Cost Comparison of Prostatic Artery Embolization Between In-Hospital and Outpatient-Based Lab Settings.

Purpose This study aimed to determine the costs associated with prostatic artery embolization (PAE) performed in hospital and outpatient-based lab (OBL) settings. Methods Procedures were performed in similarly equipped procedure suites located within a tertiary hospital or OBL. Time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) was utilized to calculate procedural costs incurred by the institution. Process maps were created describing personnel, space, equipment, and materials. The time duration of each procedural step was recorded independently by a nurse caring for the patient at the time of the procedure, and mean values were included in our model. Using institutional and publicly available financial data, costs, and capacity cost rates were determined. Results Thirty-seven PAE procedures met inclusion criteria with a mean patient age of 70.4 (+/- 6.7) years and a mean prostate gland size of 129.7 (+/-56.4) cc. Twenty-six procedures were performed within the hospital setting, and 11 procedures were performed within the OBL. Reduction in International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) was not significantly different following hospital and OBL procedures (57.2% vs. 82.4%, P = 0.0796). Mean procedural time was not significantly different between the hospital and OBL settings (136.6 vs. 147.3 minutes, P = 0.1893). However, the duration between admission and discharge was significantly longer for procedures performed in a hospital (468.8 vs. 325.4 minutes, P <0.0001). Total costs for hospital-based procedures were marginally higher ($3,858.28 vs.$3,642.67). Conclusion Total PAE cost was similar between the hospital and OBL settings. However, longer periprocedural times for hospital-based procedures and differences in reimbursement may favor the performance of PAE in an OBL setting

Collaboration is Key – Bridging the Gap and Building an IR Endoscopy Practice

While the tools and techniques employed by interventional radiologists on a day-to-day basis translate well to learning the skills required to perform basic endoscopic interventions, collaboration with other specialties is crucial to the success of an interventional radiology endoscopy program. As in any field in medicine, the paramount goal is to improve patient care. Adding the ability to directly visualize structures through an endoscope to certain interventional radiologic procedures may greatly augment the efficacy, safety, and success of interventional radiology procedures. Colleagues in urology, gastroenterology, and surgery should be involved in decision-making and treatment planning to ensure that a shared vision for optimal patient care is achieved

Cetaceans have complex brains for complex cognition

MEDLINE® is the source for the citation and abstract of this record.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Looking beyond the gunsight: A potential bailout technique for arterial and venous recanalization

The “gunsight approach” was initially described as the use of overlapping snares and through- and-through puncture of the portal vein and inferior vena cava for the creation of a transcaval portosystemic shunt. This technique can be adapted for the creation of an extra-anatomic chan- nel between any 2 locations where snares can be deployed. We explain the technique, discuss finer technical points, and describe 2 cases where refractory vascular occlusions are crossed using this technique. The first case involves an extensively calcified femoral arterial chronic total occlusion where subintimal tracking past the occlusion is achieved, but luminal re-entry is ham- pered by dense calcific plaque refractory to multiple re-entry devices. The second case involves a chronic venous occlusion along the femoral vein with loss of in-line flow due to prior stenting. In both cases, the gunsight technique was successfully used as a bailout option after standard recanalization techniques were unsuccessful

A multimodal dataset for authoring and editing multimedia content:the MAMEM project

We present a dataset that combines multimodal biosignals and eye tracking information gathered under a human-computer interaction framework. The dataset was developed in the vein of the MAMEM project that aims to endow people with motor disabilities with the ability to edit and author multimedia content through mental commands and gaze activity. The dataset includes EEG, eye-tracking, and physiological (GSR and Heart rate) signals collected from 34 individuals (18 able-bodied and 16 motor-impaired). Data were collected during the interaction with specifically designed interface for web browsing and multimedia content manipulation and during imaginary movement tasks. The presented dataset will contribute towards the development and evaluation of modern human-computer interaction systems that would foster the integration of people with severe motor impairments back into society.</p

Training future generations to deliver evidence-based conservation and ecosystem management

1. To be effective, the next generation of conservation practitioners and managers need to be critical thinkers with a deep understanding of how to make evidence-based decisions and of the value of evidence synthesis. 2. If, as educators, we do not make these priorities a core part of what we teach, we are failing to prepare our students to make an effective contribution to conservation practice. 3. To help overcome this problem we have created open access online teaching materials in multiple languages that are stored in Applied Ecology Resources. So far, 117 educators from 23 countries have acknowledged the importance of this and are already teaching or about to teach skills in appraising or using evidence in conservation decision-making. This includes 145 undergraduate, postgraduate or professional development courses. 4. We call for wider teaching of the tools and skills that facilitate evidence-based conservation and also suggest that providing online teaching materials in multiple languages could be beneficial for improving global understanding of other subject areas.Peer reviewe

Intervention in Massive Pulmonary Embolus: Catheter Thrombectomy/Thromboaspiration versus Systemic Lysis versus Surgical Thrombectomy

Massive pulmonary embolus (PE), defined as hemodynamic shock from acute PE, is a life-threatening condition. Deaths from massive PE, especially when unsuspected, occur within minutes to hours of onset and as such prompt intervention can be lifesaving. Acute massive PE patients have traditionally been candidates for treatment with intravenous systemic thrombolysis to improve pulmonary artery pressure, arteriovenous oxygenation, and pulmonary perfusion in an effort to reduce mortality. However, patients with contraindications to systemic thrombolysis or those who have failed thrombolysis may benefit from other techniques including endovascular and surgical embolectomy. This article will review the current medical management as well as catheter-directed therapies and surgical embolectomy in the treatment of patients with massive PE