Safety and efficacy in the management of older patients with displaced intracapsular hip fractures.

The management of the older person with a displaced intracapsular hip fracture is one of the most significant aspects of musculoskeletal trauma. These patients require prompt, integrated pathway delivered care. The care delivered outside of the operating theatre and that performed within, are intertwined. Traditionally, surgeons have focussed predominantly only on the operative elements. In modern trauma care for older people, this focus must broaden. We provide for the first time a comprehensive overview of all elements of care for this important patient group. This brings together pathway elements from the National Hip Fracture Database Key Performance Indicators and NICE guidance alongside a synthesis of all current research output for intracapsular hip fracture.

Establishing a Chinese older hip fracture registry for older patients: a Delphi study to define the focus and key variables for this registry.

A national hip fracture registry does not yet exist in China. This is the first to recommend a core variable set for the establishment of a Chinese national hip fracture registry. Thousands of Chinese hospitals will build on this and improve the quality of management for older hip fracture patients. The rapidly ageing population of China already experiences over half a million hip fractures every year. Many countries have developed national hip fracture registries to improve the quality of hip fracture management, but such a registry does not exist in China. The study is aimed at determining the core variables of a national hip fracture registry for older hip fracture patients in China. A rapid literature review was conducted to develop a preliminary pool of variables from existing global hip fracture registries. Two rounds of an e-Delphi survey were conducted with experts. The e-Delphi survey used a Likert 5-point scale and boundary value analysis to filter the preliminary pool of variables. The list of core variables was finalised following an online consensus meeting with the experts. Thirty-one experts participated. Most of the experts have senior titles and have worked in a corresponding area for more than 15 years. The response rate of the e-Delphi was 100% for both rounds. The preliminary pool of 89 variables was established after reviewing 13 national hip fracture registries. With two rounds of the e-Delphi and the expert consensus meeting, 86 core variables were recommended for inclusion in the registry. This study is the first to recommend a core variable set for the establishment of a Chinese national hip fracture registry. The further development of a registry to routinely collect data from thousands of hospitals will build on this work and improve the quality of management for older hip fracture patients in China.

LDL cholesterol targets rarely achieved in familial hypercholesterolemia patients: A sex and gender-specific analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Despite lipid lowering therapy (LLT), reaching LDL-C targets in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) remains challenging. Our aim was to determine attainment of LDL-C target levels and reasons for not reaching these in female and male FH patients. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study of heterozygous FH patients in five hospitals in the Netherlands and Norway. Clinical characteristics and information about LLT, lipid levels and reasons for not being on LDL-C treatment target were retrospectively collected from electronic medical records. RESULTS: We studied 3178 FH patients (53.9% women), median age 48.0 (IQR 34.0-59.9) years. Median LDL-C before treatment and on-treatment was higher in women compared to men (6.2 (IQR 5.1-7.3) and 6.0 (IQR 4.9-7.2) mmol/l (p=0.005) and 3.0 (IQR 2.4-3.8) and 2.8 (IQR 2.3-3.5) mmol/L (p<0.001)), respectively. A minority of women (26.9%) and men (28.9%) reached LDL-C target. In patients with CVD, 17.2% of women and 25.8% of men reached LDL-C target. Women received less often high-intensity statins and ezetimibe. Most common reported reasons for not achieving the LDL-C target were insufficient effect of maximum LLT (women 17.3%, men 24.3%) and side effects (women 15.2%, men 8.6%). CONCLUSIONS: In routine practice, only a minority of women and men with FH achieved their LDL-C treatment target. Extra efforts have to be made to provide FH patients with reliable information on the safety of statins and their long-term effects on CVD risk reduction. If statin treatment is insufficient, alternative lipid lowering therapies such as ezetimibe or PCSK9-inhibitors should be considered.

Complex organisational factors influence multidisciplinary care for patients with hip fractures: a qualitative study of barriers and facilitators to service delivery.

