Algorithm of intervention with fibrinolytics in parapneumonic pleural effusion in pediatric patients

Introducción: durante las últimas décadas ha aumentado la prevalencia del derrame pleural tabicado como complicación de las neumonías en la edad pediátrica, se utilizan cada vez con mayor frecuencia los agentes fibrinolíticos en su tratamiento.Objetivo: evaluar la aplicación de un algoritmo para el manejo con fibrinolíticos del derrame pleural paraneumónico en las neumonías adquiridas en la comunidad durante el período comprendido entre septiembre 2019 a septiembre 2021Métodos: se realizó un estudio no observacional, cuasi-experimental con un total de 36 casos con derrame pleural complicado en los que se aplicó un algoritmo terapéutico diseñado al efecto. La validez de su utilización se obtuvo de la historia clínica de los pacientes y las variables utilizadas fueron descritas estadísticamente mediante frecuencias absolutas y relativas. Como método estadístico se utilizó la prueba de chi cuadrado con nivel de significación α=0,05, se consideraron significativos los valores menores de 0,05.Resultados: el 16 % de los casos respondió a antibioticoterapia exclusiva y se demostró que el tratamiento fibrinolítico fue el más resolutivo de todos los empleados. El 63,9 % presentó tabiques intrapleurales y de ellos, el 30,6 % desaparecieron con fibrinolíticos. La mayor parte de los enfermos con características bioquímicas de empiema necesitaron toracotomía. La estadía fue menor cuando se utilizó la estreptoquinasa intraspleural, no se presentaron complicaciones significativas con ninguna de las opciones terapéuticas.Conclusiones: el tratamiento fibrinolítico precoz evita tener que enfrentar desafíos quirúrgicos ante pacientes críticamente enfermos, se logró una baja incidencia de complicaciones.Introduction: during the last decades there has been an increase in the prevalence of septic pleural effusion as a complication of pneumonias in the pediatric age, and fibrinolytic agents are increasingly used in its treatment.Objective: to evaluate the application of an algorithm for the management with fibrinolytics of parapneumonic pleural effusion in community-acquired pneumonias during the period from September 2019 to September 2021.Methods: a non-observational, quasi-experimental study was carried out with a total of 36 cases with complicated pleural effusion in which a therapeutic algorithm designed for this purpose was applied. The validity of its use was obtained from the clinical history of the patients and the variables used were described statistically by means of absolute and relative frequencies. The statistical method used was the chi-square test with a significance level of α=0,05, with values of less than 0,05 being considered significant.Results: 16 % of the cases responded to exclusive antibiotic therapy and it was shown that fibrinolytic treatment was the most effective of all the treatments used. Intrapleural septa were present in 63,9 % and 30,6 % of them disappeared with fibrinolytics. Most of the patients with biochemical characteristics of empyema required thoracotomy. The length of stay was shorter when intraspleural streptokinase was used, and there were no significant complications with any of the therapeutic options.Conclusions: early fibrinolytic treatment avoids having to face surgical challenges in critically ill patients, achieving a low incidence of complications.                         

Algorithm of intervention with fibrinolytics in parapneumonic pleural effusion in pediatric patients

Introducción: durante las últimas décadas ha aumentado la prevalencia del derrame pleural tabicado como complicación de las neumonías en la edad pediátrica, se utilizan cada vez con mayor frecuencia los agentes fibrinolíticos en su tratamiento.Objetivo: evaluar la aplicación de un algoritmo para el manejo con fibrinolíticos del derrame pleural paraneumónico en las neumonías adquiridas en la comunidad durante el período comprendido entre septiembre 2019 a septiembre 2021Métodos: se realizó un estudio no observacional, cuasi-experimental con un total de 36 casos con derrame pleural complicado en los que se aplicó un algoritmo terapéutico diseñado al efecto. La validez de su utilización se obtuvo de la historia clínica de los pacientes y las variables utilizadas fueron descritas estadísticamente mediante frecuencias absolutas y relativas. Como método estadístico se utilizó la prueba de chi cuadrado con nivel de significación α=0,05, se consideraron significativos los valores menores de 0,05.Resultados: el 16 % de los casos respondió a antibioticoterapia exclusiva y se demostró que el tratamiento fibrinolítico fue el más resolutivo de todos los empleados. El 63,9 % presentó tabiques intrapleurales y de ellos, el 30,6 % desaparecieron con fibrinolíticos. La mayor parte de los enfermos con características bioquímicas de empiema necesitaron toracotomía. La estadía fue menor cuando se utilizó la estreptoquinasa intraspleural, no se presentaron complicaciones significativas con ninguna de las opciones terapéuticas.Conclusiones: el tratamiento fibrinolítico precoz evita tener que enfrentar desafíos quirúrgicos ante pacientes críticamente enfermos, se logró una baja incidencia de complicaciones.Introduction: during the last decades there has been an increase in the prevalence of septic pleural effusion as a complication of pneumonias in the pediatric age, and fibrinolytic agents are increasingly used in its treatment.Objective: to evaluate the application of an algorithm for the management with fibrinolytics of parapneumonic pleural effusion in community-acquired pneumonias during the period from September 2019 to September 2021.Methods: a non-observational, quasi-experimental study was carried out with a total of 36 cases with complicated pleural effusion in which a therapeutic algorithm designed for this purpose was applied. The validity of its use was obtained from the clinical history of the patients and the variables used were described statistically by means of absolute and relative frequencies. The statistical method used was the chi-square test with a significance level of α=0,05, with values of less than 0,05 being considered significant.Results: 16 % of the cases responded to exclusive antibiotic therapy and it was shown that fibrinolytic treatment was the most effective of all the treatments used. Intrapleural septa were present in 63,9 % and 30,6 % of them disappeared with fibrinolytics. Most of the patients with biochemical characteristics of empyema required thoracotomy. The length of stay was shorter when intraspleural streptokinase was used, and there were no significant complications with any of the therapeutic options.Conclusions: early fibrinolytic treatment avoids having to face surgical challenges in critically ill patients, achieving a low incidence of complications.                         

