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Does more "appropriateness" explain higher rates of cardiac procedures among patients hospitalized with coronary heart disease?

BACKGROUND: There have been few studies of the extent to which differences in the pool of patients being managed might account for geographic variations in treatment rates. OBJECTIVE: For two cardiac procedures, cardiac catheterization and revascularization, we evaluate the hypothesis that differences in "the percentage of patients for whom the procedure is appropriate" is a factor explaining variations in use rates among those hospitalized with coronary heart disease (CHD). RESEARCH DESIGN: Based on hospital utilization patterns in Massachusetts in 1990, we created 70 small geographic areas. Using 1992 Massachusetts Peer Review Organization data, areas were ranked from highest to lowest based on (empirical-Bayes-adjusted) hospitalization rates for each procedure. One thousand seven hundred four cases from 43 hospitals were sampled, roughly half each from high and low use areas. Half had a procedure and half were candidates for the same procedure but did not have it. For each procedure, medical records were reviewed to determine whether the procedure was (or, for those not having it, would have been) appropriate, based on criteria developed using a modified Delphi approach. RESULTS: Among those having either procedure, appropriateness rates were similar in high and low rate areas (P = 0.59 for catheterization and P = 0.30 for revascularization). However, among candidates for either procedure who did not have it, appropriateness for performing the procedure was greater in high-rate areas (41.4% vs. 32.1%, P = 0.05 for catheterization; 71.2% vs. 57.2%, P = 0.003, for revascularization). CONCLUSION: Among those hospitalized with CHD, appropriateness rates for two cardiac procedures are higher in areas with higher use rates.

Aged↗

'Sorry, it's my first time!' Will patients consent to medical students learning procedures?

CONTEXT: The clinical teaching of medical students is essential to medicine; however, medical students often may not inform patients of their inexperience. Hence patients do not have the opportunity to consent specifically to the procedures being performed by medical students. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine whether patients, when informed of the inexperience of a medical student, would still consent to the procedure. METHODS: Adult emergency department patients (114) were enrolled if they required one of the following procedures: sutures, intravenous (i.v.) access or splinting. Patients were first surveyed about his or her perceptions of medical student performing procedures. The first-year medical student then informed the patient of their inexperience (the number of procedures they had performed successfully). Finally, the patient was asked to consent to the student performing the procedure (i.e. "this is my first/third time suturing, may I suture you?") The main outcome measure was patient consent to the student performing the procedure. RESULTS: Only 48% of participants knew they could be the first patient on whom a medical student might perform a procedure. A total of 66% thought they should be told if a student was performing his or her first procedure on them. The majority of patients (90%) consented (69/80 i.v., 20/20 splints, 13/14 sutures). For 7 of the 12 refusals, it was the student's first time performing the procedure. CONCLUSION: Most patients will allow medical students to perform minor procedures, even when informed of the student's inexperience.

Adult↗

General anaesthesia or conscious sedation for painful procedures in childhood cancer: the family's perspective.

BACKGROUND: Until recently, midazolam sedation was routinely used in our institution for bone marrow aspirates and lumbar punctures in children with cancer. It has been perceived by many doctors and nurses as being well tolerated by children and their families. AIM: To compare the efficacy of inhalational general anaesthesia and midazolam sedation for these procedures. METHODS: A total of 96 children with neoplastic disorders, who received either inhalational general anaesthesia with sevoflurane, nitrous oxide, and oxygen (GA) or sedation with oral or nasal midazolam (SED) as part of their routine preparation for procedures were studied. The experiences of these children were examined during their current procedure and during their first ever procedure. Main outcome measures were the degree of physical restraint used on the child, and the levels of distress and pain experienced by the child during the current procedure and during the first procedure. The family's preference for future procedures was also determined. RESULTS: During 102 procedures under GA, restraint was needed on four occasions (4%) when the anaesthetic mask was first applied, minimal pain was reported, and children were reported as distressed about 25% of the time. During 80 SED procedures, restraint was required in 94%, firm restraint was required in 66%, the child could not be restrained in 14%, median pain score was 6 (scale 0 (no pain) to 6 (maximum pain)), and 90% of the parents reported distress in their child. Ninety per cent of families wanted GA for future procedures. Many families reported dissatisfaction with the sedation regime and raised concerns about the restraint used on their child. CONCLUSIONS: This general anaesthetic regime minimised the need for restraint and was associated with low levels of pain and distress. The sedation regime, by contrast, was much less effective. There was a significant disparity between the perceptions of health professionals and those of families with respect to how children coped with painful procedures.