BACKGROUND: Hip fractures are devastating injuries, with high health and social care costs. Despite national standards and guidelines, substantial variation persists in hospital delivery of hip fracture care and patient outcomes. This qualitative study aimed to identify organisational processes that can be targeted to reduce variation in service provision and improve patient care. METHODS: Interviews were conducted with 40 staff delivering hip fracture care in four UK hospitals. Twenty-three anonymised British Orthopaedic Association reports addressing under-performing hip fracture services were analysed. Following Thematic Analysis of both data sources, themes were transposed onto domains both along and across the hip fracture care pathway. RESULTS: Effective pre-operative care required early alert of patient admission and the availability of staff in emergency departments to undertake assessments, investigations and administer analgesia. Coordinated decision-making between medical and surgical teams regarding surgery was key, with strategies to ensure flexible but efficient trauma lists. Orthogeriatric services were central to effective service delivery, with collaborative working and supervision of junior doctors, specialist nurses and therapists. Information sharing via multidisciplinary meetings was facilitated by joined up information and technology systems. Service provision was improved by embedding hip fracture pathway documents in induction and training and ensuring their consistent use by the whole team. Hospital executive leadership was important in prioritising hip fracture care and advocating service improvement. Nominated specialty leads, who jointly owned the pathway and met regularly, actively steered services and regularly monitored performance, investigating lapses and consistently feeding back to the multidisciplinary team. CONCLUSION: Findings highlight the importance of representation from all teams and departments involved in the multidisciplinary care pathway, to deliver integrated hip fracture care. Complex, potentially modifiable, barriers and facilitators to care delivery were identified, informing recommendations to improve effective hip fracture care delivery, and assist hospital services when re-designing and implementing service improvements.

The impact of the frequency, duration and type of physiotherapy on discharge after hip fracture surgery: a secondary analysis of UK national linked audit data.

Additional physiotherapy in the first postoperative week was associated with fewer days to discharge after hip fracture surgery. A 7-day physiotherapy service in the first postoperative week should be considered as a new key performance indicator in evaluating the quality of care for patients admitted with a hip fracture. INTRODUCTION: To examine the association between physiotherapy in the first week after hip fracture surgery and discharge from acute hospital. METHODS: We linked data from the UK Physiotherapy Hip Fracture Sprint Audit to hospital records for 5395 patients with hip fracture in May and June 2017. We estimated the association between the number of days patients received physiotherapy in the first postoperative week; its overall duration (< 2 h, ≥ 2 h; 30-min increment) and type (mobilisation alone, mobilisation and exercise) and the cumulative probability of discharge from acute hospital over 30 days, using proportional odds regression adjusted for confounders and the competing risk of death. RESULTS: The crude and adjusted odds ratios of discharge were 1.24 (95% CI 1.19-1.30) and 1.26 (95% CI 1.19-1.33) for an additional day of physiotherapy, 1.34 (95% CI 1.18-1.52) and 1.33 (95% CI 1.12-1.57) for ≥ 2 versus < 2 h physiotherapy, and 1.11 (95% CI 1.08-1.15) and 1.10 (95% CI 1.05-1.15) for an additional 30-min of physiotherapy. Physiotherapy type was not associated with discharge. CONCLUSION: We report an association between physiotherapy and discharge after hip fracture. An average UK hospital admitting 375 patients annually may save 456 bed-days if current provision increased so all patients with hip fracture received physiotherapy on 6-7 days in the first postoperative week. A 7-day physiotherapy service totalling at least 2 h in the first postoperative week may be considered a key performance indicator of acute care quality after hip fracture.

Geographical variation in surgical care and mortality following hip fracture in England: a cohort study using the National Hip Fracture Database (NHFD).

