Bidirectional referral system between National Taiwan University Hospital medical center and Zhongxiao Branch community hospital of Taipei City Hospital: focus on patient satisfaction.

The policy of bidirectional referral between National Taiwan University Hospital and Taipei City Hospital has been launched due to the over-crowding of the emergency department at National Taiwan University Hospital. This research aims to evaluate patient satisfaction with the bidirectional referral. Sixty-six patients have been referred from the emergency department of National Taiwan University Hospital to Taipei City Hospital, Zhongxiao campus from April 2015 to December 2017. The selection criteria of the subjects for bidirectional referral include the management of patients classified as triage classification 2 or 3. Exclusion criteria are as follows: incomplete patient records and patients who chose hospice care. Sixty-six patients completed the questionnaires. Multivariate regression was used to evaluate the determinants of overall satisfaction scores of the bidirectional referral. The two overall satisfaction scores of patients were high (> 7). Three independent variables, (1) overall satisfaction scores of medical care at Taipei City Hospital, Zhongxiao campus, (2) waiting times for examination, treatment, and test, and (3) a positive question regarding quality improvement of delivered care for patients and family explained 69.3% adjusted variability of the overall satisfaction scores of bidirectional referrals. Therefore, the policy of bidirectional referrals and direct admission into the wards of Taipei City Hospital, Zhongxiao campus, from the emergency department of National Taiwan University Hospital met the criteria for patient satisfaction and public accountability.

Development of refractory ascites during amiodarone therapy in a hemodialysis patient with nephrogenic and cardiogenic ascites.

In this report, the clinical characteristics of a 65-year-old female patient with tricuspid regurgitation, ischemic cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure, and chronic renal failure were retrospectively evaluated. Laboratory studies revealed cardiogenic ascites coincided with nephrogenic ascites and subclinical amiodarone-induced hypothyroidism. The ascites of the patient was responsive to management of congestive heart failure and therapeutic paracentesis during the first episode, add-on therapy with intensified hemodialysis during the second episode, and add-on therapy with low-dose eltroxin during the third episode. When nephrogenic ascites and cardiogenic ascites of maintenance hemodialysis patients become refractory, hypothyroidism should be examined in these patients.

Correlation of serum leptin concentrations with body composition and gender in Taiwanese hemodialysis patients without diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: (1) To evaluate the impact of body composition and gender on serum leptin concentration in hemodialysis patients. (2) To study which marker of adiposity is most appropriate in Taiwanese hemodialysis patients without diabetes. (3) To compare the nutrition status between nonlean and lean subjects. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Serum leptin concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay collected in 88 hemodialysis patients without diabetes. Bioimpedance analysis was performed to determine percent fat mass (%FM), lean body mass (LM), and total body water (TBW). Body mass index (BMI) was calculated as weight/height2. Albumin and transferrin were measured by standard laboratory methods. RESULTS: Serum leptin levels were more correlated with percent fat mass (r = 0.697; P < 0.001) than with body fat mass (r = 0.672; P < 0.001) or with BMI (r = 0.594; P < 0.001) in the group as a whole and in each subgroup when analyzed separately by gender. The mean (+/- SD) serum leptin levels were 32.5 +/- 34.3 ng mL(-1) in women subjects and 13.6 +/- 15.5 ng mL(-1) in men subjects (P < 0.001). Multiple regression analysis in all subjects revealed that serum leptin levels were independently affected by percent fat mass and gender. Adiposity corrected serum leptin, such as leptin/BMI, leptin/percent fat mass, and leptin/body fat mass was significantly different between sexes (P < 0.001). The significantly higher serum leptin concentrations in women than in men were observed in obese subjects with BMI > 25 kg/m2 (P < 0.001) as well as nonobese subjects with BMI < 25 kg/m2 (P < 0.05). There were no differences in lean mass and albumin between nonlean and lean subjects. CONCLUSION: Gender and adiposity had impact on serum leptin levels in hemodialysis patients without diabetes. In terms of adiposity, serum leptin levels had stronger correlation with percent fat mass than with body fat mass (FM) or BMI in Taiwanese hemodialysis patients. Steady-state serum leptin levels could serve as valuable clinical markers for the body adiposity in stable hemodialysis patients without diabetes. Protein malnutrition markers and lean mass should be checked in lean subjects for the evaluation of the protein stores of hemodialysis patients.