Adolescent↗

Spinal injection procedures: volume, provider distribution, and reimbursement in the U.S. medicare population from 1993 to 1999.

PURPOSE: To evaluate spinal injection procedures for trends in volume, reimbursement, and physician specialty participation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: By using the 1993, 1996, 1998, and 1999 Medicare Part B claims database, we studied Current Procedural Terminology revision 4 codes used for percutaneous spinal injection procedures, including cervical and lumbar discography, disk aspiration and/or injection, facet and/or perifacet joint injection, and epidural steroid injection. For each of these procedures, volume, reimbursement, and physician specialty participation (categorized as radiology, anesthesiology, surgery, physiatry, and other specialties) for each year were recorded. RESULTS: Despite an overall increase in spinal injection procedure volume and reimbursement from 1993 to 1999, nonradiologists performed most of these procedures. Epidural steroid and facet joint injections had the highest volume and reimbursement during this time period and were performed almost exclusively by nonradiologists (predominantly anesthesiologists). Radiologists performed more discography procedures than did other specialists in 1993, but participation decreased each year, while anesthesiologist participation increased; as of 1999, anesthesiologists performed more discography procedures than did radiologists. Although radiologists performed more disk aspiration procedures than did other specialists, procedure volume remained low during the period studied. CONCLUSION: Spinal injection volume and reimbursement have increased substantially in the Medicare population from 1993 to 1999. During this interval, radiologist participation has decreased. Nonradiologists perform most spinal injection procedures.

Humans↗

CT fluoroscopy--guided interventional procedures: techniques and radiation dose to radiologists.

PURPOSE: To determine the radiation dose to radiologists who perform computed tomographic (CT) fluoroscopic interventional procedures by using a quick-check method and a low-milliampere technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred twenty CT fluoroscopy--guided interventional procedures were performed in 189 patients. Procedures included 57 spinal injections, 17 spinal biopsies, 24 chest biopsies, 20 abdominal aspirations, 44 abdominal biopsies, and 58 abdominal drainages. Procedure details were prospectively recorded and included site, depth, target diameter, milliampere value, kilovolt peak, fluoroscopic time, and CT technique (continuous CT fluoroscopy, quick-check method, or a combination of these techniques). An individual collar and finger radiation detector were worn by each radiologist during each procedure to determine the dose per procedure. RESULTS: The quick-check technique was performed in 191 (87%) of 220 procedures. Four procedures were performed with continuous CT fluoroscopy, and a combination technique was used for 25 (11%) procedures. The overall mean CT fluoroscopic time was 17.9 seconds (range, 1.2--101.5 seconds). The mean milliampere value was 13.2 mA (range, 10--50 mA). The overall mean radiologist radiation dose per procedure was 2.5 mrem (0.025 mSv) (whole body). Individual procedure doses ranged from 0.66 to 4.75 mrem (0.007--0.048 mSv). The finger radiation dose was negligible. CONCLUSION: By using a low-milliampere technique and the quick-check method, CT fluoroscopic time and radiation exposure can be minimized.

Adult↗

Informed consent for medical procedures: local and national practices.

