Stress management in medicine

Stress and burnout can result in errors, reduction in patient safety, and decreased productivity. They can cause absenteeism, depression, destructive behavior, alcohol, drug abuse, and even suicide. Several factors lead to professional stress, many of which are out of one’s control, thus making intervention impossible. Physicians often neglect their health and ignore stress and burnout. They often deny the existence of stress as a way of adapting to it, which is an ineffective method of coping with this problem that can lead to negative coping strategies. For managing stress and burnout, it is paramount to recognize situations/conditions that may trigger them, identify their signs, and invest in well-being strategies. In this article, well-being promotion is addressed with a focus on strategies that can be used at the individual level. Topics such as stress management and resilience should be valued in medical training and profession. As long as they form a part of the “hidden curriculum”, well-being will continue to be undervalued, when in fact it should be seen as fundamental to the health of professionals and patients

Teamwork in health care

Médicos, enfermeiros e outros profissionais de saúde passam boa parte do tempo se comunicando e coordenando atividades de cuidado. Apesar disso, o treinamento em habilidades de comunicação interpessoal e de trabalho em equipe tem sido historicamente pouco enfatizado. O principal objetivo do trabalho em equipe é melhorar os desfechos no cuidado ao paciente. A necessidade de trabalhar em equipe vem sendo cada vez mais frequente no cuidado à saúde. Assim, é relevante conhecer os elementos fundamentais para o seu bom funcionamento, assim como os principais fatores com potencial de prejudicá-lo. Neste artigo, os seguintes tópicos serão discutidos: classificação das equipes de cuidado à saúde; princípios determinantes para o sucesso das equipes; e as principais barreiras que podem comprometer seu funcionamento. Existe um reconhecimento crescente sobre a importância do trabalho em equipe (em oposição ao rígido gerenciamento hierárquico) no cuidado ao paciente. A resistência à mudança nos métodos de trabalho imposta pela tradição de décadas deve ser enfrentada por meio de um processo educacional, de forma que este artigo visa a contribuir para essa finalidade.Physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals spend a great amount of time communicating and coordinating care activities. Nevertheless, interpersonal communication and teamwork skills have been historically underemphasized in professional training. The ultimate goal of teamwork efforts is to improve patient care outcomes. The need for interdisciplinary teamwork has been increasing in the health care setting. Thus, the main attributes needed in a good interdisciplinary team should be known, as well as the factors that could lead to a poor team performance. In this study, we discuss the definition and classification of teamwork in health care, the fundamental principles for successful teamwork, and the main barriers to effective teamwork. The importance of teamwork has been increasingly recognized in health care. However, decades of tradition have hindered changes in the way health care is provided, and educational processes should be used as an approach to deal with this situation. The present study intends to contribute to this purpose

Case report of COVID-19 in an infant with central congenital hypoventilation syndrome

Relatar um caso de COVID-19 confirmada por PCR em uma lactente de 10 meses com síndrome de hipoventilação congênita central, portanto dependente de ventilação mecânica. O quadro se caracterizou por febre, sibilância, prostração, e episódios de hipoxemia associados a hipercapnia. Recebeu tratamento com oxigênio suplementar, além de antimicrobianos por infecção bacteriana sobreposta. A paciente evoluiu com melhora: suspensa suplementação de oxigênio no décimo terceiro dia de doença e retorno a parâmetros basais de ventilação mecânica. Apesar da doença de base, o desfecho foi favorável, recebendo alta 17 dias após início dos sintomas, com plano de terminar tratamento antimicrobiano a nível ambulatorial.To report a case of COVID-19 confirmed by PCR in a 10-month-old infant with central congenital hypoventilation syndrome, therefore dependent on mechanical ventilation. The main clinical features were fever, wheezing, prostration, and episodes of hypoxemia associated with hypercapnia. The patient received treatment with supplemental oxygen, in addition to antimicrobials for overlapping bacterial infection. Thirteen days after disease onset, the patient showed great improvement: supplemental oxygen was discontinued and mechanical ventilation parameters returned to baseline. Despite the underlying disease, the outcome was favorable. Discharge happened on the 17th day of disease and antimicrobial treatment was completed as outpatient

