15 research outputs found
Correction to: Two years later: Is the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic still having an impact on emergency surgery? An international cross-sectional survey among WSES members
Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is still ongoing and a major challenge for health care services worldwide. In the first WSES COVID-19 emergency surgery survey, a strong negative impact on emergency surgery (ES) had been described already early in the pandemic situation. However, the knowledge is limited about current effects of the pandemic on patient flow through emergency rooms, daily routine and decision making in ES as well as their changes over time during the last two pandemic years. This second WSES COVID-19 emergency surgery survey investigates the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on ES during the course of the pandemic.
Methods: A web survey had been distributed to medical specialists in ES during a four-week period from January 2022, investigating the impact of the pandemic on patients and septic diseases both requiring ES, structural problems due to the pandemic and time-to-intervention in ES routine.
Results: 367 collaborators from 59 countries responded to the survey. The majority indicated that the pandemic still significantly impacts on treatment and outcome of surgical emergency patients (83.1% and 78.5%, respectively). As reasons, the collaborators reported decreased case load in ES (44.7%), but patients presenting with more prolonged and severe diseases, especially concerning perforated appendicitis (62.1%) and diverticulitis (57.5%). Otherwise, approximately 50% of the participants still observe a delay in time-to-intervention in ES compared with the situation before the pandemic. Relevant causes leading to enlarged time-to-intervention in ES during the pandemic are persistent problems with in-hospital logistics, lacks in medical staff as well as operating room and intensive care capacities during the pandemic. This leads not only to the need for triage or transferring of ES patients to other hospitals, reported by 64.0% and 48.8% of the collaborators, respectively, but also to paradigm shifts in treatment modalities to non-operative approaches reported by 67.3% of the participants, especially in uncomplicated appendicitis, cholecystitis and multiple-recurrent diverticulitis.
Conclusions: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic still significantly impacts on care and outcome of patients in ES. Well-known problems with in-hospital logistics are not sufficiently resolved by now; however, medical staff shortages and reduced capacities have been dramatically aggravated over last two pandemic years
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
Outcome of Application of Cryopreserved Amniotic Membrane Grafts in the Treatment of Chronic Nonhealing Wounds of Different Origins in Polymorbid Patients: A Prospective Multicenter Study
To compare the therapeutic efficacy of cryopreserved amniotic membrane (AM) grafts and standard of care (SOC) in treating nonhealing wounds (NHW) through a prospective multicenter clinical trial, 42 patients (76% polymorbid) with 54 nonhealing wounds of various etiologies (mainly venous) and an average baseline size of 20 cm2 were included. All patients were treated for at least 6 weeks in the center before they were involved in the study. In the SOC group, 29 patients (36 wounds) were treated. If the wound healed less than 20% of the baseline size after 6 weeks, the patient was transferred to the AM group (35 patients, 43 wounds). Weekly visits included an assessment of the patient’s condition, photo documentation, wound debridement, and dressing. Quality of life and the pain degree were subjectively reported by patients. After SOC, 7 wounds were healed completely, 1 defect partially, and 28 defects remained unhealed. AM application led to the complete closure of 24 wounds, partial healing occurred in 10, and 9 remained unhealed. The degree of pain and the quality of life improved significantly in all patients after AM application. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of cryopreserved AM grafts in the healing of NHW of polymorbid patients and associated pain reduction
A solid doxycycline HP-β-CD formulation for reconstitution (i.v. bolus) prepared by scaled-up electrospinning
Propionic Acid Shapes the Multiple Sclerosis Disease Course by an Immunomodulatory Mechanism
Short-chain fatty acids are processed from indigestible dietary fibers by gut bacteria and have immunomodulatory properties. Here, we investigate propionic acid (PA) in multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune and neurodegenerative disease. Serum and feces of subjects with MS exhibited significantly reduced PA amounts compared with controls, particularly after the first relapse. In a proof-of-concept study, we supplemented PA to therapy-naive MS patients and as an add-on to MS immunotherapy. After 2 weeks of PA intake, we observed a significant and sustained increase of functionally competent regulatory T (Treg) cells, whereas Th1 and Th17 cells decreased significantly. Post-hoc analyses revealed a reduced annual relapse rate, disability stabilization, and reduced brain atrophy after 3 years of PA intake. Functional microbiome analysis revealed increased expression of Treg-cell-inducing genes in the intestine after PA intake. Furthermore, PA normalized Treg cell mitochondria! function and morphology in MS. Our findings suggest that PA can serve as a potent immunomodulatory supplement to MS drugs
Agricultural economics and transition: What was expected, what we observed, the lessons learned Proceedings (Volume I / II)
Over fifteen years have elapsed since the transition from the centrally planned
economic system started in the early 1990’s. During this time agricultural and
rural areas of Central and Eastern Europe have undergone profound structural
changes with wide variations in the degree of transformation and in the rate of
success in creating a competitive market and private ownership based food and
agricultural system. By becoming member of the European Union the "transition"
in its traditional interpretation has been concluded in ten of the Central East
European countries. The transition to market based agriculture, however, is far
from completion in Southern and Eastern Europe and especially in the CIS
countries.
