Diagnosis and management of subcutaneous implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator infections based on process mapping

Background: Infection is a well‐recognized complication of cardiovascular implantable electronic device (CIED) implantation, including the more recently available subcutaneous implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator (S‐ICD). Although the AHA/ACC/HRS guidelines include recommendations for S‐ICD use, currently there are no clinical trial data that address the diagnosis and management of S‐ICD infections. Therefore, an expert panel was convened to develop consensus on these topics. / Methods: A process mapping methodology was used to achieve a primary goal – the development of consensus on the diagnosis and management of S‐ICD infections. Two face‐to‐face meetings of panel experts were conducted to recommend useful information to clinicians in individual patient management of S‐ICD infections. / Results: Panel consensus of a stepwise approach in the diagnosis and management was developed to provide guidance in individual patient management. / Conclusion: Achieving expert panel consensus by process mapping methodology in S‐ICD infection diagnosis and management was attainable, and the results should be helpful in individual patient management

Progress toward standardized diagnosis of vascular cognitive impairment: Guidelines from the Vascular Impairment of Cognition Classification Consensus Study

INTRODUCTION: Progress in understanding and management of vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) has been hampered by lack of consensus on diagnosis, reflecting the use of multiple different assessment protocols. A large multinational group of clinicians and researchers participated in a two-phase Vascular Impairment of Cognition Classification Consensus Study (VICCCS) to agree on principles (VICCCS-1) and protocols (VICCCS-2) for diagnosis of VCI. We present VICCCS-2. METHODS: We used VICCCS-1 principles and published diagnostic guidelines as points of reference for an online Delphi survey aimed at achieving consensus on clinical diagnosis of VCI. RESULTS: Six survey rounds comprising 65-79 participants agreed guidelines for diagnosis of VICCCS-revised mild and major forms of VCI and endorsed the National Institute of Neurological Disorders-Canadian Stroke Network neuropsychological assessment protocols and recommendations for imaging. DISCUSSION: The VICCCS-2 suggests standardized use of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders-Canadian Stroke Network recommendations on neuropsychological and imaging assessment for diagnosis of VCI so as to promote research collaboration

Interobserver agreement in dysplasia grading: toward an enhanced gold standard for clinical pathology trials

Objective: Interobserver agreement in the context of oral epithelial dysplasia (OED) grading has been notoriously unreliable and can impose barriers for developing new molecular markers and diagnostic technologies. This paper aimed to report the details of a 3-stage histopathology review and adjudication process with the goal of achieving a consensus histopathologic diagnosis of each biopsy. Study Design: Two adjacent serial histologic sections of oral lesions from 846 patients were independently scored by 2 different pathologists from a pool of 4. In instances where the original 2 pathologists disagreed, a third, independent adjudicating pathologist conducted a review of both sections. If a majority agreement was not achieved, the third stage involved a face-to-face consensus review. Results: Individual pathologist pair κ values ranged from 0.251 to 0.706 (fair-good) before the 3-stage review process. During the initial review phase, the 2 pathologists agreed on a diagnosis for 69.9% of the cases. After the adjudication review by a third pathologist, an additional 22.8% of cases were given a consensus diagnosis (agreement of 2 out of 3 pathologists). After the face-to-face review, the remaining 7.3% of cases had a consensus diagnosis. Conclusions: The use of the defined protocol resulted in a substantial increase (30%) in diagnostic agreement and has the potential to improve the level of agreement for establishing gold standards for studies based on histopathologic diagnosis

Progress toward standardized diagnosis of vascular cognitive impairment : Guidelines from the Vascular Impairment of Cognition Classification Consensus Study

Hanna Jokinen tutkimusryhmän jäsenenä (VICCCS Grp)Introduction: Progress in understanding and management of vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) has been hampered by lack of consensus on diagnosis, reflecting the use of multiple different assessment protocols. A large multinational group of clinicians and researchers participated in a two-phase Vascular Impairment of Cognition Classification Consensus Study (VICCCS) to agree on principles (VICCCS-1) and protocols (VICCCS-2) for diagnosis of VCI. We present VICCCS-2. Methods: We used VICCCS-1 principles and published diagnostic guidelines as points of reference for an online Delphi survey aimed at achieving consensus on clinical diagnosis of VCI. Results: Six survey rounds comprising 65-79 participants agreed guidelines for diagnosis of VICCCS-revised mild and major forms of VCI and endorsed the National Institute of Neurological Disorders-Canadian Stroke Network neuropsychological assessment protocols and recommendations for imaging. Discussion: The VICCCS-2 suggests standardized use of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders-Canadian Stroke Network recommendations on neuropsychological and imaging assessment for diagnosis of VCI so as to promote research collaboration. (C) 2017 the Alzheimer's Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

VII. Discours

Introduction: Progress in understanding and management of vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) has been hampered by lack of consensus on diagnosis, reflecting the use of multiple different assessment protocols. A large multinational group of clinicians and researchers participated in a two-phase Vascular Impairment of Cognition Classification Consensus Study (VICCCS) to agree on principles (VICCCS-1) and protocols (VICCCS-2) for diagnosis of VCI. We present VICCCS-2. Methods: We used VICCCS-1 principles and published diagnostic guidelines as points of reference for an online Delphi survey aimed at achieving consensus on clinical diagnosis of VCI. Results: Six survey rounds comprising 65–79 participants agreed guidelines for diagnosis of VICCCS-revised mild and major forms of VCI and endorsed the National Institute of Neurological Disorders–Canadian Stroke Network neuropsychological assessment protocols and recommendations for imaging. Discussion: The VICCCS-2 suggests standardized use of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders–Canadian Stroke Network recommendations on neuropsychological and imaging assessment for diagnosis of VCI so as to promote research collaboration

