[Measurements of the gravity of injuries in patients with head injuries by the AIS/90 manual and the CAIS/85 chart]. / A gravidade do trauma em vítimas de traumatismo crânio-encefálico avaliada pelo manual AIS/90 e mapas CAIS/85.

This study was developed in order to compare the use of the ABBREVIATED INJURY SCALE (AIS) and the CONDENSED ABBREVIATED INJURY SCALE (CAIS) as basis to calculate INJURY SEVERITY SCORE (ISS) in head injured patients. The results showed that the ISS value was equivalent in the majority of the patients (58.51%) codified by both scales. Also no statistic differences between the scales were perceived when we compared the severity levels as severe, moderate and minor, 61.38% of the lesions scored by AIS/90 were scored by CAIS/85, too.

[Prevention of leg ulcers in patients with diabetes]. / Prevenção de úlceras nos membros inferiores em pacientes com diabetes mellitus.

This up-to-dating paper considers the risks for developing ulcers in lower extremities to which patients presenting diabetes mellitus are exposed along their entire lives. Diabetic ulcers pathogenesis is focused in order to subside nurses both in evaluating skin integrity's maintaining ability and in fitting the needed preventive interventions.

[Closed endotracheal suction system for the prevention of hypoxemia]. / Sistema fechado de aspiração endotraqueal na prevenção da hipoxemia.

This paper shows a revision of the studies about indications efficacy and dangerous effects from the use of the closed tracheal system suctioning. In spite of the difficulties in the generalization of the results of the analysed works it was possible to conclude that the "trach-care" has its comproved efficiency in the maintenance of PaO2 in most intubated and ventilated patients.

[The prevention of hypoxemia during endotracheal suctioning]. / Prevenção da hipoxemia durante a aspiração endotraqueal.

This work shows a literature review on the methods of prevention of postsuctioning hypoxemia in critically ill patients under artificial ventilation. Such methods have been proposed and published in the last twenty years. After being organized, these data made it possible to identify the most common methods to prevent postsuctioning hypoxemia. These methods are hyperoxygenation, hyperinflation, hyperoxygenation with hyperinflation and the closed method of tracheal suctioning, which allows for a suction without the interruption of the patient's artificial ventilation. A critical analysis of these methods and techniques, emphasizing the conflicting and concordant aspects presented by the several authors studied, made it possible to identify the superiority of the hyperoxygenation with hyperinflation method through the ventilator and the closed method of tracheal suctioning in the prevention of hypoxemia.