BACKGROUND: No studies have assessed whether clinicians obtain informed consent for invasive medical procedures, and there are no explicit national standards to guide the process. HYPOTHESIS: Informed consent practices are inconsistent for commonly performed invasive medical procedures. METHODS: A simple questionnaire was electronically mailed and/or faxed to training program directors of critical care medicine and internal medicine departments, and to ICU directors in the state of Connecticut. The questionnaire listed common invasive medical procedures and asked the respondents to check those for which practitioners routinely obtain informed consent in their hospital. RESULTS: The three samples, national intensivists (88 respondents), Connecticut intensivists (29 respondents), and national internists (56 respondents) demonstrated heterogeneity of consenting practices. The rate of obtaining consent for common vascular access procedures ranged from 20 to 90%. The rates of obtaining consent for Foley catheterization and nasogastric intubation were uniformly < 10%, and those for endoscopic procedures were > 90%. Separate consent (beyond the general consent to treat) was not uniformly obtained for the transfusion of blood products (range, 74 to 93%) and common diagnostic medical procedures (eg, thoracentesis, paracentesis, or lumbar puncture; range, 77 to 96%). Surgical intensivists reported that the obtaining of consent for invasive procedures was less routine compared to medical intensivists. Lower rates of consent were noted by those respondents who used a "blanket" consent form, which was signed at the time of hospital admission, to cover subsequent procedures. CONCLUSIONS: In this relatively small sample, there was no uniform practice of informed consent for commonly performed invasive medical procedures. Consent was routinely obtained for GI endoscopy, bronchoscopy, and medical research, and was not obtained for Foley catheterization and nasogastric intubation. The obtaining of consent for vascular cannulation and diagnostic procedures was not routine in the ICUs of a substantial number of respondents. Explicit standards that delineate specifically which procedures require consent may be required to assure more uniform practices.

Connecticut↗

Role of first ray hypermobility in the outcome of the Hohmann and the Lapidus procedure. A prospective, randomized trial involving one hundred and one feet.

BACKGROUND: The role of hypermobility of the first tarsometatarsal joint in the etiology of hallux valgus deformity is controversial. Consequently, the need to include an arthrodesis of this joint in the surgical treatment of hallux valgus has been questioned. We designed a study to evaluate the role of arthrodesis of the first tarsometatarsal joint on the outcome of surgical treatment of hallux valgus. METHODS: A prospective, blinded, randomized study was performed to compare the results of a distal osteotomy of the first metatarsal (the Hohmann procedure) with those of an arthrodesis of the first tarsometatarsal joint combined with a soft-tissue procedure of the first metatarsophalangeal joint (the Lapidus procedure) for correction of a symptomatic hallux valgus deformity. One hundred and one feet of eighty-seven patients were included in the study. Fifty feet had a Hohmann procedure, and fifty-one had a Lapidus procedure. The mobility of the first tarsometatarsal joint was assessed in the preoperative clinical examination. On the basis of this examination, two subgroups were identified: sixty-eight feet with a hypermobile first tarsometatarsal joint and thirty-three feet with a nonhypermobile first tarsometatarsal joint. The patients were assessed clinically and radiographically at two years after the operation. RESULTS: There was a significant improvement in the score on the great toe metatarsophalangeal-interphalangeal scale of the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society and in the pain score following both procedures (p < 0.001). With the numbers available, no significant difference between the two procedures or between the subgroups of feet with a hypermobile first tarsometatarsal joint and those with a nonhypermobile joint could be identified. The patient satisfaction rating did not differ either between the two procedures or between the two subgroups. The radiographic results of the two methods were also similar, except for shortening of the first metatarsal, which was significantly greater (p < 0.001) in the Hohmann group, and plantar flexion of the first metatarsal, which was greater in the Lapidus group. CONCLUSIONS: These short-term results were satisfactory and were comparable with those in previous isolated reports on these two procedures. As no significant differences between the two procedures or between the two subgroups (feet with a hypermobile first tarsometatarsal joint and those with a nonhypermobile joint) were found on clinical assessment, the theory that patients with hallux valgus and a hypermobile first tarsometatarsal joint should be managed with a Lapidus procedure was not supported. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic study, Level I-1a (randomized controlled trial [significant difference]). See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Adolescent↗

Informed consent for percutaneous lung biopsy: comparison of two consent protocols based on patient recall after the procedure.

