan confirmed fluid in the abdomen possibly arising from the right subhepatic space. During laparotomy, bleeding was noted from a perforated and ischaemic-looking gallbladder, with an intact cystic artery and duct and no biliary calculi evident. The gallbladder was removed and the patient was transferred to intensive therapy unit. She recovered well within the subsequent 8 days and was discharged. Her histology described 'haemorrhage within the gallbladder wall along with oedema, fibrosis and patchy inflammation and no signs of malignancy or gangrene'.
Lumps in the groin frequently present to the accident and emergency department and can relate to a number of diseases that require different management. Kikuchi's disease, first described in Japan in 1972 is a form of histiocytic necrotising lymphadenitis. It was discovered as a result of patients who were previously diagnosed with lymphoma but then recovered too quickly for it to be lymphoma. There appears to be no association with other pathologies but it remains important to exclude any autoimmune diseases and other causes of lymphadenopathy. We present a single rare case of a 39-year-old Caucasian gentleman who presented with a tender right inguinal groin lump.
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