Doenças arteriais obstrutivas crônicas: fundamentos teóricos para enfermagem vascular / Chronic obstructive arterial diseases: theorist base to vascular nursing

Este artigo tem como objetivo trazer subsídios teóricos aos enfermeiros sobre as doenças arteriais obstrutivas crônicas. Tais doenças, devido sua distribuiçäo mundial, alta incidência, complicaçöes decorrentes e longo tempo de internaçäo para o tratamento, exigem que o enfermeiro esteja atualizado näo somente sobre os padröes na prática profissional de enfermagem, mas também sobre todos os importantes aspectos desta patologia.

Hyperlipidaemia.

This article discusses the etiology of hyperlipidemia and methods of diagnosis and treatment, associating this with the risk of coronary heart disease, so that nurses will develop their understanding and advise patients appropriately.

[The admission and discharge patterns of patients with dementia in psychiatric hospitals]. / Demente patienters indlaeggelses- og udskrivningsmønster på psykiatriske hospitaler.

This paper describes the admission and discharge pattern in a psychiatric hospital for 315 senile and arteriosclerotic demented patients (290.09, 293.09 ICD-8) aged 65 years and over and admitted for the first time. 47% (149) of the patients were admitted from other hospitals and temporary stays in nursing homes. A total of 203 (65%) of the patients experienced one or more changes of residence during the three months prior to admission to the psychiatric hospital. A Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that 25% of the patients were still hospitalized 48 weeks after admission. A total of 62 patients died in the psychiatric hospital, one patient was still hospitalized when the investigation ceased. Of those discharged alive 201, (80%) were discharged to nursing homes 26 (10%) to their own homes and 25 (10%) to hospitals. Of those who had their own home at the time of admission and were discharged alive only 16% were discharged to their own homes, the remainder were discharged to nursing homes and hospitals. On account of the many changes of environment the demented patients experience prior to admission to the psychiatric hospital, they risk developing confusional psychoses which may be disastrous to their physical and mental health.

[Use of psychopharmaceuticals and commitment in psychiatric admissions of elderly patients with dementia]. / Brug af psykofarmaka og tvang ved psykiatriske indlaeggelser af aeldre demente.

Case records of 404 elderly patients (aged 65 years or more) who were admitted for the first time to the Psychiatric Hospital in Aarhus were investigated retrospectively. In 315 patients the diagnoses were senile dementia (290.09) and arteriosclerotic dementia (293.09) according to ICD-8. Information about use of psychotropic drugs before admission and on discharge alive was obtained from the patient case records. In the present study, the use of drugs was not found to be correlated with age, sex and degree of dementia. Significantly fewer committed patients were treated with psychoactive drugs and significantly fewer lived independently in their own homes. Only 42 (13%) patients had a crude psychiatric disorder while 251 (80%) were admitted on account of unacceptable behaviour. 90% of the latter group of patients had been treated with one or more psychoactive drugs on admission. The risks involved in the use of psychoactive drugs are discussed. On account of demographic changes in the Danish population and the recent decrease in psychiatric hospital beds and nursing home beds, it is recommended that the patterns of committed admissions of demented patients to psychiatric hospitals should be followed closely.

Carotid endarterectomy: a review.

The carotid endarterectomy procedure has provided an invaluable option in the management of patients with symptomatic atherosclerotic carotid artery disease. The criteria for surgical interventions vary from different institutions as well as the mortality and morbidity, but, for a select patient population, it is a viable alternative to conservative medical management.