Economic growth and health progress in Italy: 30 years of National Health Service.

On December 23 of 1978, during first Italian recession since the end of World War II, Parliament voted for Law 833 that gives birth to the Italian National Public Health Services (SSN) as the new and alternative model of health care system. It was the beginning of the match of Italian health care with the world class level of the public health care. Each crisis requires solidarity and actions. Maintaining levels of health and other social expenditures is critical to protect life and livelihood and to boost productivity. The purpose of the present study is to establish an alternative point of view to demonstrate that Gross Domestic Product, is a function of health care expenditure. The chronology of the events was created by using the laws published on "Gazzetta Ufficiale" (GU). In order to analyze the corporate effectiveness and efficiency, we have divided the SSN into its three main components, namely resources (input), services (output) and performances (outcome). Health services have certainly been pioneers and are still today standard-bearers of a challenge which has borne its fruits. According to the "Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development", SSN ranks second in the world classification of the return on the health care services in 2000. The World Health Organization has published in 2005 the same result: SSN ranks second in the world for ability and quality of the health care in relationship to the resources invested The continuous reforms of health care system introduced stability to the Italian system more than others countries. Success of SSN function rooted in the ability of system to adapt assuring mechanism of positive feed-back correction. In the future SSN, will required new set of reforms, such as redefinition of structures and mechanisms of governance, strategic plans, clinical administrations.

[Spontaneous rupture of giant subcapsular hemangioma of the liver with hemoperitoneum and hemorrhagic shock: a case report]. / Rottura spontanea di emangioma gigante sottocapsulare del fegato con emoperitoneo e shock emorragico: presentazione di un caso clinico.

Cavernous hemangioma is the most common benign tumour of the liver and is found quite commonly during abdominal ultrasonography performed for other diseases. It is often asymptomatic and undergoes enlargement in fewer than 10% of cases. Spontaneous rupture of a giant hepatic hemangioma (diameter > 4 cm) with hemoperitoneum occurs very rarely. Only 32 cases have been reported in a recent review of the medical literature, with an operative mortality of more than 35%. We describe a new case of a giant subcapsular hemangioma localised in hepatic segments II and III in an 84-year-old woman, which ruptured spontaneously into the abdominal cavity and presented with hemoperitoneum and hypovolaemic shock. The hemangioma was diagnosed preoperatively by spiral CAT and treated successfully with emergency hepatic bisegmentectomy.