We describe variation across geographical regions of England in operations undertaken following presentation of hip fracture and in 30-day mortality. Some significant geographic variation in 30-day mortality was observed particularly for patients with trochanteric hip fractures and warrants further investigation of other aspects of post-hip fracture care INTRODUCTION: Mortality after hip fracture has improved considerably in the UK over recent decades. Our aim here was to describe geographical variation in type of operation performed and 30-day mortality amongst patients in England with hip fracture. METHODS: The National Hip Fracture Database was used to carry out a prospective cohort study of nearly all over-60 year olds with hip fracture in England. These data were linked to Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), allowing us to explore regional variation in the operations performed for three fracture types (intracapsular, trochanteric and subtrochanteric), and use logistic regression models adjusted for demographic and clinical factors to describe associated 30-day mortality. RESULTS: NHFD recorded data for 64,211 patients who underwent surgery in England during 2017. Most had an intracapsular (59%) or trochanteric fracture (35%), and we found significant geographical variation across regions of England in use of total hip replacement (THR) (ranging from 10.1 to 17.4%) for intracapsular fracture and in intermedullary nailing (ranging from 14.9 to 27.0%) of trochanteric fracture. Some geographical variation in mortality amongst intracapsular fracture patients was found, with slightly higher mortality in the East of England (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.02-1.46). Trochanteric fractures showed slightly more variation, with higher 30-day mortality (aOR: 1.40, 95%CI: 1.05-1.88) in the East of England and significantly lower mortality in the North East (aOR: 0.65, 95%CI: 0.46-0.93). CONCLUSIONS: We have identified regional differences in operation type and 30-day mortality amongst hip fracture patients in England. The relationship between surgical approach and mortality has been explored, but the extent to which differential mortality reflects variation in approach to medical assessment, anaesthesia and other aspects of care warrants further investigation.

Atypical presentation of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) in a 25-year-old woman in the Caribbean: a challenging diagnosis.

A 25-year-old woman presented a challenging diagnosis of acute rheumatic fever (ARF). Initial symptoms included dry cough and three minor Jones criteria (unabating fever (38.4°C, 0d), elevated acute phase reactants (C-reactive protein, 13d) and joint pain (monoarthralgia) in her neck (0d)). ARF was diagnosed only after presentation of two major Jones criteria (polyarthritis/polyarthralgia (16d) and erythema marginatum (41d)) and positive antistreptolysin O titre (44d). Parotid swelling, peripheral oedema, elevated liver enzymes and diffuse lymphadenopathy complicated the diagnosis. Throat swab, chorea and carditis were negative or absent. Atypical ARF is challenging to recognise. There is no diagnostic test and its presentation is similar to that of other diseases. While the 2015 Jones criteria modification increased specificity of ARF diagnosis, atypical cases may still be missed, especially by physicians in developed countries. Suspicion of atypical ARF, especially after travel to high incidence regions, would allow for earlier treatment and prevention of rheumatic heart disease.

A giant exoplanet orbiting a very-low-mass star challenges planet formation models.

Surveys have shown that super-Earth and Neptune-mass exoplanets are more frequent than gas giants around low-mass stars, as predicted by the core accretion theory of planet formation. We report the discovery of a giant planet around the very-low-mass star GJ 3512, as determined by optical and near-infrared radial-velocity observations. The planet has a minimum mass of 0.46 Jupiter masses, very high for such a small host star, and an eccentric 204-day orbit. Dynamical models show that the high eccentricity is most likely due to planet-planet interactions. We use simulations to demonstrate that the GJ 3512 planetary system challenges generally accepted formation theories, and that it puts constraints on the planet accretion and migration rates. Disk instabilities may be more efficient in forming planets than previously thought.

Plutonium and other radionuclides persist across marine-to-terrestrial ecotopes in the Montebello Islands sixty years after nuclear tests.

Since the 1956 completion of nuclear testing at the Montebello Islands, Western Australia, this remote uninhabited island group has been relatively undisturbed (no major remediations) and currently functions as high-value marine and terrestrial habitat within the Montebello/Barrow Islands Marine Conservation Reserves. The former weapons testing sites, therefore, provide a unique opportunity for assessing the fate and behaviour of Anthropocene radionuclides subjected to natural processes across a range of shallow-marine to island-terrestrial ecological units (ecotopes). We collected soil, sediment and biota samples and analysed their radionuclide content using gamma and alpha spectrometry, photostimulated luminescence autoradiography and accelerator mass spectrometry. We found the activity levels of the fission and neutron-activation products have decreased by ~hundred-fold near the ground zero locations. However, Pu concentrations remain elevated, some of which are high relative to most other Australian and international sites (up to 25,050 Bq kg-1 of 239+240+241Pu). Across ecotopes, Pu ranked from highest to lowest in the following order: island soils > dunes > foredunes > marine sediments > and beach intertidal zone. Low values of Pu and other radionuclides were detected in all local wildlife tested including endangered species. Activity concentrations ranked (highest to lowest) terrestrial arthropods > terrestrial mammal and reptile bones > algae > oyster flesh > whole crab > sea turtle bone > stingray and teleost fish livers > sea cucumber flesh > sea turtle skin > teleost fish muscle. The three detonations (one from within a ship and two from 30 m towers) resulted in differing contaminant forms, with the ship detonation producing the highest activity concentrations and finer more inhalable particulate forms. The three sites are distinct in their 240/239Pu and 241/239Pu atom ratios, including the Pu transported by natural process or within migratory living organisms.

