Gram stain microbiological pattern of upper extremities suppuration at Baptist Medical Centre, Ogbomoso Nigeria: a fifteen month review.

Sixty-eight (68) patients with serious upper extremity suppurative infections, presenting within a period of fifteen (15) months, were prospectively studied clinically, Gram stain of aspirates/pus were performed, specimen cultured, planted, and where indicated glucose levels and haemoglobin genotype determined. Half of the patients had hand infections. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from thirty-nine (39) patients. Gram Negative bacilli, including Salmonella were more isolated from patients with diabetes mellitus or Hgb SS or SC. The Gram stain results correlated with the culture result 90%. When Gram Positive cocci were demonstrated in the primary microscopic examination, cultures were not mandatory. When no organism was demonstrated on primary Gram stain or the patient was diabetic or a sickler, cultures of the specimens were done. The Gram stain, well performed, remains a useful, inexpensive, technologically appropriate laboratory test for abetting decision making in patients with upper extremity suppurative infections. Organisms encountered in this study included: Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Salmonella typhi, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Coliforms.

Perforated appendicitis in children: is there a best treatment?

PURPOSE: This study was performed to provide outcome data for the development of evidenced-based management techniques for children with appendicitis in the authors' hospital. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of 1,196 consecutive children with appendicitis over a 5-year period (1996 to 2001) at a metropolitan hospital. RESULTS: The median age was 9 years (7 months to 18 years). The perforation rate was 38.9%, and the nonappendicitis rate was 5.6%. Predictors of perforation included age less than 8 years, Hispanic ethnicity, generalized abdominal tenderness, rebound tenderness, and increased number of bands. In perforated cases, the median length of stay was 5 days, and the complication rate was 13.5%. There was no difference in complication rates related to type or timing of antibiotics or related to the individual surgeon. There was no difference in infection rates related to type of wound management. CONCLUSIONS: Children with perforated appendicitis are treated effectively by a less expensive broad-spectrum antibiotic regimen, expeditious operation by open or laparoscopic technique, primary wound closure, and postoperative intravenous antibiotics until they are afebrile for 24 hours and have a white blood cell count of less than 12,000/mm3. This approach is to be used in our prospective, randomized analysis of children treated on or off a clinical pathway.

The inner life of physicians and care of the seriously ill.

Seriously ill persons are emotionally vulnerable during the typically protracted course of an illness. Physicians respond to such patients' needs and emotions with emotions of their own, which may reflect a need to rescue the patient, a sense of failure and frustration when the patient's illness progresses, feelings of powerlessness against illness and its associated losses, grief, fear of becoming ill oneself, or a desire to separate from and avoid patients to escape these feelings. These emotions can affect both the quality of medical care and the physician's own sense of well-being, since unexamined emotions may also lead to physician distress, disengagement, burnout, and poor judgment. In this article, which is intended for the practicing, nonpsychiatric clinician, we describe a model for increasing physician self-awareness, which includes identifying and working with emotions that may affect patient care. Our approach is based on the standard medical model of risk factors, signs and symptoms, differential diagnosis, and intervention. Although it is normal to have feelings arising from the care of patients, physicians should take an active role in identifying and controlling those emotions.

How prevalent are hospital-based palliative care programs? Status report and future directions.

In the United States, the majority of deaths occur in the hospital but the dying process there is at best unsatisfactory and more likely inadequate for both patients and caregivers. The development of hospital-based palliative care programs (HBPCPs) can vastly improve inpatient end-of-life care. This study is the first to examine the prevalence and characteristics of HBPCPs in the United States, thus providing a snapshot of the characteristics of these HBPCPs. It also serves as a baseline and benchmark against which future development and patterns of HBPCPs can be compared. Phase 1: Data were obtained from the American Hospital Association (AHA) 1998 Annual Survey, on the existence of end-of-life care (EOLC) and pain management (PM) services in U.S. hospitals. Phase 2: A focused survey further assessed programs in Phase 1 and was sent to all registered hospitals that responded affirmatively to the AHA survey questions as having either a PM service, an EOLC service, or both. In phase 1, 1,751 (36%) hospitals reported having a PM service and 719 (15%) had an EOLC service, for a total of 2,015 unique hospitals that had one or both. For Phase 2, 1,120 of 2,015 responded (56%). Of these, 337 (30%) hospitals reported having an HBPCP, and another 228 (20.4%) had plans to establish one. HBPCPs are most commonly structured as inpatient consultation service and hospital-based hospice. They tend to be based in oncology, general medicine, and geriatrics. We also assessed reasons for consultation, patient characteristics, and future development needs. These findings can help guide future funding, educational, and programming efforts in hospital-based palliative care.