OBJECTIVE: Informed consent is now required for the majority of radiologic procedures, but few studies have evaluated the efficacy of informed consent protocols. We compared our standard consent protocol of obtaining consent prior to percutaneous lung biopsy with a modified protocol by using patients' recall of procedure risks after the biopsy as an indicator of patients' comprehension. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study sample consisted of 50 patients who underwent percutaneous lung biopsy between December 1992 and June 1994. Twenty-seven patients received our standard informed consent procedure in which four important procedure risks were described briefly using our standard method. Twenty-three patients underwent a consent procedure that had the following modification. After the four procedure risks were described, the patient was tested verbally until all risks could be recited to the physician. This change required 5 additional min at most. In both protocols, efficacy of the procedure was evaluated by testing patient recall 4 hr after consent was obtained. We also assessed any effect that might have been introduced by differences between the groups, age, sex, time between consent and recall, and complications during the procedure. RESULTS: Patients' recall was significantly better in the modified consent group than in the standard group (p = .005). This result could not be attributed to differences in age, sex, or time between consent and recall. There was a trend for improved recall in patients with complications. This trend did not appear to influence our principal finding. CONCLUSION: The standard consent procedure for lung biopsy appears inadequate when patients' recall of procedure risks later is used as a measure of the patients' comprehension. Based on this study, the informed consent process may be improved substantially by teaching patients to recite the procedure risks to the physician as part of the informed consent protocol.

Adult↗

Undergraduate procedural skills training in Victoria: is it adequate?

OBJECTIVES: To assess the experience in basic and advanced clinical procedures of recently graduated medical students and to identify deficiencies in procedural skills training. DESIGN: An anonymous, voluntary, questionnaire-based survey. SETTING: The 13 hospitals in the State of Victoria that employ their own interns. SUBJECTS: New interns, immediately before starting their intern year in 1996. RESULTS: One hundred and seventy-four interns participated. They reported that they had had few opportunities to practise some procedures during their medical courses. By their own report, 3% had never sutured a patient, 10% had never drawn blood gases, 16% had never applied a limb plaster, 18% had never inserted a catheter and 37% had never intubated a patient. Twenty-nine per cent perceived their proficiency in basic procedural skills to be inadequate and 43% perceived their training in basic skills to have been inadequate. Except for intravenous cannulation, there was a significant association (P < 0.01) between the number of procedures performed and perceived proficiency in that procedure. The new interns reported that they had been taught mainly by residents and registrars in the emergency department. "Doctors performing most procedures" and "limited access to patients" were considered the main obstacles to procedural training. Fewer than 50% of interns had spent extra time improving their procedural skills. CONCLUSION: Undergraduate training in procedural skills in Victoria is inadequate. Comprehensive training programs appear to be lacking and clinical schools have few techniques for quality assurance. RECOMMENDATION: Victorian clinical schools need to review their procedural skills training programs.

Clinical Competence↗

Procedural skills of the general internist. A survey of 2500 physicians.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine which of 40 clinical procedures general internists do in their practice, how often these procedures are done, and what training is needed to develop and maintain competence in each. DESIGN: Mailed survey. PARTICIPANTS: A random sample of 2500 American College of Physicians (ACP) members identified as general internists; 1806 (72%) responded. Of these, we excluded 398 who were board eligible or board certified in a subspecialty and 143 with unknown status. The resulting sample of 1179 was augmented in selected analyses by an additional sample of 199 rural internists. RESULTS: General internists did, on average, 16 of the 40 procedures. Practice characteristics markedly affected the number and variety of procedures done. A larger number of different procedures was independently associated with smaller cities, smaller hospitals, younger age, increased hours in patient care, and certain regions of the country. Practice characteristics varied considerably by practice type and location. Many procedures were done infrequently. There was reasonable agreement on the experience needed to attain and maintain competency in each procedure. The majority of respondents favored hospital credentialing for 22 of the 40 procedures. CONCLUSIONS: General internists do a wide variety of procedures, the number and frequency of which are affected by the characteristics and location of their practice. Despite opinion to the contrary, more recently trained general internists do a wider variety of procedures than older colleagues. These results provide data to help define standards for training and credentialing and suggest that we should reexamine general internists' training in procedural skills.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

Practices and predictors of analgesic interventions for adults undergoing painful procedures.

