Low Tidal Volume Ventilation Is Poorly Implemented for Patients in North American and United Kingdom ICUs Using Electronic Health Records

BACKGROUND: Low tidal volume ventilation (LTVV; 48 h. We observed trends over time and investigated whether LTVV was associated with patient outcomes (30-day mortality and duration of ventilation) and identified strategies to improve adherence to LTVV. METHODS: Factors associated with adherence to LTVV were assessed in all patients in both databases who were mechanically ventilated for > 48 h. We observed trends over time and investigated whether LTVV was associated with patient outcomes (30-day mortality and duration of ventilation) and identified strategies to improve adherence to LTVV. RESULTS: A total of 5,466 (Critical Care Health Informatics Collaborative [CCHIC]) and 7,384 electronic ICU collaborative research database [eICU-CRD] patients were ventilated for > 48 h and had data of suitable quality for analysis. The median tidal volume (VT) values were 7.48 mL/kg PBW (CCHIC) and 7.91 mL/kg PBW (eICU-CRD). The patients at highest risk of not receiving LTVV were shorter than 160 cm (CCHIC) and 165 cm (eICU-CRD). Those with BMI > 30 kg/m2 (CCHIC OR, 1.9 [95% CI, 1.7-2.13]; eICU-CRD OR, 1.61 [95% CI, 1.49-1.75]) and female patients (CCHIC OR, 2.39 [95% CI, 2.16-2.65]; eICU-CRD OR, 2.29 [95% CI, 2.26-2.31]) were at increased risk of having median VT > 8 mL/kg PBW. Patients with median VT 8 mL/kg PBW was associated with worse patient outcomes

Measures of Self-Care in Heart Failure: Issues with Factorial Structure and Reliability

Dear Editor We read with great interest the recently published paper by Dr Lambrinou and colleagues1 entitled “The Greek version of the 9-item European heart failure self-care behaviour scale: A multidimensional or an uni-dimensional scale?” The paper is one of several papers published on the psychometric properties of the European Heart Failure Self-care Behaviour Scale (EHFScBS) and continues to raise the important questions: (1) Is self-care of heart failure (HF) a multidimensional or an uni-dimensional construct? (2) Is self-care of HF a generalizable construct across countries? (3) Is Cronbach\u27s alpha the best approach to estimate reliability of instruments

The Problem with Cronbach\u27s Alpha: Comment on Sijtsma and Van der Ark (2015)

Knowledge of a scale\u27s dimensionality is an essential preliminary step to the application of any measure of reliability derived from classical test theory--an approach commonly used is nursing research. The focus of this article is on the applied aspects of reliability and dimensionality testing. Throughout the article, the Self-Care of Heart Failure Index is used to exemplify real-world data challenges of quantifying reliability and to provide insight into how to overcome such challenges

Surface grafting of electrospun fibers using ATRP and RAFT for the control of biointerfacial interactions

BACKGROUND The ability to present signalling molecules within a low fouling 3D environment that mimics the extracellular matrix is an important goal for a range of biomedical applications, both in vitro and in vivo. Cell responses can be triggered by non-specific protein interactions occurring on the surface of a biomaterial, which is an undesirable process when studying specific receptor-ligand interactions. It is therefore useful to present specific ligands of interest to cell surface receptors in a 3D environment that minimizes non-specific interactions with biomolecules, such as proteins. METHOD In this study, surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) of poly(ethylene glycol)-based monomers was carried out from the surface of electrospun fibers composed of a styrene/vinylbenzyl chloride copolymer. Surface initiated radical addition-fragmentation chain transfer (SI-RAFT) polymerisation was also carried out to generate bottle brush copolymer coatings consisting of poly(acrylic acid) and poly(acrylamide). These were grown from surface trithiocarbonate groups generated from the chloromethyl styrene moieties existing in the original synthesised polymer. XPS was used to characterise the surface composition of the fibers after grafting and after coupling with fluorine functional XPS labels. RESULTS Bottle brush type coatings were able to be produced by ATRP which consisted of poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate and a terminal alkyne-functionalised monomer. The ATRP coatings showed reduced non-specific protein adsorption, as a result of effective PEG incorporation and pendant alkynes groups existing as part of the brushes allowed for further conjugation of via azide-alkyne Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition. In the case of RAFT, carboxylic acid moieties were effectively coupled to an amine label via amide bond formation. In each case XPS analysis demonstrated that covalent immobilisation had effectively taken place. CONCLUSION Overall, the studies presented an effective platform for the preparation of 3D scaffolds which contain effective conjugation sites for attachment of specific bioactive signals of interest, as well as actively reducing non-specific protein interactions.This research was supported by the Cooperative Research Centre for Polymers (CRCP)

DNA vaccines against ErbB2+ Carcinomas: From mice to humans.