Uncomplicated community-acquired pneumonia in immunocompetent children

A pneumonia é uma das principais causas de mortalidade em crianças fora do período neonatal. Sua prevalência tem diminuído nos últimos anos principalmente devido à implementação de vacinas contra S. pneumoniae e H. influenzae tipo b. Os principais patógenos causadores variam conforme a faixa etária, sendo o pneumococo um agente prevalente em crianças a partir dos 2 meses de idade. Não há sintomas específicos e sinais radiológicos patognomônicos de pneumonia. Quadros iniciais podem apresentar radiografia de tórax normal e a presença de alterações não diferencia causas bacterianas de virais. Exames de imagem devem ser realizados em pacientes hospitalizados, sendo dispensáveis para pacientes atendidos ambulatorialmente. Outros exames de imagem têm surgido como opção para auxílio diagnóstico, como ecografia torácica e ressonância magnética pulmonar. Assim como os exames de imagem, os exames laboratoriais devem se restringir ao ambiente hospitalar e seu resultado deve ser interpretado dentro do contexto clínico e de demais exames complementares. O isolamento do agente etiológico é útil no manejo terapêutico, para garantir o uso correto de antibioticoterapia, reduzindo as taxas de resistência bacteriana. Entretanto, a sensibilidade destes exames continua baixa, sendo necessário iniciar tratamento conforme o germe mais prevalente para a faixa etária e conforme o estado vacinal do paciente. Os principais antimicrobianos utilizados em ambiente hospitalar e ambulatorial são penicilina e amoxicilina, respectivamente. Em caso de suspeita de pneumonia atípica, deve-se fazer uso de macrolídeos.Pneumonia is one of the leading causes of mortality in children outside the neonatal period. Its prevalence has been reduced in recent years mainly due to the implementation of vaccines against S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae type b. The main causative pathogens vary according to the age group, with pneumococcus being a prevalent agent in children from 2 months of age. There are no specific symptoms and radiological pathognomonic signs of pneumonia. Initial chest radiographs may appear normal and the presence of changes does not differentiate between bacterial and viral causes. Images should be performed in hospitalized patients and is not necessary for outpatients. Other imaging studies have emerged as an option for diagnostic assistance, such as thoracic ultrasonography and pulmonary magnetic resonance imaging. Laboratory tests should be restricted to inpatients and the result should be interpreted within the clinical context and other complementary tests. Isolation of the etiologic agent is useful for correct therapeutic management and to reduce bacterial resistance rates. However, the sensitivity of these tests remains low and it is necessary to start treatment according to the most prevalent bacteria, according to the age group and the vaccination state. The most frequent antimicrobial agents used in inpatient and outpatient settings are penicillin and amoxicillin. In case of suspicion of atypical pneumonia, macrolides should be used

Pleural tuberculosis : experiences from two centers in Brazil

Objective: This study aimed to describe the clinical and laboratory findings of patients diagnosed with pleural tuberculosis at two hospitals in southern Brazil. Methods: Patients aged < 18 years were evaluated retrospectively. The patients' medical and epidemiological history, tuberculin skin test results, radiological and pathological findings, and pleural fluid analysis results were retrieved. Results: Ninety-two patients with pleural tuberculosis were identified. The mean age was 10.9 years old. Twenty-one percent were children aged six years or less. The most common symptoms were fever (88%), cough (72%), and chest pain (70%). Unilateral pleural effusion was observed in 96% of the cases. Lymphocyte predominance was found in 90% of the pleural fluid samples. The adenosine deaminase activity of the pleural fluid was greater than 40 U/L in 85% of patients. A diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia with antibiotic prescriptions was observed in 76% of the study population. Conclusions: Tuberculosis etiology must be considered in unilateral pleural effusion in a child with contact with a case of tuberculosis. Pleural fluid biomarkers contribute to the diagnosis of pleural tuberculosis in children and adolescents

Liquid levothyroxine formulations in patients taking drugs interfering with L-T4 absorption