Outcome prediction model for very elderly critically ill patients.

CONTEXT: Very elderly critically ill patients have three possible hospital outcomes: discharge to home, discharge to a skilled nursing or rehabilitation facility, or death. The factors associated with these outcomes are unknown. OBJECTIVE: To develop a three-outcome prediction model for very elderly critically ill patients. DESIGN: Retrospective chart abstraction with ordered logistic regression analysis. SETTING: Academic medical center. PATIENTS: Four hundred and fifty-five patients 85 yrs or older admitted to intensive care units (ICU) during 1996 and 1997. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A fitted ordinal logistic regression predictive model was developed using data from 243 patients hospitalized in 1996, and validated on data from 212 patients hospitalized in 1997. Model variables include age, gender, baseline support level, type of ICU, heart rate at ICU admission, use of mechanical ventilation, vasopressors or a pulmonary artery catheter during the ICU stay, and the development of respiratory, neurologic or hematologic failure or sepsis while in the ICU. When tested on the 1997 data, the model was well calibrated and had a high discriminant index. CONCLUSIONS: This mathematical model can be used to predict the risks of these three hospital outcomes for this population of patients. These predictions can provide a context when discussing goals and expectations with patients, families, and other healthcare providers and to aid in hospital discharge planning.

Incidence of umbilical hernia in African children: redefinition of "normal" and reevaluation of indications for repair.

This study was undertaken to assess the degree of ubiquity of umbilical hernias (UHs) in Nigerians and to determine if a laissez faire approach to the presence of UHs is justified. A prospective evaluation was conducted of the umbilical area of 4052 Nigerians living in the vicinity of the Baptist Medical Centre (BMCO) in Ogbomoso, Nigeria. The diameter of the fascial defect was measured with the subject supine and the protrusion of the umbilical skin with the subject erect. Subjects were divided into three groups: group 1 (1 month to 18 years old); group 2 (older than 18 years); and group 3 (pregnant women in an antenatal clinic). "Outies" (defined as any protrusion of the umbilical tip past the periumbilical skin) were present in 92% of group 1, 49% of group 2, and 90% of group 3 subjects. UHs (defined as protrusion of at least 5 mm and diameter of at least 10 mm) were present in 23% of group 1, 8% of group 2, and 15% of group 3 subjects. Spontaneous closure of UHs seems to occur until age 14. A retrospective analysis identified 11 patients undergoing emergency operations for UH-related problems during the past 15 years. With a low incidence and 0% mortality rate associated with management of these emergencies, a policy of prophylactic repair is not justified at BMCO. Because most of the children we examined had outies, repair for cosmetic reasons is rarely requested. The only logical indication for repair of UHs at BMCO is incarceration, and this rarely occurs.

Prospective randomized comparison of two preoperative skin preparation techniques in a developing world country.

Povidone-iodine (PI) is a scarce and expensive item for some hospitals in developing countries. This prospective, randomized study was performed at Baptist Medical Centre (BMCO) in Ogbomoso, Nigeria to determine if the use of PI for preoperative skin preparation would result in a lower postoperative wound infection rate and to identify other factors influencing the infection rate. Two hundred patients undergoing inguinal hernia repair were randomized to receive skin preparation with either: (1) locally available, inexpensive market soap and methylated spirit or (2) imported PI. The two groups were equally stratified. The overall postoperative wound infection rate was 5.5%, and there was no significant difference between the groups (5.1% vs. 5.9%). Factors that did not affect the infection rate included gender, age, type of anesthesia, type or duration of the operative procedure, and number of breaks in optimal technique. There were eight abscesses and three cases of cellulitis without suppuration diagnosed an average of 10 days postoperatively. Staphylococcus was the only bacterium identified on Gram stain or culture. The expense of procuring PI is not justified at BMCO. Available funds may better be used for preoperative antibiotics or for improvement in hospital infrastructure, which should result in fewer breaks in optimal operating room technique.

