[An older man with a painful hip after a fall]. / Een oudere man met een pijnlijke heup na een val.

A 94-year-old man presented to the Emergency Room after falling on his right hip. This hip was painful and a fracture was suspected. The X-rays showed an abnormal structure of the right femur but no fracture. The images were typical for Paget's disease. The patient was treated with bisphosphonates.

Intraoperative blood pressure changes as a risk factor for anastomotic leakage in colorectal surgery.

PURPOSE: Anastomotic leakage is a serious complication after colorectal surgery. Pre- and intraoperative factors may contribute to failure of colorectal anastomosis. In this study we have tried to determine risk factors for anastomotic leakage, with special emphasis on intraoperative blood pressure changes. METHODS: During a 24-month period, patients receiving a colorectal anastomosis were prospectively evaluated. For each patient preoperative characteristics, intraoperative adverse events and surgical outcome data were collected. Blood pressure changes were calculated as a relative decrease (>25% and >40%) from preoperative baseline values. RESULTS: During the study period, 285 patients underwent colorectal surgery with an anastomosis. Fifteen patients developed an anastomotic leakage (5.3%). All patients who developed a leakage had a left-sided procedure (P < 0.001). When blood loss was more than 250 mL (P = 0.003) or an intraoperative adverse event occurred (P = 0.050), the risk for developing an anastomotic leakage was significantly increased. A preoperative high diastolic blood pressure of ≥90 mmHg (P = 0.008) and severe intraoperative hypotension [>40% decrease in diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.049)] were identified as univariate risk factors for anastomotic leakage. CONCLUSIONS: The development of an anastomotic leakage after colorectal surgery is related to surgical, patient and anaesthetic risk factors. A high preoperative diastolic blood pressure and profound intraoperative hypotension combined with complex surgery, marked by a blood loss of ≥250 mL and the occurrence of intraoperative adverse events, is associated with an increased risk of developing anastomotic leakage.

Cochlear implantation of Danish prelingually deaf children.

The aim of the study was to review the indications, techniques and results of cochlear implant (CI) treatment with the Nucleus CI multi-channel electrode for the first children operated on in Denmark. The study material comprised 16 children (5 girls, 11 boys). Their median age at the time of CI operation was 27 months. Anacusis was caused by pneumococcal meningitis in 31% of the children in this relatively young prelingual material. Obliteration of the cochlea was found in two children, indicating the need for surgery as soon as possible after the verification of post-meningitis, total deafness. There were no technical difficulties with operating on the youngest children in the congenital group and the age of 2 years is optimal for implantation. These preliminary results have contributed definitively to an increase in the number of cochlear implantations being carried out in young prelingually deaf Danish children.

A hermeneutic textual analysis of suffering and caring in the peri-operative context.

Hermeneutic text interpretation is discussed in this paper as a possible way of releasing nurses' knowledge, in order to develop a deeper understanding of professional caring. The text is a nurse's story, which has been gathered by means of the critical incident technique. The intention is to elicit the knowledge of professional caring in the stories and the language of caring science, which is concealed in a nurse's reality. Hermeneutic text interpretation through reading a text and having a dialogue with the nurse's reality will give a voice and a language to silent knowledge.

[Cochlear implantation in children. The first Danish results]. / Cochleaimplantation hos børn. De første danske resultater.

The aim of this study is to review indication, technique and results of cochlear implant (CI) treatment with Nucleus CI-multi-electrode of the first ten children operated in Denmark (five children with congenital deafness and five with acquired prelingual deafness due to meningitis). In the literature, the importance of early referral and operation at the age 2-3 (4) years for congenital deafness and as soon as possible on suspicion of acquired deafness (meningitis) is stressed. A short survey of our indications, technique and rehabilitation is presented. The results of treatment after 11-44 months' use of CI are that one child has language almost matching age, four use words and short sentences accompanied by support signing, three have sound reaction and say single words without sentence building, but of these two children have only used CI for a very short time and are improving. Two meningitis sequelae cases had cochlear ossification, which made the implantation difficult. Both patients had to be operated, and one of them is not using the processor.

Perioperative nurses' encounter with value conflicts. A descriptive study.

The aim of the study was to gain a better insight into perioperative nurses' experience in a value conflict that has arisen in the perioperative caring environment and how they deal with it. In order to obtain as full and objective a picture as possible the critical incident technique was chosen. Perioperative nurses were asked to write down stories about value conflicts which they have experienced in the perioperative caring environment. When interpreting the textual content of the stories the aim has been to understand the meaning of nurses' experiences and how the nurses act in a value conflict situation. A value conflict is something that nurses have become part of against their own will. They are prevented from giving the good care they want to give, they are in conflict with themselves and have a bad conscience, and they feel guilt and shame for not having prevented the value conflict. The nurse who is involved in a value conflict aims, for the sake of the patient, to be a professional caring nurse. The nurse chooses to be the patient's neighbour, the one who suffers along with the patient and represents the patient's cry for help.

Exploring ethical dilemmas in perioperative nursing practice through critical incidents.

This article describes the nature of ethical dilemmas in perioperative nursing practice. Using the Critical Incident Technique, common ethical dilemmas experienced by perioperative nurses are explored. The aim of the study was to elicit the ethical dilemmas that arise in perioperative nurses' practice. The study has a descriptive design and the data are critical incidents described by 48 anaesthetic nurses and 76 operating theatre nurses. An analysis of the critical incidents gave four domains of ethical dilemmas: those arising as value conflicts in the intraoperative phase of surgery; those emanating from the patient's right of self-determination; those arising in caring for patients; and those resulting from the allocation of scarce resources and the demands of increased effectiveness.