BACKGROUND: Research is limited on analgesic practices associated with the commonly performed procedures of turning, inserting central venous catheters, removing wound drains, changing dressings on nonburn wounds, suctioning the trachea, and removing femoral sheaths. OBJECTIVES: To determine types of analgesics administered for procedures, the prevalence and amounts of drugs given, and factors predictive of analgesic administration. METHODS: Pain was assessed before and immediately after procedures. Analgesic, sedative, and anesthetic agents administered within 1 hour before and/or during each procedure were noted RESULTS: A total of 5957 adult patients at 164 national and 5 international sites participated. Pain intensity increased at the time of procedure for all procedures. More than 63% of patients received no analgesics. Less than 20% received opiates; mean total dose of opiate was 6.44 mg (SD, 8.96 mg). Only 10% of patients received combination therapy. Factors associated with the likelihood of receiving opiates were pain intensity before a procedure, femoral sheath removal, being white, and the duration of a procedure. Patients less likely to receive opiates had a medical diagnosis or were having tracheal suctioning. Only 14.5% of the variance in the amount of opiate administered was explained by factors entered into multiple regression models. Type of procedure was the only significant predictor of amount of opiate administered. CONCLUSIONS: Most patients were not intentionally medicated even though pain intensity increased during their procedure. When used, analgesic amounts were low, and combination therapy was infrequent. Clinical trials are needed to evaluate optimal pain management for patients undergoing procedures.

Adult↗

Endovascular interventional neuroradiologic procedures: who is performing them, how often, and where? A survey of academic and nonacademic radiology practices.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In this report, the authors assess practice patterns at both academic and nonacademic centers regarding the treatment of aneurysms with Guglielmi detachable coils (GDCs), thrombolysis of the carotid-vertebral arteries, and stent placement with angioplasty of the carotid arteries. METHODS: A neurovascular radiology survey was sent to 102 directors of neuroradiology fellowship programs in the United States and Canada ("academic centers"). The survey was also sent to senior members of the American Society of Neuroradiology (three per state) who were not affiliated with fellowship programs ("nonacademic centers"). RESULTS: Fifty-seven surveys from academic practices and 70 surveys from nonacademic practices were returned. A total of 4361 procedures (2283 GDC; 949 thrombolysis; 1129 stent placement) were performed; 84% were performed at academic centers and 16% at nonacademic centers. Ninety percent of GDC, 71% of thrombolysis, and 82% of stent placement procedures were performed at academic centers. Seven academic and three nonacademic centers performed 48% of all GDC procedures; eight academic and four nonacademic centers performed 45% of all thrombolysis procedures; eight academic centers performed 50% of all stent placement procedures. A total of 544/4361 (12%) procedures were performed by nonradiologists. At academic centers, 14% of procedures were performed by nonradiologists; participation by nonradiologists was greatest for carotid stent placement (24% of procedures). At nonacademic centers, only 5% of procedures were performed by nonradiologists. CONCLUSION: According to this survey, most endovascular interventional neuroradiologic procedures are performed at academic centers; given the survey population, this study likely identifies the lower limit of participation by nonradiologists (12%). Performance of these procedures is concentrated in relatively few centers, and these data raise questions about the overall use of intraarterial thrombolytic therapy for acute infarction.

Academic Medical Centers↗

Where Canadian family physicians learn procedural skills.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Little is known about where family physicians learn procedural skills. In this study, we examine where Canadian family medicine graduates learned to do the procedures they perform. METHODS: In 2001, a cross-sectional postal survey was conducted of the 369 family medicine graduates from the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary between 1996 - 2000. From a list of 31 procedures, respondents identified procedures regularly performed over the past 2 years and indicated which procedures they had stopped performing. Respondents indicated whether the procedures performed were learned primarily during medical school and residency, through formal skills training following residency, or in the practice setting. RESULTS: The 282 (76.4% response rate) respondents reported performing a mean of 10.5 (SD=5.3) procedures. The vast majority reported learning procedural skills in medical school or during family medicine residency training (91.1%), followed by the clinical practice setting (12.6%), then formal skills training (6.4%). Those in rural practice learned a relatively greater proportion of procedural skills through formal skills training. CONCLUSIONS: For Canadian family physicians, procedural skill acquisition occurs across the learning continuum. Medical schools and residency training programs play a role in facilitating the learning of procedural skills and supporting self-directed learning.