Self-reported symptom experience of critically ill cancer patients receiving intensive care.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the symptom experience of a cohort of intensive care unit (ICU) patients at high risk for hospital death. DESIGN: Prospective analysis of patients with a present or past diagnosis of cancer who were consecutively admitted to a medical ICU during an 8-month period. SETTING: Academic, university-affiliated, tertiary-care, urban medical center. PATIENTS: One hundred cancer patients treated in a medical ICU. INTERVENTION: Assessment of symptoms. MEASUREMENTS: Patients' self-reports of symptoms using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS), and ratings of pain or discomfort associated with ICU diagnostic/therapeutic procedures and of stress associated with conditions in the ICU. MAIN RESULTS: Hospital mortality for the group was 56%. Fifty patients had the capacity to respond to the ESAS, among whom 100% provided symptom reports. Between 55% and 75% of ESAS responders reported experiencing pain, discomfort, anxiety, sleep disturbance, or unsatisfied hunger or thirst that they rated as moderate or severe, whereas depression and dyspnea at these levels were reported by approximately 40% and 33% of responders, respectively. Significant pain, discomfort, or both were associated with common ICU procedures, but most procedure-related symptoms were controlled adequately for a majority of patients. Inability to communicate, sleep disruption, and limitations on visiting were particularly stressful among ICU conditions studied. CONCLUSIONS: Among critically ill cancer patients, multiple distressing symptoms were common in the ICU, often at significant levels of severity. Symptom assessment may suggest more effective strategies for symptom control and may direct decisions about appropriate use of ICU therapies.

High short-term mortality in hospitalized patients with advanced dementia: lack of benefit of tube feeding.

BACKGROUND: The influence of tube feeding on survival in hospitalized patients with advanced dementia is controversial. OBJECTIVE: To assess long-term survival in an inception cohort, incident tube feeding placement during the index hospitalization, and the influence of tube feeding on survival in this group of patients. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Ninety-nine hospitalized patients with advanced dementia and an available surrogate decision maker were followed up through and after the index hospitalization for mortality and placement of a feeding tube. Other variables measured included advance directive status, presence of a long-term primary care physician, level of involvement of the surrogate decision maker, admitting diagnosis, prior hospitalizations, comorbidities, and diagnosis related group diagnostic category. RESULTS: A new feeding tube was placed in 50% (51/99) of the study patients during the index hospitalization, 31% (31/99) left the hospital without a feeding tube, and 17% (17/99) were admitted with a feeding tube already in place. By stepwise logistic regression analysis, predictors of new feeding tube placement included African American ethnicity (odds ratio, 9.43; 95% confidence interval, 2.1-43.2) and residence in a nursing home (odds ratio, 4.9; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-2.5). Median survival of the 99 patients was 175 days. Eighty-five (85%) survived the index hospitalization, and 28 (28%) were still alive at last follow-up, a range of 1.3 to 4.2 years after enrollment in the study. Tube feeding was not associated with survival (P =.90). An admitting diagnosis of infection was associated with higher mortality (odds ratio, 1.9; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-3.6). CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort of hospitalized patients with advanced dementia, risk of receiving a new feeding tube is high, associated with African American ethnicity, and prior residence in a nursing home, and has no measurable influence on survival. With or without a feeding tube, these patients have a 50% six-month median mortality.

Early operation in children with pancreas transection.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: The preferred treatment for children with major pancreatic ductal injury remains controversial. This report compares our results using early operation with previously reported series using both operative and nonoperative management. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of all children with pancreatic transection identified at Children's Medical Center of Dallas, Texas, from 1995 through 1999. RESULTS: There were 11 children with pancreatic transection. There was a delay of 2.3 days before presentation to a hospital in 6. Transection was diagnosed within 12 hours of presentation in 5 children. In the other 6 there was a mean delay of 36 hours. Nine children underwent operation within 72 hours of injury. Two late presenters initially were treated nonoperatively, and both developed a pseudocyst. The length of hospital stay in patients undergoing early operation averaged 11 days. Early postoperative morbidity occurred in 4 children and late morbidity in 1. CONCLUSIONS: Major pancreatic injuries are uncommon in children, and the diagnosis often is delayed. A high index of suspicion and repeated computed tomography scans should lead to earlier diagnosis. When compared with nonoperative management, early pancreatic resection more expeditiously returns the child to good health and lessens the inconvenience and emotional stress associated with prolonged hospitalization.

