Under Pressure: Ambulatory Blood Pressure Control

Smart AIM: Improve hypertension control with the following goal: Within three months 60% of patients with hypertension will have a blood pressure less than 140/90 during their most recent office visit.https://jdc.jefferson.edu/patientsafetyposters/1029/thumbnail.jp

Evaluating Cartogram Effectiveness

Cartograms are maps in which areas of geographic regions (countries, states) appear in proportion to some variable of interest (population, income). Cartograms are popular visualizations for geo-referenced data that have been used for over a century and that make it possible to gain insight into patterns and trends in the world around us. Despite the popularity of cartograms and the large number of cartogram types, there are few studies evaluating the effectiveness of cartograms in conveying information. Based on a recent task taxonomy for cartograms, we evaluate four major different types of cartograms: contiguous, non-contiguous, rectangular, and Dorling cartograms. Specifically, we evaluate the effectiveness of these cartograms by quantitative performance analysis, as well as by subjective preferences. We analyze the results of our study in the context of some prevailing assumptions in the literature of cartography and cognitive science. Finally, we make recommendations for the use of different types of cartograms for different tasks and settings

Spinal Cord Stimulation for Control of Pain

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is an adjustable, non-destructive procedure which delivers therapeutic doses of electrical current to the spinal cord for the management of neuropathic pain. The most common indications include post-laminectomy (“failed back surgery”) syndrome, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), ischemic limb pain, and angina. Other reported applications include visceral/abdominal pain, cervical neuritis pain, spinal cord injury pain, post-herpetic neuralgia, and neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome

The use of an acellular dermal regenerative tissue matrix in the treatment of lower extremity wounds: a prospective 16-week pilot study.

A prospective, single-centre, randomized controlled study was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of Graftjacket, a human acellular regenerative tissue matrix as a treatment option for chronic non healing lower extremity wounds. Twenty-eight diabetic patients with full-thickness wounds that had been present for at least 6 weeks were treated with sharp debridement and randomized to a single application of Graftjacket tissue matrix plus mineral oil-soaked fluff compression dressing or to a control treatment of wound gel with gauze dressings. All patients were seen weekly. By week 16, 12 of 14 patients treated with Graftjacket tissue matrix demonstrated complete wound closure compared with 4 of 14 patients in the control group. Patients treated with Graftjacket tissue matrix showed a statistically significant higher percentage of wound healing with respect to wound area, and clinically significant differences in wound depth and wound volume. This comparison is not performed to demonstrate that the application of the Grafjacket is more effective than sharp debridement. This study is done to help assign a role to the use of Graftjacket matrix in lower extremity wound care