Serious adverse events and deaths linked to poor ventilator use: A report of four closed claims.

Through this series of four closed claims, we highlight examples of accidents stemming from poor ventilator use. We then review the main issues in this regard as reported in the literature and by learned societies. This case series has led us to emphasise the need for safety procedures involving systematic checks prior to use, declaration and analysis of the risk, as well as feedback and teaching regarding ventilation systems.

A ten-year analysis of the reasons for death following ambulatory surgery: Nine closed claims declared to the SHAM insurance.

INTRODUCTION: The constant development of ambulatory surgery (AS) raises the problem of monitoring patients after discharge and the risk of death in the case of delays in the management of a serious complication. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The aim of this retrospective study was to describe the deaths observed within the 30-day period following AS declared to the SHAM insurance (Société hospitalière d'assurance mutuelle) over the last 10 years. RESULTS: During the study period 33,962 claims were surgery-related and 11 were for deaths after AS. Two of the death claims were excluded from our study because they occurred after the first month. The surgeries concerned were tonsilectomy (3), cataract (2), inguinal hernia (2), varicose vein stripping (1) and laparoscopy (1). Death occurred on average 5.4 days after the AS, in intensive care (3), during hospitalisation (2), with emergency medical services (1), in an emergency department (1) or at home (2). Anaesthesia was directly implicated in 3 cases: anaphylactic shock (Diamox), pneumoperitoneum (gastric swelling) and hemoperitoneum (mismanagement of anticoagulants). 1 case was due to a pulmonary embolism and 5 to a surgical cause. DISCUSSION-CONCLUSION: There was only one case where the complication was aggravated due to the delay of care provision and this was because of a lack of information on the complications requiring an emergency return (abdominal pain after laparoscopy). In all the other cases, death would also probably have occurred during conventional hospitalisation, either because it was unavoidable or because the patient was too far from the surgery.

Surgical exploration of hand wounds in the emergency room: Preliminary study of 80 personal injury claims.

BACKGROUND: The SHAM Insurance Company in Lyon, France, estimated that inadequate hand wound exploration in the emergency room (ER) accounted for 10% of all ER-related personal injury claims in 2013. The objective of this study was to conduct a critical analysis of 80 claims that were related to hand wound management in the ER and led to compensation by SHAM. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eighty claims filed between 2007 and 2010 were anonymised then included into the study. To be eligible, claims had to be filed with SHAM, related to the ER management of a hand wound in an adult, and closed at the time of the study. Claims related to surgery were excluded. For each claim, we recorded 104 items (e.g., epidemiology, treatments offered, and impact on social and occupational activities) and analysed. RESULTS: Of the 70 patients, 60% were manual workers. The advice of a surgeon was sought in 16% of cases. The most common wound sites were the thumb (33%) and index finger (17%). Among the missed lesions, most involved tendons (74%) or nerves (29%). Many patients had more than one reason for filing a claim. The main reasons were inadequate wound exploration (97%), stiffness (49%), and dysaesthesia (41%). One third of patients were unable to return to their previous job. Mean sick-leave duration was 148 days and mean time from discharge to best outcome was 4.19%. Most claims (79%) were settled directly with the insurance company, 16% after involvement of a public mediator, and 12% in court. The mean compensatory damages award was 4595Euros. CONCLUSION: Inadequate surgical exploration of hand wounds is common in the ER, carries a risk of lasting and sometimes severe residual impairment, and generates considerable societal costs. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

A snapshot of the striking decrease in cigarette smoking prevalence in Brazil between 1989 and 2008.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the differences in cigarette smoking prevalence rates in Brazil between 1989 and 2008. METHODOLOGY: We calculated absolute and relative differences in smoking prevalences, overall and stratified by gender, age, place of residence, educational level and birth cohort. Data were obtained from random samples from two National Household Surveys (1989,n=39,969; 2008,n=38,461). GLM models were specified to obtain estimates and assess whether differences in proportions of smokers differed by categories of the stratification variables. RESULTS: Adjusted absolute and relative differences in smoking prevalence rates between 1989 and 2008 were, respectively, -12.4% and -41.0%. Individuals aged 15-34 years and those with 9 or more years of education presented larger relative declines than their counterparts (p(s)≤0.001). After stratification by birth cohort, men presented larger reductions than women, only in the absolute scale (p(s)≤0.001), with the exception of the youngest birth cohort (i.e.,1965-1974). CONCLUSIONS: In Brazil, several tobacco control measures have been adopted since 1986, in particular increasing taxation of tobacco products and strong health warnings, which may have contributed to the marked decline in smoking prevalence. It is important to understand the evolution of the tobacco epidemic to propose new actions to prevent initiation and encourage cessation among those who started/continued smoking.

A snapshot of the striking decrease in cigarette smoking prevalence in Brazil between 1989 and 2008

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the differences in cigarette smoking prevalence rates in Brazil between 1989 and 2008. METHODOLOGY: We calculated absolute and relative differences in smoking prevalences, overall and stratified by gender, age, place of residence, educational level and birth cohort. Data were obtained from random samples from two National Household Surveys (1989,n=39,969; 2008,n=38,461). GLM models were specified to obtain estimates and assess whether differences in proportions of smokers differed by categories of the stratification variables.RESULTS: Adjusted absolute and relative differences in smoking prevalence rates between 1989 and 2008 were, respectively, -12.4% and -41.0%. Individuals aged 15-34 years and those with 9 or more years of education presented larger relative declines than their counterparts (p(s)¡Ü0.001). After stratification by birth cohort, men presented larger reductions than women, only in the absolute scale (p(s)¡Ü0.001), with the exception of the youngest birth cohort (i.e.,1965-1974). CONCLUSIONS: In Brazil, several tobacco control measures have been adopted since 1986, in particular increasing taxation of tobacco products and strong health warnings, which may have contributed to the marked decline in smoking prevalence. It is important to understand the evolution of the tobacco epidemic to propose new actions to prevent initiation and encourage cessation among those who started/continued smoking

Priorizaçäo de alternativas em saúde com múltiplos critérios: utilizaçäo do apoio multicritério à decisäo / Priorization of health alternative with criteria multiple: use decision multicentric support

Neste trabalho é proposta a utilização do Apoio Multicritério à Decisão para priorização de alternativas em Saúde. Foi realizado um teste piloto com a Secretaria Municipal de Saúde (SMS) utilizando-se o Processo Analítico Hierárquico (AHP). Os resultados confirmam o grande potencial desta abordagem no apoio à decisão.