PurposeTo describe the current knowledge on thyroid hormonal profile in patients on liquid L-T4 therapy and drugs known to interfere with L-T4 absorption. MethodsA PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Scopus research was performed. Case reports, case series, original studies and reviews written in English and published online up to 31 August 2022 were selected and reviewed. The final reference list was defined based on the relevance of each paper to the scope of this review. ResultsThe available data showed that novel levothyroxine formulations circumvent gastric pH impairment due to multiple interfering drugs such as proton pump inhibitors, calcium or iron supplements, sevelamer, aluminum/magnesium hydroxide and sodium alginate. ConclusionNew formulations can be taken simultaneously with drugs interfering with L-T4 absorption, in particular liquid formulations. Softgel capsules need more studies to support these data

Desempenho da quantificação de adenosina desaminase e determinação da relação lactato desidrogenase/adenosina desaminase para o diagnóstico de tuberculose pleural em crianças e adolescentes

Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of determining the adenosine deaminase (ADA) level, the 2’-deoxyadenosine/ADA ratio, and the LDH/ADA ratio in pleural fluid for the diagnosis of pleural tuberculosis (PT) in children and adolescents. Methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted at a tertiary hospital in a high-tuberculosisincidence area, between 2001 and 2018. All patients with ADA in pleural fluid and a confirmed diagnosis of PT (cPT) or parapneumonic effusion (PPE) were included. Results: The cPT and PPE groups comprised 25 and 68 individuals, respectively. At a cutoff of 40 U/L, ADA measurement showed the following: sensitivity, 88%; specificity, 31%; positive predictive value (PPV), 32%; negative predictive value (NPV), 88%; and overall accuracy, 46%. The best cutoffs were an ADA level of 125 U/L, a 2’-deoxyadenosine/ ADA ratio of 0.5, and an LDH/ADA ratio of 8.3, with AUC of 0.67, 0.75, and 0.82, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and overall accuracy of the 125 U/L ADA cutoff were 84%, 65%, 47%, 92%, and 70%, respectively, compared with 79%, 79%, 59%, 91%, and 79%, respectively, for the 8.3 LDH/ADA ratio cutoff. Changing the LDH/ADA ratio cutoff to 3.0 increased the specificity to 98%. Conclusions: The ADA level and the 2’-deoxyadenosine/ADA ratio are not good biomarkers for the diagnosis of PT in pediatric patients. Determination of the LDH/ADA ratio provides the best overall accuracy for the diagnosis of PT in such patients.Objetivo: Avaliar a acurácia da determinação do nível de adenosina desaminase (ADA), da relação 2’-desoxiadenosina/ADA e da relação LDH/ADA no líquido pleural para o diagnóstico de tuberculose pleural (TP) em crianças e adolescentes. Métodos: Estudo transversal retrospectivo realizado em um hospital terciário em uma área de alta incidência de tuberculose entre 2001 e 2018. Todos os pacientes com determinação de ADA no líquido pleural e com diagnóstico confirmado de TP (TPc) ou de derrame parapneumônico (DPP) foram incluídos. Resultados: Os grupos TPc e DPP foram compostos por 25 e 68 indivíduos, respectivamente. Num ponto de corte de 40 U/L, a medida de ADA mostrou o seguinte: sensibilidade, 88%; especificidade, 31%; valor preditivo positivo (VPP), 32%; valor preditivo negativo (VPN), 88%; e acurácia geral, 46%. Os melhores pontos de corte foram ADA de 125 U/L, relação 2’-desoxiadenosina/ADA de 0,5 e relação LDH/ADA de 8,3, com ASC de 0,67, 0,75 e 0,82, respectivamente. A sensibilidade, especificidade, VPP, VPN e acurácia geral do ponto de corte de 125 U/L para ADA foram de 84%, 65%, 47%, 92% e 70%, respectivamente, em comparação com 79%, 79%, 59%, 91% e 79%, respectivamente, para o ponto de corte de 8,3 para a relação LDH/ADA. Ao alterar o ponto de corte da relação LDH/ADA para 3,0 a especificidade aumentou para 98%. Conclusões: O nível de ADA e a relação 2’-desoxiadenosina/ADA não são bons biomarcadores para o diagnóstico de PT em pacientes pediátricos. A determinação da relação LDH/ADA fornece a melhor acurácia geral para o diagnóstico de PT nesses pacientes