International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE) and European
Association of Agricultural Economists (EAAE) in collaboration with the
Corvinus University of Budapest and with a number of other institutions in
Hungary organized an inter-conference seminar on the subject of agricultural
transition in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The major objective
of the seminar was to discuss and draw conclusions on the role of agricultural
policy in the transition process in the light of actual progress and current situation
in Central and East European countries and in formal Soviet States. In addition
the contribution of agricultural economics – both from the West and from the
East – as a discipline and a profession to the transition process in agriculture were
discussed. A specific objective was to identify priorities and means to strengthen
the agricultural economics profession in the transition countries and determine
research and educational priorities for the future.
The seminar was attended by 118 participants representing 26 countries from
Europe, North America and Asia. The Seminar was the largest professional
meeting organized by the two associations in 2007. Over 110 abstracts were
submitted and evaluated by the International Program Committee. In the two
day program of the meeting, 8 presentations were made during the 3 plenary
sessions, 66 papers were presented in the 15 contributed paper sessions in 8 subject
categories. In addition there were 15 posters discussed in the poster session and
the findings of a World Bank study on distortions of agricultural incentives in
the region was the subject of a pre-conference workshop. Plenary speakers
included Ulrich Koester, Johan Swinnen, Jerzy Wilkin, Zvi Lerman, Eugenia
Serova and József Popp-Gábor Udovecz. At the end of the seminar David Colman, President of IAAE gave a global assessment of the status of agricultural
economics discipline and profession, while Csaba Csáki, former President of
IAAE made summary comments on major issues discussed during the seminar.
This volume includes the plenary and contributed papers presented at the seminar
and submitted for publications by the authors as well as the abstracts of the poster
papers discussed.
The seminar was supported and sponsored by a number of organizations and
persons. All of their contributions have to be greatly acknowledged. First the
two international organizations IAAE and EAAE have to be mentioned, which
provided overall organizational framework and logistical support. The IAAE
provided in addition a generous grant to support the participation of young
agricultural economists from Central and Eastern Europe on the seminar. On the
Hungarian side the Corvinus University of Budapest, the Szent István University
of Gödöllő, the Research Institute for Agricultural Economics, the Hungarian
Agricultural Economics Association, the Hungarian Association of Agricultural
Sciences and the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
were the major material and organizational supporters. The International Program
committee was chaired by David Colman and Csaba Csáki and included
Ulrich Koester, Joe Swinnen, Eugenia Serova and Jerzy Wilkin. The local
Organizing committee was chaired by Csaba Forgács and István Szűcs and
included Zoltán Lakner, András Nábrádi, József Popp, József Tóth, Gábor Udovecz,
László Vajda, László Villányi, Krisztina Fodor, Attila Jámbor and Tamás Mizik.
Finally IAMO, Halle facilitated the publication of this proceedings