What type of mattress should be chosen to avoid back pain and improve sleep quality? Review of the literature

Energy spent during daily activities is recuperated by humans through sleep, ensuring optimal performance on the following day. Sleep disturbances are common: a meta-analysis on sleep quality showed that 15–30% of adults report sleep disorders, such as sleep onset latency (SOL), insufficient duration of sleep and frequently waking up at night. Low back pain (LBP) has been identified as one of the main causes of poor sleep quality. Literature findings are discordant on the type of mattress that might prevent onset of back pain, resulting in an improved quality of sleep. We conducted a systematic literature review of articles published until 2019, investigating the association of different mattresses with sleep quality and low back pain. Based on examined studies, mattresses were classified according to the European Committee for Standardization (2000) as: soft, medium-firm, extra-firm or mattresses customized for patients affected by supine decubitus. A total of 39 qualified articles have been included in the current systematic review. Results of this systematic review show that a medium-firm mattress promotes comfort, sleep quality and rachis alignment

How future surgery will benefit from SARS-COV-2-related measures: a SPIGC survey conveying the perspective of Italian surgeons

COVID-19 negatively affected surgical activity, but the potential benefits resulting from adopted measures remain unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the change in surgical activity and potential benefit from COVID-19 measures in perspective of Italian surgeons on behalf of SPIGC. A nationwide online survey on surgical practice before, during, and after COVID-19 pandemic was conducted in March-April 2022 (NCT:05323851). Effects of COVID-19 hospital-related measures on surgical patients' management and personal professional development across surgical specialties were explored. Data on demographics, pre-operative/peri-operative/post-operative management, and professional development were collected. Outcomes were matched with the corresponding volume. Four hundred and seventy-three respondents were included in final analysis across 14 surgical specialties. Since SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, application of telematic consultations (4.1% vs. 21.6%; p < 0.0001) and diagnostic evaluations (16.4% vs. 42.2%; p < 0.0001) increased. Elective surgical activities significantly reduced and surgeons opted more frequently for conservative management with a possible indication for elective (26.3% vs. 35.7%; p < 0.0001) or urgent (20.4% vs. 38.5%; p < 0.0001) surgery. All new COVID-related measures are perceived to be maintained in the future. Surgeons' personal education online increased from 12.6% (pre-COVID) to 86.6% (post-COVID; p < 0.0001). Online educational activities are considered a beneficial effect from COVID pandemic (56.4%). COVID-19 had a great impact on surgical specialties, with significant reduction of operation volume. However, some forced changes turned out to be benefits. Isolation measures pushed the use of telemedicine and telemetric devices for outpatient practice and favored communication for educational purposes and surgeon-patient/family communication. From the Italian surgeons' perspective, COVID-related measures will continue to influence future surgical clinical practice

Emergency treatment of proximal femural fracture within 48h: The Umbria Region experience

Objective: To study the main aspects of osteoporotic emergency fracture of the hip in the Umbria Region in the years 2006-2011.Methods: The study was conducted from January 1 of 2006 to December 31 of 2011, and included only patients over 49 years of age. Patients who did not habitually reside in the region were excluded. They were collected in each based on the following data: age, sex, place of residence (urban or rural), time of the year, fractured side, type of trauma, history of fracture contralateral and perioperative mortality.Results: From 2006 to 2011, a progressive increase in the number of femoral fracture admissions in regional hospitals was observed, equal to 4.73% per annum. The incidence went from 6.8 to 8.1 for 1.000 ultra-65th residents. The most affected age groups are those between 75-84 years and 85- 94 years.Conclusions: The epidemiology of osteoporotic hip fracture in the Umbria Region follows a pattern similar to that of other Italian regions. The in-hospital mortality of these patients is partly determined by age and number of complications they suffer during admission. The impact of economic resources on patients who break the osteoporotic hip justifies the implementation of programs for the prevention of osteoporosis and fractures