Aortic Dissection with Hemopericardium and Thrombosed Left Common Iliac Artery Presenting as Acute Limb Ischemia: A Case Report and Review

Abstract Aim: An aortic dissection is an uncommon serious condition, which usually presents with chest pain or upper back pain. Symptoms of aortic dissection may mimic those of other diseases, often leading to delay in diagnosis. Methods: We report an unusual case of aortic dissection with hemopericardium and thrombosed left common iliac artery presenting as acute limb ischemia. Conclusion: Maintaining a high index of clinical suspicion for aortic pathology could possibly lead to identification and timely management of a greater number of patients who have atypical presentations. This would be especially true for patients who have catastrophic presentations with unexplained symptoms

Design of Wide-Band Microstrip Antenna for S-Band Telemetry Applications

This paper exemplifies the design of a low profile wide-band microstrip antenna suitable for S-Band telemetry applications. The proposed design explores the concept of wide-band antenna with improved omnidirectional gain and smaller size essentially aiming at low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite telemetry. The proposed partial annular radiating patch design has an operating impedance bandwidth ranging from 2.7 GHz to 3.8 GHz with a percentage bandwidth of 31%. It exhibits vertical polarization with a gain of around 1.434 dBi. The design and simulations are carried out using 3D EM tools and the measurement results for various performance metrics of the antenna are validated with the simulation results

Healthcare Management : Measuring patient satisfaction of service quality in Swedish dental clinics

ABSTRACT:Healthcare management is a field that is related to management, leadership, and service of anorganization. Due to high competition and change in the environment of healthcare organizations,managers need to embrace the innovation to respond to those changes and make the organizationsuccessful by improving the process, structure, and culture of the organization as well as to provideefficient and effective care that will lead to achieve patient satisfaction. Service quality is one ofthe key factor among the service innovations that contribute to business development and leadingposition in the business world with high competition. Patient satisfaction is important for anyhealthcare organization. Patient satisfaction improves hospital/clinic image, which changes into anincrease in the use of services provided by the healthcare systems and increases market share.Patient satisfaction is dependent on the service quality which is the main factor in healthcareinnovations.Purpose: The purpose of this study is to understand experience levels of the patient satisfaction ofservice quality in Swedish dental clinics, based on the factors affecting dental service quality.Data Sources: Interviews with staff from six clinics in Sweden, 240 patient surveys from twopublic and two private Swedish dental clinic, group interviews with three Swedish dental clinics,Science-Direct, Research Gate, ABI Inform, Google Scholar, Academia.edu.Method: This study is based on the quantitative and qualitative analysis (i.e., mixed methodapproach) and abductive approaches to measure patient satisfaction in Swedish dental clinicsthrough service quality. The problem is analyzed through interviews with the staff in private andpublic dental clinics. The factors affecting the dental service quality are analyzed throughtheoretical and empirical analysis. The patient’s satisfaction was measured by SERVQUAL toolthrough using patients’ survey that consists of 12 questions based on the four factors (tangibility,empathy, responsiveness, and Assurance). Patient survey is conducted in four dental clinics. SPSSwas used to calculate mean and standard deviation for the survey’s result. After analyzing the result,group interviews with clinic 1, clinic 3 and clinic 5 was conducted to understand different valuesin the tool i.e., the value created, value destroyed, and value missed based on the customerperception to analyze the service quality of the dental clinics.Findings: The result from the surveys showed that the factor empathy has highest positive affectand responsiveness has the lowest effect in four dental clinics. The lowest effect in the factorresponsiveness is based on the waiting time to meet a dentist. The group interviews gave us thedifferent values which are based on the idea of the value mapping tool in customer perspective.The value that the clinics gained trust from their patients. The value missed\destroyed is the waitingtime to meet a dentist. The new opportunities are to improve the services by installing newtechnology products and changing the appearance of the clinic

Splenic and kidney infarct: Sequelae of subacute Streptococcus mitis bacterial endocarditis

Infective endocarditis (IE) is caused due to the vegetation on the heart valves, myocardium wall, or the pacemaker leads. Vegetation is a lesion that appears as a consequence of successive deposition of platelets and fibrin on the endothelial surface of the heart. Colonies of microbes can be usually found under the vegetation. Heart valves are involved more frequently as compared to other places. Streptococcus miti s, formerly known as S. mitior, is a commensal of the oral flora, however, if there of loss of integrity of the mucous membrane, the infection may disseminate to the blood flow. We describe here a rare presentation of S. mitis, causing IE and its complications in an immunocompetent patient

A Case of Hyperacute Severe Thrombocytopenia Occurring Less than 24 Hours after Intravenous Tirofiban Infusion

Thrombocytopenia is defined as a condition where the platelet count is below the lower limit of normal (<150 G/L), and it is categorized as mild (100–149 G/L), moderate (50–99 G/L), and severe (<50 G/L). We present here a 79-year-old man who developed severe thrombocytopenia with a platelet count of 6 G/L, less than 24 hours after intravenous tirofiban infusion that was given to the patient during a percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty procedure with placement of 3 drug-eluting stents. The patient’s baseline platelet count was 233 G/L before the procedure. Based on the timeline of events during hospitalization and laboratory evidence, it was highly likely that the patient’s thrombocytopenia was the result of tirofiban-induced immune thrombocytopenia, a type of drug-induced immune thrombocytopenia (DITP) which occurs due to drug-dependent antibody-mediated platelet destruction. Anticoagulant-mediated artefactual pseudothrombocytopenia was ruled out as no platelet clumping was seen on the peripheral blood smears. The treatment of DITP includes discontinuation of the causative drug; monitoring of platelet count recovery; or treatment of severe thrombocytopenia with glucocorticoids, IVIG, or platelet transfusions depending on the clinical presentation. The most likely causative agent of this patient’s thrombocytopenia—tirofiban—was discontinued, and the patient did not develop any signs of bleeding during the remainder of his hospital stay. His platelet count gradually improved to 24 G/L, and he was discharged on the sixth hospital day

Abnormal atrial activation at surface electrocardiogram examination in born underweight young adults

Introduction: Recent published data demonstrated how subjects born preterm are at higher risk of developing early atrial fibrillation (AF). Materials and Methods:The surface ECG of twenty-four adults, former preterm infants born with an extremely low birth weight (ex-ELBW; mean age at study: 23.2±3.3 years; mean gestational age: 27.8±2.3 weeks; mean birth weight: 840±120.1 grams), were compared with those of 24 healthy counterparts born at term (C). A few parameters known to be capable of predicting a predisposition to develop AF were examined: P wave duration and dispersion, P terminal force, isoelectric interval length, PR interval length, and advanced interatrial blocks. Results: A shorter PR interval length was found in ex-ELBW compared to C (p<0.0003) as well as longer P wave duration and dispersion, p terminal force, and isoelectric interval (p<0.0001, p<0.0001, p<0.01, and p<0.0004, respectively). Four cases of advanced interatrial block were detected in ex-ELBW, and none in C (p<0.0001). P wave duration, PR interval length, and P wave dispersion were significantly correlated with birth weight (r=0.51 p<0.01, r=0.46 p<0.02, and r=0.42 p<0.04, respectively). When excluding the possible influence of gestational age on birth weight, P wave duration and dispersion were found to be the only statistically significant determinants of abnormal atrial electrical activation (p<0.03 and p<0.04, respectively). On the contrary, when excluding the possible influence of birth weight on gestational age, only P wave duration remained statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusions: Surface ECG findings of abnormal atrial activity in ex-ELBW may explain their previously reported predisposition to developing AF