Body mass index standard deviation score and obesity in children with type 1 diabetes in the Nordic countries. HbA1c and other predictors of increasing BMISDS.

BACKGROUND: Intensified insulin therapy may increase body weight and cause obesity. This study compared body mass index standard deviation score (BMISDS) and obesity rate in children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, and uncovered predictors for increasing BMISDS. METHODS: Data registered in the Nordic national childhood diabetes databases during the period 2008-2012 on children below 15 years with T1D for more than 3 months were compiled, including information on gender, age, diabetes duration, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c ), insulin dose, severe hypoglycemia (SH), treatment modality, height and weight. The Swedish reference chart for BMI was used for calculating BMISDS. RESULTS: Totally, 11 025 children (48% females) (30 994 registrations) were included. Medians by the last recorded examination were: age, 13.5 years; diabetes duration, 4.3 years; HbA1c , 7.9% (63 mmol/mol); insulin dose, 0.8 IU/kg/d and BMISDS, 0.70. Obesity rate was 18.5%. Adjusted mean BMISDS (BMISDS adj) was inversely related to HbA1c and directly to diabetes duration. Higher BMISDS adj was found in those with an insulin dose above 0.6 IU/kg/d, and in girls above 10 years. Pump users had higher BMISDS adj than pen users, and patients with registered SH had higher BMISDS adj than patients without SH (both P < .001). CONCLUSION: Obesity rate in children with T1D in the Nordic countries is high, however, with country differences. Low HbA1c , long diabetes duration, higher insulin dose, pump treatment and experiencing a SH predicted higher BMISDS. Diabetes caregivers should balance the risk of obesity and the benefit of a very low HbA1c.

Short communication: Persistent socio-economic inequality in frequent headache among Danish adolescents from 1991 to 2014.

BACKGROUND: The association between socio-economic status (SES) and headache among adolescents is an understudied issue, and no study has examined whether such an association changes over time. The aim was to examine trends in socio-economic inequality in frequent headache among 11- to 15-year-olds in Denmark from 1991 to 2014, using occupational social class (OSC) as indicator of SES. METHODS: The study applies data from the Danish part of the international Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study. HBSC includes nationally representative samples of 11-, 13- and 15-year-olds. This study combines data from seven data survey years from 1991 to 2014, participation rate 88.6%, n = 31,102. We report absolute inequality as per cent difference in frequent headache between high and low OSC and relative inequality as odds ratio for frequent headache by OSC. RESULTS: In the entire study population, 10.4% reported frequent headache. There was a significant increase in frequent headache from 8.0% in 1991 to 12.9% in 2014, test for trend, p < 0.0001. This increasing trend was significant in all OSCs. The prevalence of frequent headache was significantly higher in low than high OSC, OR = 1.50 (95% CI: 1.34-1.67). This socio-economic inequality in frequent headache was persistent from 1991 to 2014. CONCLUSION: There was a significant and persistent socio-economic inequality, i.e. increasing prevalence of frequent headache with decreasing OSC. The association between socio-economic position and headache did not significantly change over time, i.e. the statistical interaction between OSC and survey year was insignificant. SIGNIFICANCE: The prevalence of frequent headache among adolescents increases with decreasing SES. This socio-economic inequality has been persistent among adolescents in Denmark from 1991 to 2014. Clinicians should be aware of this social inequality.