DNA vaccination exploits a relatively simple and flexible technique to generate an immune response against microbial and tumor-associated antigens (TAAs). Its effectiveness is enhanced by the application of an electrical shock in the area of plasmid injection (electroporation). In our studies we exploited a sophisticated electroporation device approved for clinical use (Cliniporator, IGEA, Carpi, Italy). As the target antigen is an additional factor that dramatically modulates the efficacy of a vaccine, we selected ErbB2 receptor as a target since it is an ideal oncoantigen. It is overexpressed on the cell membrane by several carcinomas for which it plays an essential role in driving their progression. Most oncoantigens are self-tolerated molecules. To circumvent immune tolerance we generated two plasmids (RHuT and HuRT) coding for chimeric rat/human ErbB2 proteins. Their immunogenicity was compared in wild type mice naturally tolerant for mouse ErbB2, and in transgenic mice that are also tolerant for rat or human ErbB2. In several of these mice, RHuT and HuRT elicited a stronger anti-tumor response than plasmids coding for fully human or fully rat ErbB2. The ability of heterologous moiety to blunt immune tolerance could be exploited to elicit a significant immune response in patients. A clinical trial to delay the recurrence of ErbB2+ carcinomas of the oral cavity, oropharynx and hypopharynx is awaiting the approval of the Italian authorities

Risk of surgical site infection in patients undergoing orthopedic surgery

This study aimed to identify risk factors associated with surgical site infections in orthopedic surgical patients at a public hospital in Minas Gerais, Brazil, between 2005 and 2007. A historical cohort of 3,543 patients submitted to orthopedic surgical procedures. A descriptive analysis was conducted and surgical site infection incidence rates were estimated. To verify the association between infection and risk factors, the Chi-square Test was used. The strength of association of the event with the independent variables was estimated using Relative Risk, with a 95% confidence interval and pEstudio para identificar factores de riesgo asociados a infecciones de sitio quirúrgico en pacientes quirúrgicos ortopédicos de un hospital público de Minas Gerais, Brasil, entre 2005 y 2007. Cohorte histórica de 3.543 pacientes sometidos a cirugías ortopédicas. Un análisis descriptivo fue realizado y la tasa de incidencia de infección fue estimada. Para verificar la asociación entre la infección y los factores de riesgo se usó el test chi-cuadrado. La fuerza de la asociación del evento con las variables independientes fue estimada por el Riesgo Relativo, con un intervalo de confianza de 95% y p Objetivou-se, neste estudo, identificar fatores de risco associados às infecções de sítio cirúrgico, em pacientes cirúrgicos ortopédicos, de um hospital público de Minas Gerais, Brasil, entre 2005 e 2007. Como método usou-se coorte histórica em 3.543 pacientes submetidos a cirurgias ortopédicas. Análise descritiva e taxa de incidência de infecção foram estimadas. Para verificar a associação entre a infecção e os fatores de risco usou-se o teste qui-quadrado. A força da associação do evento com as variáveis independentes foi estimada pelo risco relativo, intervalo de confiança de 95% e p<0,05. A incidência de infecção de sítio cirúrgico foi de 1,8%. Potencial de contaminação da ferida cirúrgica, condições clínicas do paciente, tempo cirúrgico e tipo de procedimento ortopédico foram estatisticamente associados à infecção. A identificação de associação de infecção de sítio cirúrgico aos fatores de risco mencionados é importante e contribui para a prática clínica do enfermeiro

Determinants of Heart Failure Self-Care Maintenance and Management in Patients and Caregivers: A Dyadic Analysis

Disease self-management is a critical component of maintaining clinical stability for patients with chronic illness. This is particularly evident in the context of heart failure (HF), which is the leading cause of hospitalization for older adults. HF self-management, commonly known as HF self-care, is often performed with the support of informal caregivers. However, little is known about how a HF dyad manages the patient\u27s care together. The purpose of this study was to identify determinants of patient and caregiver contributions to HF self-care maintenance (daily adherence and symptom monitoring) and management (appropriate recognition and response to symptoms), utilizing an approach that controls for dyadic interdependence. This was a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from 364 dyads of Italian HF patients and caregivers. Multilevel modeling was used to identify determinants of HF self-care within patient-caregiver dyads. Patients averaged 76.2 (SD = 10.7) years old, and a slight majority (56.9%) was male, whereas caregivers averaged 57.4 (SD = 14.6) years old, and about half (48.1%) were male. Most caregivers were adult children (48.4%) or spouses (32.7%) of patients. Both patients and caregivers reported low levels of HF maintenance and management behaviors. Significant individual and dyadic determinants of self-care maintenance and self-care management included gender, quality of life, comorbid burden, impaired ADLs, cognition, hospitalizations, HF duration, relationship type, relationship quality, and social support. These comprehensive dyadic models assist in elucidating the complex nature of patient-caregiver relationships and their influence on HF self-care, leading to more effective ways to intervene and optimize outcomes