Palliative care programs: what, why, and how?

Establishing a palliative care service can improve patient care and ease family concerns for patients who are hopelessly ill. For the hospital, such services can improve utilization outcomes. Take a closer look at a palliative care service operating for nearly five years at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.

Exposure to 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene (DDT) in relation to bone mineral density and rate of bone loss in menopausal women.

The organochlorine pesticide 2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)-1,1,1,-trichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolite 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene (DDE) are examples of an environmental contaminant that may have hormonal properties. Bone metabolism is both estrogen- and androgen-dependent. Exposures to various environmental endocrine disrupters can affect bone metabolism in animals, but there are no published data concerning the effect of DDE exposure on bone metabolism in humans. We hypothesized that high levels of DDE would be associated with lower bone density in peri- and postmenopausal women than in premenopausal women. Study subjects were drawn from the cohort of women who had participated in the Mount Sinai Medical Center Longitudinal Normative Bone Density Study (1984-1987). We used serum samples obtained at study entry to measure DDE levels in 103 (50 black, 53 white) women (mean age = 54.5 y [standard deviation = 5 y]). Measurements of bone mineral density at the lumbar spine and radius were made at 6-mo intervals during a 2-y period. DDE concentrations were significantly (p < .001) higher in blacks (13.9 ng/ml) than in whites (8.4 ng/ml), but there was no correlation between DDE concentration and bone density at the spine (mean levels = 1.065 g/cm2 and 1.043 g/cm2 in the lowest and highest quartiles, respectively, of DDE [trend p value = .85]) or at the radius (mean levels = 0.658 g/cm and 0.664 g/cm in the lowest and highest quartiles, respectively, of DDE [trend p value = .34]). Longitudinal analyses revealed no correlation between DDE and the rate of bone loss at either bone site. Similar results were seen in race-stratified analyses, as well as in analyses in which we controlled for lactation history and other potential confounders. We found little evidence that chronic low-level DDT exposure is associated with bone density in peri- and postmenopausal women.

Operative management of thyroid abnormalities in a general medical practice hospital in sub-Saharan Africa.

This is a retrospective analysis of 82 patients undergoing thyroid operations in a general medical practice hospital in sub-Saharan Africa. All patients complained of neck swelling, and in 75% of patients this was the only symptom. Indications for operation included cosmesis in 74%, suspected malignancy in 13%, hyperthyroidism in 7% and pressure symptoms in 5%. Operative complications included recurrent laryngeal nerve injury in two (2.4%), wound haematoma in two (2.4%), wound infection in three (3.6%) and hypoparathyroidism in one (1.2%). There were no deaths and no instances of thyroid storm. Thyromegaly can be operatively managed in a hospital such as ours with a relatively low morbidity rate using conservative gland extirpation techniques. This conservative approach may result in under treatment for thyroid malignancies but should result in a lower incidence of recurrent nerve damage and hypoparathyroidism in the majority of people who undergo thyroidectomy solely for cosmetic indications.

Palliative care consultations: how do they impact the care of hospitalized patients?

To provide a detailed description of the recommendations of a Palliative Care Service (PCS) and to describe the impact of these recommendations on the care of terminally ill patients in an academic medical center, we describe data from all consecutive patients referred by their attending physicians to the PCS of an academic teaching hospital over a 15-month period. All patients were seen within 24 hours of consultation request. Data were collected prospectively on the day of discharge or death. Attention was focused on six recommendations and their implementation: 1) discussion about prognosis and goals of care; 2) pursuing documentation of advance directives; 3) discussion about foregoing specific treatments and/or diagnostic interventions; 4) family and patient support; 5) discharge planning; and 6) symptom management. Over a 15-month period, we collected data on 325 patients. The most frequent diagnoses were cancer, dementia, and HIV disease. The patients were followed for a mean of 7.6 days. The average number of recommendations was 4.2 per patient and 91% of the recommendations were implemented (3.8 per patient). Recommendations increased to 5.3 per patient and the implementation rate increased to 97% (5.1 per patient) for the 44 patients transferred to the Palliative Care Unit (PCU). PCS consultations result in multiple recommendations with a very high implementation rate. The number of recommendations and the high implementation rate suggest a strong need for palliative care services within acute care hospitals.

