ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: This study analyzed various factors that may affect social and personal consequences of disease in urological patients, as well as any possible relationships between these factors and disadvantageous situations they might produce. METHODS: A two-year retrospective study on patients of the University Hospital of Valladolid was conducted. The material used included a thorough analysis of case histories and questionnaires comprising all factors considered of interest by the most relevant Bodily Harm Valuers. The data obtained were processed and analyzed by the Statistics and Operations Research Departments of the University of Valladolid. RESULTS: In our study, sex and age were remarkably influential on sexual, economic and disablement damages. The different types of illnesses and the types of operations performed (non-surgical operations presented less consequences than surgical ones), as well as other factors such as distance from the patients' home to hospital, had a statistically significant correlation with the consequences of disease. CONCLUSIONS: We can detect certain disadvantageous situations through a previous study of the different variables that are collected in case histories, such as social, personal and economic circumstances. Thus, we can plan support programs in the future that will certainly reduce the consequences of disease.
Subject(s)
Cost of Illness , Urologic Diseases , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Retrospective Studies , Urologic Diseases/complications , Urologic Diseases/psychologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: To evaluate the diagnostic power of serum myoglobin (Mgb) by latex agglutination as a marker in the first hours of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: Two hundred forty-eight serum samples from 53 patients admitted to the Coronary Unit (CU) from the Emergency Department (ED) for suspected AMI were studied. The extractions were carried out upon admission and at 4, 8, 12, 18, 24 and 36 hours after the initiation of symptoms. Myoglobin was analyzed by radioimmunoassay (RIA) and by a semiquantitative method of latex agglutination (Rapitex), in addition to creatine kinase (CK) and MB fraction (CK-MB). Sensitivity (S), specificity (E), positive and negative predictive value (PPV) (NPV) and standard efficacy (SE) of the different markers were measured along with the correlation between RIA and latex methods for Mgb. RESULTS: For a prevalence of 83%, the latex test provided S = 81%, E = 8%, PPV = 97%, NPV = 50%, ES = 0.85; CK S = 43% (*), E = 88%, PPV = 97%, NPV = 24% (*) and ES = 0.31 (*) (* = p less than 0.01) and CK-MB S.63% (*), E = 100%, PPV = 100%, NPV = 34% (*) and ES = 0.31 (*) (* = p less than 0.05). The correlation between latex and RIA in the first 4 hours was r = 0.8243 (p less than 0.0001). On performing the 2 tests separated by 2 in the first 4, latex NPV was 100%. CONCLUSIONS: Mgb - latex is the earliest AMI indicator and has greater diagnostic strength in the first hours than CK and CK-MB. It has a good correlation with Mgb-RIA and is simple and rapid to carry out making it specially useful in Emergency Departments and Coronary Units.
Subject(s)
Myocardial Infarction/diagnosis , Myoglobin/blood , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Creatine Kinase/blood , Female , Humans , Isoenzymes , Latex Fixation Tests , Male , Middle Aged , Myocardial Infarction/blood , Radioimmunoassay , Sensitivity and Specificity , Time FactorsABSTRACT
Two hundred and twenty cases of acute overdoses are revised using a specific protocol. We have found a larger number of cases of overdoses to exist in women (62.73%), at an average of 32 years of age, the typical deviation being that of 15.8. Intentional overdoses are predominant (80%), 55.1% using benzodiazepines. The abuse of one sole drug (67.3%) is greater in comparison to combining drugs sole drug (67.3%) is greater in comparison to combining drugs with alcohol (10.2%). The treatment most often used was stomach pumping (49.5%), being effective in 76.1% of the cases Hospitalizations total 16.8%, with 30% remaining in observation. A comparison of our study is made with available Spanish sources, demonstrating: a) The smaller number of acute overdoses. b) The increasing importance of the acute overdoses caused by benzodiazepines and derivatives of opium, thus the interest in the use of antidotes such as Naloxone and Flumazenil which improve the prognosis of these patients. In our series in particular, there is a 0% death rate.
Subject(s)
Poisoning/epidemiology , Acute Disease , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Flumazenil/therapeutic use , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Naloxone/therapeutic use , Poisoning/drug therapy , Poisoning/therapy , Spain/epidemiology , Suicide, AttemptedABSTRACT
Thirty-five patients over 14 years of age were evaluated, with the common feature of benzodiazepine poisoning, either as a single drug or associated with others and/or with ethanol, and who had a Glasgow score lower than 10 at admission. These patients were treated with flumazenil as a competitive antagonist drug. The results were very satisfactory. Subsequently, the possible relationship between the effect of flumazenil and the pharmacokinetic benzodiazepine profile was evaluated, and a significant relationship between the half life and the degree of resedation of the patients was found.