Predicting 30-day mortality after hip fracture surgery: Evaluation of the National Hip Fracture Database case-mix adjustment model.

OBJECTIVES: The National Hip Fracture Database (NHFD) publishes hospital-level risk-adjusted mortality rates following hip fracture surgery in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The performance of the risk model used by the NHFD was compared with the widely-used Nottingham Hip Fracture Score. METHODS: Data from 94 hospitals on patients aged 60 to 110 who had hip fracture surgery between May 2013 and July 2013 were analysed. Data were linked to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) death register to calculate the 30-day mortality rate. Risk of death was predicted for each patient using the NHFD and Nottingham models in a development dataset using logistic regression to define the models' coefficients. This was followed by testing the performance of these refined models in a second validation dataset. RESULTS: The 30-day mortality rate was 5.36% in the validation dataset (n = 3861), slightly lower than the 6.40% in the development dataset (n = 4044). The NHFD and Nottingham models showed a slightly lower discrimination in the validation dataset compared with the development dataset, but both still displayed moderate discriminative power (c-statistic for NHFD = 0.71, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.67 to 0.74; Nottingham model = 0.70, 95% CI 0.68 to 0.75). Both models defined similar ranges of predicted mortality risk (1% to 18%) in assessment of calibration. CONCLUSIONS: Both models have limitations in predicting mortality for individual patients after hip fracture surgery, but the NHFD risk adjustment model performed as well as the widely-used Nottingham prognostic tool and is therefore a reasonable alternative for risk adjustment in the United Kingdom hip fracture population.Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2017;6:550-556.

Incidence of severe hypoglycemia in children with type 1 diabetes in the Nordic countries in the period 2008-2012: association with hemoglobin A 1c and treatment modality.

OBJECTIVE: Treatment of type 1 diabetes has been intensified aiming at normalizing blood glucose, which may increase the risk of severe hypoglycemia (SH). We aimed to compare the incidence of SH events in the four Nordic countries Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, and to assess the influence of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and treatment modalities on the frequency of SH; particularly, to explore if a HbA1c target ≤6.7% (50 mmol/mol) is feasible. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Data on children below 15 years with a diabetes duration more than 1 year, registered in the national childhood diabetes databases in the four Nordic countries from 2008 to 2012, were compiled. Data completeness was more than 95%. RESULTS: Totally 8806 (48% females) patients with 29 715 person years were included, mean age and diabetes duration were 11 years and 5.1 years, respectively. The overall rate of SH was 6.0 per 100 patient-years, and did not change during the study period. The Swedish population constantly had the lowest SH incidence while it decreased significantly in the Danish population. HbA1c decreased significantly over time (p<0.01), while the number of pump users increased (p<0.01). Stratifying for HbA1c levels showed the lowest risk of SH in patients with HbA1c ≤6.7% (≤50 mmol/mol), but in the statistical models adjusting for possible confounders the difference between the HbA1c groups disappeared. Pump users had the lowest SH risk, also after adjusting for possible confounders. CONCLUSIONS: Risk of SH differs between the Nordic countries with the lowest risk in Sweden. Pump therapy was associated with decreased risk of SH. The low HbA1c group had the same or a lower risk of SH compared with the highest HbA1c groups. A target HbA1c ≤6.7% (≤50 mmol/mol) seems achievable without increasing the risk of SH.

Understanding mortality rates after hip fracture repair using ASA physical status in the National Hip Fracture Database.

Hip fracture is the most common reason for older patients to need emergency anaesthesia and surgery. Up to one-third of patients die in the year after hip fracture, but this view of outcome may encourage therapeutic nihilism in peri-operative decisions and discussions. We used a multicentre national dataset to examine relative and absolute mortality rates for patients presenting with hip fracture, stratified by ASA physical status. We analysed ASA physical status, dates of surgery, death and hospital discharge for 59,369 out of 64,864 patients in the 2015 National Hip Fracture Database; 3914 (6.6%) of whom died in hospital. Rates of death in hospital were 1.8% in ASA 1-2 patients compared with 16.5% in ASA 4 patients. Survival rates for ASA 4 patients on each of the first three postoperative days were: 98.8%, 99.1% and 99.1% (compared with figures of > 99.9% in ASA 1-2 patients over these days). Survival on postoperative day 6 was 99.4% for ASA 4 patients. Nearly half (48.6%) of the 1427 patients who did not have surgery died in hospital. Although technically sound, a focus on cumulative and relative risk of mortality may frame discussions in an unduly negative fashion, discouraging surgeons and anaesthetists from offering an operation, and deterring patients and their loved ones from agreeing to it. A more optimistic and pragmatic explanation that over 98% of ASA 4 patients survive both the day of surgery and the day after it, may be more appropriate.