Bauen in Brasilien

Im Herbst 2014 fand die große Exkursion 2014 der Fakultät Bauingenieurwesen der HTWG Konstanz nach Brasilien unter der Leitung von Prof. Dr. Horst Werkle und Prof. Dr. Peter Hirschmann statt. Auf dem Programm stand der Besuch der Städte Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro und Iguacu. Der Bericht schildert den Besuch interessanter Baustellen und großer Bauprojekte wie des im Bau befindlichen futuristisch anmutenden „Museum of Tomorrow“, des Maracana-Stadions mit seiner neuen Membrandachkonstruktion sowie des zweitgrößten Wasserkraftwerks der Welt

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Variability in Phelan-McDermid Syndrome in a Cohort of 210 Individuals

Phelan-McDermid syndrome (PMS, OMIM# 606232) results from either different rearrangements at the distal region of the long arm of chromosome 22 (22q13.3) or pathogenic sequence variants in the SHANK3 gene. SHANK3 codes for a structural protein that plays a central role in the formation of the postsynaptic terminals and the maintenance of synaptic structures. Clinically, patients with PMS often present with global developmental delay, absent or severely delayed speech, neonatal hypotonia, minor dysmorphic features, and autism spectrum disorders (ASD), among other findings. Here, we describe a cohort of 210 patients with genetically confirmed PMS. We observed multiple variant types, including a significant number of small deletions

Ticagrelor in patients with diabetes and stable coronary artery disease with a history of previous percutaneous coronary intervention (THEMIS-PCI) : a phase 3, placebo-controlled, randomised trial

Background: Patients with stable coronary artery disease and diabetes with previous percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), particularly those with previous stenting, are at high risk of ischaemic events. These patients are generally treated with aspirin. In this trial, we aimed to investigate if these patients would benefit from treatment with aspirin plus ticagrelor. Methods: The Effect of Ticagrelor on Health Outcomes in diabEtes Mellitus patients Intervention Study (THEMIS) was a phase 3 randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial, done in 1315 sites in 42 countries. Patients were eligible if 50 years or older, with type 2 diabetes, receiving anti-hyperglycaemic drugs for at least 6 months, with stable coronary artery disease, and one of three other mutually non-exclusive criteria: a history of previous PCI or of coronary artery bypass grafting, or documentation of angiographic stenosis of 50% or more in at least one coronary artery. Eligible patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to either ticagrelor or placebo, by use of an interactive voice-response or web-response system. The THEMIS-PCI trial comprised a prespecified subgroup of patients with previous PCI. The primary efficacy outcome was a composite of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke (measured in the intention-to-treat population). Findings: Between Feb 17, 2014, and May 24, 2016, 11 154 patients (58% of the overall THEMIS trial) with a history of previous PCI were enrolled in the THEMIS-PCI trial. Median follow-up was 3·3 years (IQR 2·8–3·8). In the previous PCI group, fewer patients receiving ticagrelor had a primary efficacy outcome event than in the placebo group (404 [7·3%] of 5558 vs 480 [8·6%] of 5596; HR 0·85 [95% CI 0·74–0·97], p=0·013). The same effect was not observed in patients without PCI (p=0·76, p interaction=0·16). The proportion of patients with cardiovascular death was similar in both treatment groups (174 [3·1%] with ticagrelor vs 183 (3·3%) with placebo; HR 0·96 [95% CI 0·78–1·18], p=0·68), as well as all-cause death (282 [5·1%] vs 323 [5·8%]; 0·88 [0·75–1·03], p=0·11). TIMI major bleeding occurred in 111 (2·0%) of 5536 patients receiving ticagrelor and 62 (1·1%) of 5564 patients receiving placebo (HR 2·03 [95% CI 1·48–2·76], p<0·0001), and fatal bleeding in 6 (0·1%) of 5536 patients with ticagrelor and 6 (0·1%) of 5564 with placebo (1·13 [0·36–3·50], p=0·83). Intracranial haemorrhage occurred in 33 (0·6%) and 31 (0·6%) patients (1·21 [0·74–1·97], p=0·45). Ticagrelor improved net clinical benefit: 519/5558 (9·3%) versus 617/5596 (11·0%), HR=0·85, 95% CI 0·75–0·95, p=0·005, in contrast to patients without PCI where it did not, p interaction=0·012. Benefit was present irrespective of time from most recent PCI. Interpretation: In patients with diabetes, stable coronary artery disease, and previous PCI, ticagrelor added to aspirin reduced cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, and stroke, although with increased major bleeding. In that large, easily identified population, ticagrelor provided a favourable net clinical benefit (more than in patients without history of PCI). This effect shows that long-term therapy with ticagrelor in addition to aspirin should be considered in patients with diabetes and a history of PCI who have tolerated antiplatelet therapy, have high ischaemic risk, and low bleeding risk