[Total cavopulmonary anastomosis for definitive palliation of complex univentricular cardiovascular systems--potential preoperative risk factors]. / Totale kavopulmonale Anastomose zur definitiven Palliation komplexer univentrikulärer Kreislaufsysteme--potentielle präoperative Risikofaktoren.

The modified Fontan operation for definitive palliation has been performed in an increasing number of patients with various forms of a functionally univentricular heart. To eliminate the influence of different surgical techniques only patients after total cavopulmonary anastomosis (TCPA) were included in this retrospective analysis of preoperative risk factors. The age at operation in 72 patients varied from 7 to 219 months (median 54 months); 29 patients had been younger than 4 years. Forty-nine patients presented with a complex form of a functionally univentricular heart; associated systemic- or pulmonary venous anomalies were found in 22 patients, AV valve abnormalities in 42 patients with AV valve incompetence in 21 patients. Preoperative hemodynamic data revealed an elevated mean pulmonary artery pressure (> 15 mm Hg), increased pulmonary arteriolar resistance (> 3 U.m2) or end-diastolic ventricular pressure (> 12 mm Hg) in 23 patients. The overall mortality was 9.7% (7/72 patients). Variables with significant influence on postoperative mortality were associated systemic- and pulmonary venous anomalies. AV-valve incompetence and prolonged cardio-pulmonary bypass time. Age at operation, preoperative pulmonary arteriolar resistance, systemic- and pulmonary blood flow did not influence postoperative mortality. Even in patients with a complex form of a univentricular heart with associated anomalies and borderline preoperative hemodynamics TCPA can be performed with an acceptable risk.

Senior medical students as simulated patients in an objective structured clinical examination: motivation and benefits.

Third and fourth year medical students were recruited to participate as simulated patients and examiners in an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) administered for second year medical students. Students reported they were motivated to participate, not only by the honorarium, but because they believed the OSCE would be fun and interesting and because they were interested in medical education and in improving clinical evaluation. The third and fourth year medical students benefitted academically and financially from participation. Faculty benefitted by having a readily available source of enthusiastic and knowledgeable simulated patients.

Comparing students' feedback about clinical instruction with their performances.

Validation of students' feedback as a measure of teaching effectiveness has been problematic for courses teaching clinical skills. This is true in part because establishing a valid and reliable method of assessing students' mastery of clinical skills has been a stumbling block. Reported here is the correlation of students' performances on an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) with previously and independently collected feedback from students. In 1987-88, 190 second-year medical students at the University of Minnesota Medical School--Minneapolis spent one fourth of a second-year clinical skills course on neurology randomly assigned to one of four teaching sites--hospitals A, B, C, and D. Following their rotations, 180 of the students completed usable feedback forms. The students were consistently and significantly more positive about the teaching at hospital A. At the end of the year, all 190 students were tested using an OSCE having 20 stations, four of which presented neurologic problems. The students who had the neurology course at hospital A performed better on all four neurology problems, and differences were statistically significant for two of the problems. Feedback in this case accurately reflected a more effective teaching program.