Patient injuries in operative rhinology during a ten-year period : Review of national patient insurance charts

Objectives: To assess factors contributing to patient injuries in operative rhinology. Design: Data of the accepted patient injury claims involving operative rhinology, between the years 2001 and 2011, were obtained from the Finnish Patient Insurance Centre registry. Two senior otolaryngologists analysed and evaluated the injury mechanisms. Main outcome measures: Analysis and classification of factors contributing to patient injuries. Results: During the ten-year study period, there were 67 patient injuries in operative rhinology, comprising 36% of all patient injuries in otorhinolaryngologic surgery. The majority (78%) of patients were treated in university or central hospitals and almost all (90%) by fully trained otolaryngology specialists. The factors contributing to the injuries were errors in surgical technique, like lesions to the orbit, skull base and meninges, and adjacent nerves, as well as mistakes with removable packings left in situ. Nearly half of the patients had undergone endoscopic sinus surgery. One patient died because of bleeding from the intracranial artery. Fourteen patients (21%) needed a re-operation due to the injury. Conclusions: Patient injuries in rhinology were caused by typical complications of common operations performed by otorhinolaryngology specialists. The increased volume of endoscopic sinus surgery was evident also in patient injuries.Peer reviewe

Epidemiology and aetiology of sport-related nasal fractures : Analysis of 599 Finnish patients

Peer reviewe

Both apoptosis and necrosis occur early after intracerebral grafting of ventral mesencephalic tissue: a role for protease activation.

Neural transplantation is an experimental treatment for Parkinson's disease. Widespread clinical application of the grafting technique is hampered by a relatively poor survival (around 10%) of implanted embryonic dopamine neurones. Earlier animal studies have indicated that a large proportion of the grafted cells die during graft tissue preparation and within the first few days after intracerebral implantation. The present study was designed to reveal the prevalence of cell death in rat intrastriatal grafts at 90 min, 1, 3, 6 and 42 days after implantation. We examined apoptotic cell death using semi-thin and paraffin sections stained with methylene blue and an antibody against activated caspase 3, respectively. We identified abundant apoptotic cell death up to 3 days after transplantation. In addition, we studied calpain activation using an antibody specific for calpain-cleaved fodrin. We report a peak in calpain activity 90 min after grafting. Surprisingly, we did not observe any significant difference in the number of dopaminergic neurones over time. The present results imply that grafted cells may be victims of either an early necrotic or a later apoptotic cell death and that there is substantial cell death as early as 90 min after implantation

Cauliflower ear among Finnish high-level male wrestlers and judokas is prevalent and symptomatic deformity

Our research aimed to study the prevalence, concerns, and treatment practices related to cauliflower ear among Finnish wrestlers and judokas. In total, 32 Finnish wrestlers and 31 judokas completed a questionnaire at training sessions or at a competition. All participants were adults competing at the national or international levels. We also took lateral digital photographs of participants' ears. A senior author graded the overall appearance of the auricles on a scale from 0 to 5 (0 = normal auricle, 5 = extreme cauliflower ear). Cauliflower ear was more prevalent among male athletes (84%, 46/55) than female athletes (0%, 0/8, P <.001). Almost all (96%) had sought treatment for an auricular hematoma. The most prevalent treatment modality was needle aspiration (96%). Most (76%) had received treatment from individuals not representing the healthcare profession. Only one athlete reported receiving successful treatment. No complications from treatment were reported. Almost all participants (96%) reported some symptom from the cauliflower ear, typically pain. None regretted their cauliflower ear(s), and 41% of athletes with cauliflower ear considered it desirable. Cauliflower ear is a common and symptomatic deformity among high-level Finnish wrestlers and judokas. Despite the symptoms, it is accepted and sometimes even desired among the athletes.Peer reviewe

Dizzy triathlete-evidence supporting vestibular etiology

Dizziness during or after the swimming leg is a common complaint among triathletes. We hypothesized that the dizziness is caused by asymmetrical cooling of the vestibular organ. This caloric response is characterized by involuntary eye movements called nystagmus. Altogether, 125 triathletes completed an electronic questionnaire. Fifteen triathletes who had frequently experienced dizziness during the swimming leg agreed to take part in a cold water swimming test. The test comprised two cold water swimming legs, first without earplugs and then with earplugs to prevent a potential caloric response. Eye movements and possible nystagmus were recorded immediately after the swimming legs. A majority (87%, 109/125) of athletes had experienced dizziness during triathlon races or training. Of these, almost all (97%, 106/109) experienced it during or after swimming. Dizziness affected the triathlon performance in half of the athletes with dizziness (50%, 51/102). Fifteen athletes participated in a cold water swimming test. During the first leg (without earplugs), 11/15 athletes (73%) experienced dizziness. Of these, six had nystagmus (55%), four had uncertain nystagmus (36%), and one did not have nystagmus (9%). Only one of these athletes experienced dizziness during the second leg with earplugs. The prevalence of dizziness among triathletes is notable. A large part of the dizziness is likely to be caused by caloric reaction of the vestibular organ. We recommend earplug usage for triathletes suffering from dizziness during the swimming leg.Peer reviewe

