The Relation Between Patient Education And Picc Line Occlusion

The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility of using an electronic tablet to supplement patient and caregiver education about PICC line maintenance and to compare the percentage of PICC line complications in the intervention group with national percentage rates for patients and caregivers. Newly diagnosed cancer patients who had PICC lines inserted participated in this study. They used an electronic tablet to learn the 10 steps for flushing their PICC lines correctly. They also met with the researcher via FaceTime to review the steps. A total of 11 patients participated in this quasi-experimental pilot study. They completed three instruments, a demographic survey, the Psycho-Oncology Screening Tool (POST), and the Attentional Functional Index (AFI), prior to starting the intervention. They met with an infusion nurse at least weekly for six weeks to check the PICC line for occlusion and/or infection. At the end of the six weeks, they completed the POST and the AFI again. The infusion nurse provided data on occlusion and infections during the six week period. Three research questions were posed for the study. The first question was concerned with the number of occlusions and infections. The findings indicated that the patients had no occlusions or infections from their PICC lines. The second research question examined the being overwhelmed and burden of treatment and illness. Statistically significant outcomes were found for fatigue and depression. Both increased across the six weeks of the study. This finding was not unexpected as most cancer patients experience greater fatigue while receiving chemotherapy and become more depressed with their illness. The third research question compared the incidence of occlusion and infection in the present study with national averages. The findings of this study were significantly different from national averages. The findings of this study provided support that the use of an electronic tablet with instructions for self-care that included flushing a PICC line was useful in reducing the incidence of negative outcomes from having a PICC line. Further research should replicate the study with a larger, more heterogeneous sample to validate these findings

Introducing Novel Bidirectional Telemetry Technologies in Advanced Pressure Management; The Case of Athens, EYDAP SA, Greece

New bidirectional technologies for remote access and control of DMAs are introduced into the Advanced Pressure Management field. Using interconnected devices, a controller at the PRV and a logger at the DMA’s Critical Point, it is attempted to reach the optimal performance of the network in terms of pressure, energy consumption, economic parameters, losses and broken pipe events frequency. All manual adjustments are implemented remotely through an integral 2-way web communication system, allowing accessibility from any place, at any time. A case study of a 2-year trial period in Athens, Greece is presented

The Stem Cell Expression Profile of Odontogenic Tumors and Cysts: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Stem cells have been associated with self-renewing and plasticity and have been investigated in various odontogenic lesions in association with their pathogenesis and biological behavior. We aim to provide a systematic review of stem cell markers’ expression in odontogenic tumors and cysts. Methods: The literature was searched through the MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE via OVID, Web of Science, and CINHAL via EBSCO databases for original studies evaluating stem cell markers’ expression in different odontogenic tumors/cysts, or an odontogenic disease group and a control group. The studies’ risk of bias (RoB) was assessed via a Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Tool. Meta-analysis was conducted for markers evaluated in the same pair of odontogenic tumors/cysts in at least two studies. Results: 29 studies reported the expression of stem cell markers, e.g., SOX2, OCT4, NANOG, CD44, ALDH1, BMI1, and CD105, in various odontogenic lesions, through immunohistochemistry/immunofluorescence, polymerase chain reaction, flow cytometry, microarrays, and RNA-sequencing. Low, moderate, and high RoBs were observed in seven, nine, and thirteen studies, respectively. Meta-analysis revealed a remarkable discriminative ability of SOX2 for ameloblastic carcinomas or odontogenic keratocysts over ameloblastomas. Conclusion: Stem cells might be linked to the pathogenesis and clinical behavior of odontogenic pathologies and represent a potential target for future individualized therapies

Role of the Infusion Nurse: Caring for the Family/Lay Caregiver of Older Adults

Approximately 43 500 000 family caregivers provide unpaid care to an adult or child. Most caregivers provide care to older adults, most often parents. Caregivers are often ill-prepared to assist their loved ones, creating or increasing caregiving burden and/or risk of compassion fatigue, potentially leading to critical "caregiving tipping points." Identifying families who are experiencing increased burden or risk of compassion fatigue is a skill that nurses, including infusion nurses, who have unique entree into the caregiving situation, should develop. The purpose of this article is to describe "impending" tipping points before they occur and to offer solutions for how nurses can help caregiving families identify them and access additional supportive services.12 month embargo; published 01 September 2020This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]