Palliative care and end-of-life issues.

As stated, the goal of palliative care is the achievement of the best quality of life for patients and their families. It incorporates many aspects of care: providing physical comfort, psychosocial and spiritual support, and providing various services in order to achieve this goal. The skills described should be a priority in the practice of all types of medicine because the goal of palliative care is among the central tenets of the medical profession.

Palliative care in advanced dementia: a randomized controlled trial and descriptive analysis.

BACKGROUND: Few patients with end-stage dementia are enrolled in hospice care. A palliative care approach would nonetheless seem to be appropriate in various care settings, including the acute care hospital. METHODS: We conducted a randomized controlled trial of palliative care in patients with advanced dementia (Functional Assessment Staging Tool [FAST] stage 6d-7f) who were hospitalized with acute illness. Intervention patients received recommendations by a palliative care team with the goal of enhancing patient comfort; control patients received usual care without these recommendations. RESULTS: Among 99 patients enrolled over 3 years, groups were comparable at baseline in terms of gender, age, race, dementia stage, and advance directive status. Outcomes were similar in terms of mean number of hospitalizations, average length of stay, and mortality. Intervention patients were more likely than control patients to receive a palliative care plan (23% versus 4%; p = 0.008), usually on discharge, and more decisions were made to forgo certain medical treatments but the numbers were small. Fewer patients in the intervention group received intravenous therapy throughout the admission (66% vs. 81%, p = 0.025). Overall, additional interventions included daily phlebotomy for at least half of the admission (41%), systemic antibiotics (75%), and new feeding tubes (44%). Including tubes present at the time of randomization, a total of 69% received long-term enteral feeding. CONCLUSION: It was difficult for a palliative care research team to influence the care of advanced dementia patients in the acute hospital setting. When patients have advanced dementia, there may be unique barriers, including perceived prognostic uncertainty, difficulty assessing comfort level, and perceptions about tube feeding. There must be a reexamination of treatment approaches for this severely impaired group of patients. Further study should attempt to identify patients prior to the need for acute hospitalization so goals can be established when there is less urgency to make life and death decisions.

Ileosigmoid knotting in a 6-year-old child.

Ileosigmoid knotting occurs when the ileum wraps around the base of an elongated sigmoid colon, thus producing two closed-loop obstructions with the possibility of ischemia and necrosis of either the ileum or sigmoid colon. It occurs more commonly in African, Asian, and Middle Eastern countries, although there have been three Americans previously reported with this problem. The 6-year-old child presented here is the youngest person ever reported with ileosigmoid knotting.

A consensus-based approach to providing palliative care to patients who lack decision-making capacity. ACP-ASIM End-of-Life Care Consensus Panel. American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine.

Making palliative care decisions for a patient who lacks decision-making capacity presents several challenges. Other people, such as family and caregivers, must choose for the patient. The goals and values of these decision makers may conflict with those of each other and with those of the patient, who now lacks the capacity to participate in the decision. This paper presents a case study of a patient with severe Alzheimer disease who has two common clinical problems: neurogenic dysphagia and aspiration pneumonia. The case study describes a consensus-based decision-making strategy that keeps what is known about the patient's wishes and values in the foreground but also expects guidance from the physician and elicits input from family members and other people who care for and have knowledge about the patient. The steps of this process, including key clinical prompts and potential transition statements, are outlined and described. The overall goal of the case commentary is to demonstrate that physicians can guide a highly emotional and personal process in a structured manner that has meaning for the patient, family, physician, and other caregivers.

Parathyroid carcinoma in a child.

Parathyroid carcinoma is a rare cause of hypercalcemia in children but should be considered in a child presenting with an extremely elevated serum calcium level. The authors report the fifth case of parathyroid carcinoma in a child less than 16 years of age.