Consensus evidence-based clinical practice recommendations for the diagnosis and treat-to-target management of osteoporosis in chronic kidney disease stages G4-G5D and post-transplantation: An initiative of Egyptian Academy of Bone Health

The aim of this study was to reach a consensus on an updated version of the recommendations for the diagnosis and Treat-to-Target management of osteoporosis that is effective and safe for individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD) G4-G5D/kidney transplant. Delphi process was implemented (3 rounds) to establish a consensus on 10 clinical domains: (1) study targets, (2) risk factors, (3) diagnosis, (4) case stratification, (5) treatment targets, (6) investigations, (7) medical management, (8) monitoring, (9) management of special groups, (10) fracture liaison service. After each round, statements were retired, modified, or added in view of the experts' suggestions, and the percent agreement was calculated. Statements receiving rates of 7-9 by more than 75% of experts' votes were considered as achieving consensus. The surveys were sent to an expert panel ( = 26), of whom 23 participated in the three rounds (2 were international experts and 21 were national). Most of the participants were rheumatologists (87%), followed by nephrologists (8.7%), and geriatric physicians (4.3%). Eighteen recommendations, categorized into 10 domains, were obtained. Agreement with the recommendations (rank 7-9) ranged from 80 to 100%. Consensus was reached on the wording of all 10 clinical domains identified by the scientific committee. An algorithm for the management of osteoporosis in CKD has been suggested. A panel of international and national experts established a consensus regarding the management of osteoporosis in CKD patients. The developed recommendations provide a comprehensive approach to assessing and managing osteoporosis for all healthcare professionals involved in its management. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2022 by The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.

How consistently do physicians diagnose and manage drug-induced interstitial lung disease? Two surveys of European ILD specialist physicians

Introduction Currently there are no general guidelines for diagnosis or management of suspected drug-induced (DI) interstitial lung disease (ILD). The objective was to survey a sample of current European practice in the diagnosis and management of DI-ILD, in the context of the prescribing information approved by regulatory authorities for 28 licenced drugs with a recognised risk of DI-ILD. Methods Consultant physicians working in specialist ILD centres across Europe were emailed two surveys via a website link. Initially, opinion was sought regarding various diagnostic and management options based on seven clinical ILD case vignettes and five general questions regarding DI-ILD. The second survey involved 29 statements regarding the diagnosis and management of DI-ILD, derived from the results of the first survey. Consensus agreement was defined as 75% or greater. Results When making a diagnosis of DI-ILD, the favoured investigations used (other than computed tomography) included pulmonary function tests, bronchoscopy and blood tests. The preferred method used to decide when to stop treatment was a pulmonary function test. In the second survey, the majority of the statements were accepted by the 33 respondents, with only four of 29 statements not achieving consensus when the responses “agree” and “strongly agree” were combined as one answer. Conclusion The two surveys provide guidance for clinicians regarding an approach to the diagnosis and management of DI-ILD in which the current evidence base is severely lacking, as demonstrated by the limited information provided by the manufacturers of the drugs associated with a high risk of DI-ILD that we reviewed

Paediatric traumatic cardiac arrest: A Delphi study to establish consensus on definition and management

Aims Paediatric traumatic cardiac arrest (TCA) is associated with low survival and poor outcomes. The mechanisms that underlie TCA are different from medical cardiac arrest; the approach to treatment of TCA may therefore also need to differ to optimise outcomes. The aim of this study was to explore the opinion of subject matter experts regarding the diagnosis and treatment of paediatric TCA, and to reach consensus on how best to manage this group of patients.Methods An online Delphi study was conducted over three rounds, with the aim of achieving consensus (defined as 70% agreement) on statements related to the diagnosis and management of paediatric TCA. Participants were invited from paediatric and adult emergency medicine, paediatric anaesthetics, paediatric ICU and paediatric surgery, as well as Paediatric Major Trauma Centre leads and representatives from the Resuscitation Council UK. Statements were informed by literature reviews and were based on elements of APLS resuscitation algorithms as well as some concepts used in the management of adult TCA; they ranged from confirmation of cardiac arrest to the indications for thoracotomy.Results 73 experts completed all three rounds between June and November 2016. Consensus was reached on 14 statements regarding the diagnosis and management of paediatric TCA; oxygenation and ventilatory support, along with rapid volume replacement with warmed blood, improve survival. The duration of cardiac arrestand the lack of a response to intervention, along with cardiac standstill on ultrasound, help to guide the decision to terminate resuscitation.Conclusion This study has given a consensus-based framework to guide protocol development in the management of paediatric TCA, though further work is required in other key areas including its acceptability to clinicians

Complexity of Multi-Value Byzantine Agreement

In this paper, we consider the problem of maximizing the throughput of Byzantine agreement, given that the sum capacity of all links in between nodes in the system is finite. We have proposed a highly efficient Byzantine agreement algorithm on values of length l>1 bits. This algorithm uses error detecting network codes to ensure that fault-free nodes will never disagree, and routing scheme that is adaptive to the result of error detection. Our algorithm has a bit complexity of n(n-1)l/(n-t), which leads to a linear cost (O(n)) per bit agreed upon, and overcomes the quadratic lower bound (Omega(n^2)) in the literature. Such linear per bit complexity has only been achieved in the literature by allowing a positive probability of error. Our algorithm achieves the linear per bit complexity while guaranteeing agreement is achieved correctly even in the worst case. We also conjecture that our algorithm can be used to achieve agreement throughput arbitrarily close to the agreement capacity of a network, when the sum capacity is given

Asthma referrals : a key component of asthma management that needs to be addressed

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