Hyperthermia treatment planning including convective flow in cerebrospinal fluid for brain tumour hyperthermia treatment using a novel dedicated paediatric brain applicator

Hyperthermia therapy (40–44 \ub0C) is a promising option to increase efficacy of radiotherapy/chemotherapy for brain tumours, in particular paediatric brain tumours. The Chalmers Hyperthermia Helmet is developed for this purpose. Hyperthermia treatment planning is required for treatment optimisation, but current planning systems do not involve a physically correct model of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). This study investigates the necessity of fluid modelling for treatment planning. We made treatments plans using the Helmet for both pre-operative and post-operative cases, comparing temperature distributions predicted with three CSF models: A convective “fluid” model, a non-convective “solid” CSF model, and CSF models with increased effective thermal conductivity (“high-k”). Treatment plans were evaluated by T90, T50 and T10 target temperatures and treatment-limiting hot spots. Adequate heating is possible with the helmet. In the pre-operative case, treatment plan quality was comparable for all three models. In the post-operative case, the high-k models were more accurate than the solid model. Predictions to within \ub11 \ub0C were obtained by a 10–20-fold increased effective thermal conductivity. Accurate modelling of the temperature in CSF requires fluid dynamics, but modelling CSF as a solid with enhanced effective thermal conductivity might be a practical alternative for a convective fluid model for many applications

Radiobiological evaluation of combined gamma knife radiosurgery and hyperthermia for pediatric neuro-oncology

Combining radiotherapy (RT) with hyperthermia (HT) has been proven effective in the treatment of a wide range of tumours, but the combination of externally delivered, focused heat and stereotactic radiosurgery has never been investigated. We explore the potential of such treatment enhancement via radiobiological modelling, specifically via the linear-quadratic (LQ) model adapted to thermoradiotherapy through modulating the radiosensitivity of temperature-dependent parame-ters. We extend this well-established model by incorporating oxygenation effects. To illustrate the methodology, we present a clinically relevant application in pediatric oncology, which is novel in two ways. First, it deals with medulloblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumour in children, a type of brain tumour not previously reported in the literature of thermoradiotherapy studies. Second, it makes use of the Gamma Knife for the radiotherapy part, thereby being the first of its kind in this context. Quantitative metrics like the biologically effective dose (BED) and the tumour control probability (TCP) are used to assess the efficacy of the combined plan

Kelan sairaanhoitokorvaukset tuloryhmittäin : Kenelle korvauksia maksetaan ja kuinka paljon?

Tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan Kelan maksamien sairaanhoitokorvausten (lääkekorvaukset, korvaukset yksityislääkärin palkkioista, korvaukset yksityisestä hammashoidosta, korvaukset yksityisestä tutkimuksesta ja hoidosta sekä matkakorvaukset) jakautumista tulojen mukaan 25 vuotta täyttäneessä väestössä. Sairaanhoitokorvaukset ovat varsin merkittävä etuus: ne muodostivat noin 14 prosenttia Kelan etuuskuluista vuonna 2013. Korvauksia saaneiden osuuksia, korvaussummia ja korvauksensaajien itse maksamia omavastuuosuuksia ei ole aikaisemmin tarkasteltu systemaattisesti tulojen näkökulmasta eikä tulojen yhteyttä niihin ole tarkasteltu ikä- ja sukupuoliryhmittäin. Tämä tutkimus täydentää tietotarvetta aiheesta, josta on vain vähän aiempaa tutkimustietoa. Aineistona käytettiin Kelassa muodostettua, vuosia 2006–2011 koskevaa rekisteriaineistoa, jota varten yhdistettiin koko Suomen aikuisväestölle yksilötason väestötiedot, tiedot Kelan maksamista sairaanhoitokorvauksista sekä verottajan tiedot henkilöiden vuosittaisista veronalaisista tuloista. Tutkimus rajattiin 25 vuotta täyttäneisiin, joita oli aineistossa noin 3,8 miljoonaa. Tarkastelut tehtiin sekä koko 25 vuotta täyttäneelle väestölle että erikseen työikäisille ja eläkeikäisille miehille ja naisille. Henkilöt jaettiin tuloryhmiin 25 vuotta täyttäneen väestön tuloviidennesten mukaan. Iän, sukupuolen ja tulojen lisäksi huomioitiin asuinkunnan kaupunkimaisuus sekä suuralue. Ikä-, sukupuoli- ja tuloryhmittäin tarkasteltiin etuuslajeittain korvauksia saaneiden osuuksia väestöstä, korvauskertojen vuosittaisia määriä sekä keskimääräisiä maksettuja korvaussummia ja henkilöiden itsensä maksamia omavastuusummia. Pääosa analyyseista kohdistui vuoteen 2011, ja lisäksi tarkasteltiin, miten tilanne on muuttunut aikavälillä 2006–2011. Lukuja laskettiin sekä vakioimattomina aineistosta havaittuina osuuksina ja lukumäärinä että taustatekijät vakioituina, jolloin otettiin huomioon tuloryhmien väliset erot iässä, sukupuolessa ja asuinalueessa. Lääkekorvauksia saaneiden osuus väestöstä ei vaihdellut juurikaan tulojen mukaan. Matkakorvausten saaminen oli käänteisessä yhteydessä tuloihin: korvauksia saivat useammat pieni- kuin suurituloiset. Korvauksia yksityislääkärin palkkioista, yksityisestä hammashoidosta ja yksityisestä tutkimuksesta ja hoidosta sai johdonmukaisesti sitä suurempi osuus väestöstä, mitä suurituloisemmista oli kyse. 25 vuotta täyttäneestä väestöstä 85 prosenttia sai vähintään yhtä sairaanhoitokorvausten etuuslajia vuoden 2011 aikana. Koska eri etuuslajien korvaukset kohdistuivat tuloryhmiin eri tavalla, kaikkia sairaanhoitokorvauksia yhteensä tarkasteltaessa tuloryhmien väliset erot olivat varsin pieniä – poikkeuksena pienituloisimpien ryhmä, jossa korvausta saaneita oli jonkin verran vähemmän kuin muissa tuloryhmissä. Euromääräisesti tarkastellen sairaanhoitokorvauksia maksettiin keskimäärin selvästi suuremmassa määrin pienituloisille kuin suurituloisille, mikä oli seurausta pienituloisten suuremmista lääke- ja matkakorvauksista. Pienituloiset maksoivat myös keskimääräistä enemmän omavastuita sairausvakuutuksen korvaamista lääkkeistä ja matkoista. Sen sijaan yksityisen sairaanhoidon palveluiden käytöstä korvauksia maksettiin suuremmassa määrin suurituloisille, jotka myös maksoivat vuositasolla pienituloisia enemmän omavastuita näiden palveluiden käytöstä

The importance of clinical and labour market histories in psychiatric disability retirement : analysis of the comprehensive Finnish national-level RETIRE data

Objectives Despite the stable incidence of mental disorders in Finland and Europe, mental health-related occupational disability has been increasing. We unveiled the paths to permanent psychiatric disability, recovery, or death, by analysing sequences of labour market participation. Methods The RETIRE register database includes information regarding all persons (n = 42,170) awarded an ICD-10 psychiatric disability pension between 2010 and 2015 in Finland. We identified clusters of typical paths of pre-retirement labour market history. Controlling for major mental disorders, age, and sex, we evaluated factors associated with returning to work (RTW), or death, over a 5-year follow-up period. Results Only 10.5% of the disabled subjects returned to work within the follow-up. Half of them ended up with a permanent disability pension. Seven distinguishable paths to disability were identified. Subjects in the cluster characterized by steady employment were relatively often females, lost their work ability due to affective disorders, and had the highest rate of returning to work (16.3%). Mortality was highest (9%) among the cluster characterized by long-term unemployment. Distributions of major diagnostic groups, as well as age and sex, differed between clusters. After their adjustment in the analysis of RTW or death, the identified labour market history paths prior to losing work ability remained as important independent prognostic factors for both outcomes. Conclusions The complex retirement process involves identifiable clinical and contextual associating factors. Labour market history patterns associate with varying prognoses after psychiatric retirement. Prolonged unemployment appears as a predictor of relatively poor prognoses, whereas employment indicates the opposite.Peer reviewe