Adult↗

The quality of procedural rural medical practice in Australia.

INTRODUCTION: While rural Australians receive much of their procedural medical care from local health professionals in local hospitals, the current workforce shortages, rural economic decline and poor rural health care status all pose challenges to the quality of care they receive. Rural doctors struggle to receive appropriate procedural skills training, rural hospitals struggle to maintain experienced procedurally skilled nurses and other health professionals, and medical equipment, and patients are increasingly referred by clinical protocols to larger urban hospitals. On the other hand, many rural communities value highly their local rural hospital, and advocate the maintenance of hospital services close to home, even though they will have to travel for more specialised services. This article reports an exploration of the quality of a range of clinical cases gathered from rural procedural medical practice. METHODS: The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) approached all trained and procedurally practising rural doctors among their membership. A total of 49 agreed to participate, but only 24 were successful in the prospective recruitment of patients and contribution of patient material (operating theatre notes, anaesthetic records etc) from cases involving general surgery, anaesthetics and obstetrics, the three commonest procedural disciplines in rural medical practice. One of the researchers interviewed patients before and after their procedures and, where available, a family member and a nurse at the hospital. Thus a series of 91 detailed patient case studies was available for analysis These case studies were reviewed from up to four different perspectives: (i) rural doctor peers; (ii) regionalist specialists in the respective discipline; (iii) a medical administrator; and (iv) a rural consumer representative. A thematic analysis of transcribed interviews was conducted. RESULTS: The collected cases represented a range of procedures commonly provided in rural hospitals, although there were relatively few surgical procedures and there was a bias in all three specialty areas towards relatively simple procedures. No adverse outcomes were reported, although some comments, particularly from the rural doctor peers, were made about the need for further information and, in a small number of cases, possible variance from accepted practice. The views of the reviewers substantially agreed that the cases were of average to high quality, although the specialist reviewers were less likely to rate care as 'excellent' than other reviewers. While the comments of the medical reviewers were more technical in nature, the comments of patients and their families, and of the rural consumer reviewer, focussed more on issues such as accessibility, cost and interpersonal communication. Many patients and some nursing staff expressed concern about the sustainability of friendly and accessible local services in the face of workforce shortages and pressure to downgrade rural hospitals. CONCLUSION: This study shows that, where staff and facilities in rural hospitals are accredited for procedural care, there is little evidence of any difference in the quality of that care provided when compared with care expected in urban hospitals.

Australia↗

Physician control of needle and syringe during aspiration-injection procedures with the new reciprocating syringe.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate physician control of needle and syringe during aspiration-injection syringe procedures by comparing the new reciprocating procedure syringe to a traditional conventional syringe. METHODS: Twenty-six physicians were tested for their individual ability to control the reciprocating and conventional syringes in typical aspiration-injection procedures using a novel quantitative needle-based displacement procedure model. Subsequently, the physicians performed 48 clinical aspiration-injection (arthrocentesis) procedures on 32 subjects randomized to the reciprocating or conventional syringes. Clinical outcomes included procedure time, patient pain, and operator satisfaction. Multivariate modeling methods were used to determine the experimental variables in the syringe control model most predictive of clinical outcome measures. RESULTS: In the model system, the reciprocating syringe significantly improved physician control of the syringe and needle, with a 66% reduction in unintended forward penetration (p < 0.001) and a 68% reduction in unintended retraction (p < 0.001). In clinical arthrocentesis, improvements were also noted: 30% reduction in procedure time (p < 0.03), 57% reduction in patient pain (p < 0.001), and a 79% increase in physician satisfaction (p < 0.001). The variables in the experimental system--unintended forward penetration, unintended retraction, and operator satisfaction--independently predicted the outcomes of procedure time, patient pain, and physician satisfaction in the clinical study (p < or = 0.001). CONCLUSION: The reciprocating syringe reduces procedure time and patient pain and improves operator satisfaction with the procedure syringe. The reciprocating syringe improves physician performance in both the validated quantitative needle-based displacement model and in real aspiration-injection syringe procedures, including arthrocentesis.