The impact of social deprivation on mortality following hip fracture in England and Wales: a record linkage study.

UNLABELLED: We used routine hospital data to investigate whether socially deprived patients had an increased risk of dying following hip fracture compared with affluent patients. We found that the most deprived patients had a significantly increased risk of dying at 30, 90 and 365 days compared with the most affluent patients. INTRODUCTION: To identify whether social deprivation has any effect on mortality risk after emergency admission with hip fracture and to determine whether any increased mortality observed among deprived groups was associated with patient and hospital-related factors. METHODS: We used routine, linked hospital inpatient and mortality data for emergency admissions with a hip fracture in both England and Wales between 2004 and 2011. Mortality rates at 30, 90 and 365 days were reported. Logistic regression was used to identify any significant increases in mortality with higher levels of social deprivation and the influence of other risk factors on any increased mortality among the most deprived group. RESULTS: Mortality rates at 30, 90 and 365 days were 9.3, 17.4 and 29.0 % in England and 8.3, 16.1 and 27.9 % in Wales. Social deprivation was significantly associated with increased mortality in the most deprived quintile compared with the least deprived quintile at 30, 90 and 365 days in England (OR = 1.187, 1.185 and 1.154, respectively) and at 90 and 365 days in Wales (1.135 and 1.203). There was a little interaction between deprivation and other risk factors influencing 30- and 365-day mortality except for patient age, pre-fracture residence and hospital size. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated a positive association between social deprivation and increased mortality at 30 days post-admission for hip fracture in both England and Wales that was still evident at 90 and 365 days. We found little influence of other factors on social inequalities in mortality risk at 30 and 365 days post-admission.

Secondary analysis of outcomes after 11,085 hip fracture operations from the prospective UK Anaesthesia Sprint Audit of Practice (ASAP-2).

We re-analysed prospective data collected by anaesthetists in the Anaesthesia Sprint Audit of Practice (ASAP-1) to describe associations with linked outcome data. Mortality was 165/11,085 (1.5%) 5 days and 563/11,085 (5.1%) 30 days after surgery and was not associated with anaesthetic technique (general vs. spinal, with or without peripheral nerve blockade). The risk of death increased as blood pressure fell: the odds ratio (95% CI) for mortality within five days after surgery was 0.983 (0.973-0.994) for each 5 mmHg intra-operative increment in systolic blood pressure, p = 0.0016, and 0.980 (0.967-0.993) for each mmHg increment in mean pressure, p = 0.0039. The equivalent odds ratios (95% CI) for 30-day mortality were 0.968 (0.951-0.985), p = 0.0003 and 0.976 (0.964-0.988), p = 0.0001, respectively. The lowest systolic blood pressure after intrathecal local anaesthetic relative to before induction was weakly correlated with a higher volume of subarachnoid bupivacaine: r(2) -0.10 and -0.16 for hyperbaric and isobaric bupivacaine, respectively. A mean 20% relative fall in systolic blood pressure correlated with an administered volume of 1.44 ml hyperbaric bupivacaine. Future research should focus on refining standardised anaesthesia towards administering lower doses of spinal (and general) anaesthesia and maintaining normotension.

Persistent post-surgical pain and signs of nerve injury: the Tromsø Study.

