An Assessment of Wound Dressing by Nursing Personnel at Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (O.O.U.T.H.) Shagamu; Ogun State; Nigeria

Introduction: A variety of effects may result in the occurrence of a wound which may result in immediate loss of all or part of organ functioning; sympathetic stress response; hemorrhage and blood clotting; bacterial contamination and death of cells. Careful asepsis is the most important factor in keeping these effects to a minimum and promoting the successful care of wounds which is dependent on the nurse's knowledge and understanding of normal wound healing physiology; method of closure and the optimal treatment of the wound and with this knowledge; nurses can provide a systematic and holistic patient assessment; and consider any potential wound related complications (Vuolo JC 2006). Aim: This investigation aimed to assess wound dressing performances among nursing personnel in the three surgical wards of Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (O.O.U.T.H.) Shagamu Ogun State Nigeria.Methodology:The investigators utilized the descriptive method of research. A total of sixty nursing personnel in the male; female; and paediatric surgical wards were randomly selected for the investigation. Performance of wound dressing was assessed through an investigators formulated questionnaire and evaluation checklist based on the concept of sterile wound dressing technique.Results: Nurses have a very good performance of wound dressing as they applied the concepts/principles of sterile technique in the performance of the procedure. There was no significant difference between nurses in the performance of wound dressing and their demographic variables such as age; gender; religion; and educational qualification. However; significant difference was found between length of clinical experience and practice of wound dressing.Conclusion: Findings suggests a relationship between length of clinical experience and practice of good wound dressing. Hence regular seminars on wound dressing should be organized to refresh nurses and keep them up to date in nursing practice

Evaluation of Point-of-Care Tests for Detecting Microalbuminuria in Diabetic Patients

Background: Microalbuminuria; the presence of low levels of albumin in the urine; indicates renal damage and is recognised as a risk factor for the progression of renal and cardiovascular disease. Several international scientific bodies recommend microalbuminuria screening. Point-of-care testing (POCT) of microalbuminuria allows immediate identification of risk; and monitoring of treatment effects. In this study; two POCT instruments were evaluated as microalbuminuria screening methods. Method: Spot urine specimens from diabetic patients were analysed with the quantitative HemoCuer urine albumin analyser (n = 245); and the semiquantitative Clinitekr microalbumin urine dipstick (n = 204). These results were compared to the respective data for laboratory-determined albumin (nephelometry); creatinine (modified Jaffe) and albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR). Results: Linear regression analysis demonstrated a good correlation for the HemoCuer urine albumin with the laboratorydetermined albumin concentration (y = 0.8557x + 0.2487y; r = 0.97). The sensitivities for the HemoCuer and Clinitekr POCTsystems were 79.6and 83.8; and the pecificities 97.1and 93.8respectively. Positive and negative predictive values for the HemoCuer were 95.6and 85.8; and were 88.6and 91.0the Clinitekr. The repeatability of both instruments was excellent. Both instruments are easy to use; and more cost-effective than the laboratory methods for albumin and ACR. Conclusion: Both the HemoCuer and the Clinitekr microalbumin POCT systems for albuminuria are easy to use and inexpensive; and are adequately accurate as a screening method. Although the HemoCuer POCT system measures only urine albumin concentration; its sensitivity and specificity compared well with that of the Clinitekr POCT system; which determines the ACR

Echocardiographic Assessment of Left Atrial Size in Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease : Cardiovascular Topic

Background: Cardiac disease is the most common cause of death in patients with end-stage renal disease. It is assumed that the high rate of cardiovascular mortality is related to accelerated atherosclerosis. Patients with chronic renal insufficiency have an increased prevalence of coronary artery disease; silent myocardial ischaemia; complex ventricular arrhythmias; atrial fibrillation; left ventricular hypertrophy; annular mitral and aortic valve calcification; and enlargement of the left atrium; than patients with normal renal function. It is also well known that haemodialysis is associated with cardiovascular structural changes and rapid fluctuations in electrolyte levels. In this study; we sought to estimate left atrial size by means of echocardiography and to determine any correlations between different echocardiographic measurements in patients with end-stage renal disease. Methods: We analysed data from 123 patients who were on regular haemodialysis; by means of traditional transthoracic echocardiographic examination. The usual statistical parameters; correlations and the Student's t-test were performed; with levels of significance of p 0.01 and p 0.05. Results: The most presented age group was 60 to 69 years old; with a predomination of females (56.1). We found dilated left atrium in 26.02of the study patients and a high statistical correlation between different methods of measurement and calculated volumes of the left atrium. Conclusion: Evaluation of left atrial size should be determined by several different measurements; and left atrial enlargement should be seen as a risk factor for advancing disease