Adult↗

Safe and efficacious use of procedural sedation and analgesia by non-anesthesiologists in a pediatric hematology-oncology unit.

BACKGROUND: Children often require relief of pain and anxiety while undergoing diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) is the safe and effective control of pain, anxiety and motion so as to allow a necessary procedure to be performed and to provide an appropriate degree of memory loss or decreased awareness. OBJECTIVE: To prospectively describe procedural sedation and analgesia as performed in the pediatric oncology unit and to report the success of sedation and the incidence of complications. METHODS: IV Midazolam and IV Ketamine were used for PSA in pediatric oncology patients undergoing painful procedures. RESULTS: Between June 2004 and December 2004, 55 diagnostic and therapeutic procedures were performed using PSA in 16 children. There were 9 boys and 7 girls with a median age of 11 years. Twelve patients had hematolymphoid malignancies and 4 patients had solid tumors. The indication for PSA were bone marrow aspiration and or biopsy in 7 patients, therapeutic lumbar puncture in 43 patients, bone marrow aspiration and lumbar puncture in 4 patients and skin biopsy in 1 patient. All 55 procedures were successfully completed. Adverse events occurred in 15 (27%) episodes and included transient drop in oxygen saturation, vomiting, dizziness and disinhibition with crying spells. Average time to arousable state and full recovery was 22 minutes and 31 minutes respectively. None of the patients complained of post procedure pain nor recalled the procedure at the follow up visit. CONCLUSION: Procedural sedation and analgesia using midazolam and ketamine is a safe and efficient method of limiting anxiety and procedure related pain and can be successfully administered by non-anaesthesiologists. The complication rate is low and can be easily managed.

Adolescent↗

Transvaginal needle bladder neck suspension procedures for stress urinary incontinence: a comprehensive review.

Transvaginal needle bladder neck suspension procedures for surgical correction of stress incontinence are increasing in popularity among genitourinary surgeons. Since 1959, three main modifications of the originally described procedure have emerged as representing various needle suspension procedures, ie, the modified Pereyra procedure among gynecologic surgeons and the Stamey and the Raz procedures among urologic surgeons. The overall success rate of 85% (range 40-100%) among a total of 1967 surgical procedures reported in the published literature may be misleading; the majority of reported studies relied upon subjective clinical cures rather than objectively demonstrable cures of urinary incontinence. The majority of studies lacked long-term follow-up of successfully treated patients. Few studies reported urodynamic changes after needle suspension procedures in terms of increased functional urethral length and improved pressure transmission to the proximal urethra. A 20-50% incidence of postoperative voiding difficulties has been reported in various studies. This publication reviews the controversies in the nomenclature of various needle suspension procedures, indication, suture materials, procedural details, and results of previously published needle suspension procedures and their modifications. Differences among commonly performed procedures are pointed out and analyzed for their role in the correction of stress urinary incontinence.

Evaluation Studies as Topic↗

Design and evaluation of statistical control procedures: applications of a computer "quality control simulator" program.

A computer simulation program has been developed to aid in designing and evaluating statistical control procedures. This "QC stimulator" (quality control) program permits the user to study the effects of different factors on the performance of quality-control procedures. These factors may be properties of the analytical procedure, characteristics of the instrument system, or conditions for the quality-control procedure. The performance of a control procedure is characterized by its probability for rejection, as estimated at several different magnitudes of random and systematic error. These performance characteristics are presented graphically by power functions-plots of the probability for rejection vs the size of the analytical errors. The utility of this stimulation tool is illustrated by application to multi-rule single-value procedures, mean and range procedures, and a trend analysis procedure. Careful choice of control rules is necessary to minimize false rejections and to optimize error detection with multi-rule procedures. Control limits must be carefully calculated for optimum performance of mean and range procedures. The level of significance for testing control must be carefully selected for the trend analysis procedure.

Chemistry, Clinical↗