BACKGROUND: The contribution of nerve lesions and neuropathic pain to persistent post-surgical pain (PPSP) is poorly established. The aim of this study was to assess the association between PPSP and symptoms and signs of possible nerve injury in an unselected surgical sample. METHODS: Eighty-one individuals with and without persistent pain after surgical procedures, were recruited from a cross-sectional study. Follow-up examination with questionnaires and quantitative sensory testing was performed 15-32 months later (21-64 months after surgery). RESULTS: The median rating of maximum pain intensity among individuals with PPSP decreased from numerical rating scale 4/10 at baseline to 2/10 at follow-up, but considerable changes occurred in both directions. Individuals with PPSP at follow-up were significantly more likely to self-report sensory abnormalities than those without PPSP; however, results from sensory testing did not differ significantly between the groups. Self-report of sensory disturbances at the site of surgery was associated with increased warm detection thresholds and tactile pain thresholds. Among individuals with PPSP, 61% had positive findings on sensory testing, suggesting probable neuropathic pain. CONCLUSION: In this study, associations between self-reported symptoms and PPSP were stronger than associations between self-reported symptoms and results of psychophysical tests. Fluctuations in pain intensity together with wide ranges for normal variability in sensory functions, hampers detection of significant group differences. Methodological aspects of quantitative sensory testing applied in a mixed clinical sample are discussed.

Process evaluation of a multi-component intervention to reduce infectious diseases and improve hygiene and well-being among school children: the Hi Five study.

The Hi Five study was a three-armed cluster randomized controlled trial designed to reduce infections and improve hygiene and well-being among pupils. Participating schools (n = 43) were randomized into either control (n = 15) or one of two intervention groups (n = 28). The intervention consisted of three components: (i) a curriculum (ii) mandatory daily hand washing before lunch (iii) extra cleaning of school toilets. The aim of this study was to evaluate the implementation and to identify challenges to program implementation. Several data sources were used, including observations of school toilets, semi-structured interviews with school coordinators (n = 4), focus groups with pupils (n = 6) and teachers (n = 5), and questionnaires among pupils (n = 5440), teachers (n = 387) and school coordinators (n = 28). This study indicates that the curriculum was successfully implemented at most schools, and that teachers and pupils reacted positively to this part of the intervention. However, daily hand washing before lunch seems to be difficult to implement. Overall, the implementation process was affected by several factors such as poor sanitary facilities, lack of time and prioritization and objections against the increasing tendency to place the responsibility for child-rearing tasks on schools. This study reveals the strong and weak parts of the Hi Five study and can guide program improvement.

Safety guideline: reducing the risk from cemented hemiarthroplasty for hip fracture 2015: Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland British Orthopaedic Association British Geriatric Society.

Concise guidelines are presented for the preparation and conduct of anaesthesia and surgery in patients undergoing cemented hemiarthroplasty for hip fracture. The Working Party specifically considered recent publications highlighting complications occurring during the peri-operative period. The advice presented is based on previously published advice and clinical studies.

Prevalence and predictors of severe hypoglycemia in Danish children and adolescents with diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of severe hypoglycemia in Danish children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes and to pinpoint predictors of this acute complication in children on modern treatment modalities. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The study is based on data from DanDiabKids, a national diabetes register for children and adolescents. The register contains data on patients with type 1 diabetes with an ascertainment rate of 99%. Data from 3320 patients aged 0-18 yr was included in the study period from 1998 to 2009 and analyzed using a negative binomial model. RESULTS: One thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine episodes of severe hypoglycemia in 867 patients were registered conferring an overall incidence of severe hypoglycemia of 15.1 [95% confident interval (CI): 13.8; 16.4] per 100 patient years. This remained unchanged during the study period. Duration of diabetes, age and treatment in centers managing less than 100 patients significantly increased the risk of severe hypoglycemia (p < 0.001). Patients on insulin pump therapy had a 42% reduced risk of severe hypoglycemia compared with pen treated patients (p = 0.01). Patients treated with five or more daily insulin injections had a 31% (95% CI: 17; 49) reduced risk of severe hypoglycemia compared to patients on fewer daily injections (p = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS: Despite improvements in metabolic control over a decade the prevalence of severe hypoglycemic events remained unchanged. More intensive treatments such as insulin pump therapy and multiple daily injections on a national level seems to be a protective factor for developing severe hypoglycemia up to 2009.