The influence of epidural analgesia on the course of labor

Summary Objective: The aim of the study was to analyze the influence of epidural analgesia (EA) on the course of labor. Material and methods: The study group consisted of 191 women with EA („walking anesthesia”). 209 women without EA were chosen for controls. All the patients delivered at the 1st Dept of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland. T-test and chi2 test were used for statistical analysis and

Modern methods of assessment of lung aeration during mechanical ventilation

Despite the fact that several modes of ventilation are being used, it is not always possible to maintain adequate parameters of gas exchange. In order to provide proper ventilation, it is necessary to assess the lung function. The aim of this article is presentation of different methods of assesment of lung aerations including its advantages, disadvantages and possibilities for implementation in clinical practice. Computed tomography provides information regarding morphology and aeration of lung tissue, but has several limitations: necessity of patients transportation, it cannot be performed in a continuous manner, a quantitative assessment of picture seems to be rather complicated. Ultrasonography is widely used in intensive care and is a noninvasive and bedside method. It gives the opportunity to assess an investigated organ in real time. Its clinical utility in patients with ARDS was proved by Lichtenstein et al. Another technology which has been implemented for the purpose of lungs visualization is electrobioimpedancy (EIT). This new method consists of continuous monitoring of chest electrobioimpedancy changes due to its air content. Unlike to techniques mentioned above, lung images generated with EIT do not provide any information about morphology of affected tissue. The method which indirectly describes the sum of lung interactions is the assessment of quasi-static P/V curve. This method provides information allowing to draw conclusions regarding the usefulness of recruitment maneuvers, but does not provide information regarding the nature of morphologic changes and their location. In the search for the ideal method of lung aeration assessment, it is necessary to define its characteristics, such as noninvasiveness, availability and visualization of tissue morphologic changes in real time.Despite the fact that several modes of ventilation are being used, it is not always possible to maintain adequate parameters of gas exchange. In order to provide proper ventilation, it is necessary to assess the lung function. The aim of this article is presentation of different methods of assesment of lung aerations including its advantages, disadvantages and possibilities for implementation in clinical practice. Computed tomography provides information regarding morphology and aeration of lung tissue, but has several limitations: necessity of patients transportation, it cannot be performed in a continuous manner, a quantitative assessment of picture seems to be rather complicated. Ultrasonography is widely used in intensive care and is a noninvasive and bedside method. It gives the opportunity to assess an investigated organ in real time. Its clinical utility in patients with ARDS was proved by Lichtenstein et al. Another technology which has been implemented for the purpose of lungs visualization is electrobioimpedancy (EIT). This new method consists of continuous monitoring of chest electrobioimpedancy changes due to its air content. Unlike to techniques mentioned above, lung images generated with EIT do not provide any information about morphology of affected tissue. The method which indirectly describes the sum of lung interactions is the assessment of quasi-static P/V curve. This method provides information allowing to draw conclusions regarding the usefulness of recruitment maneuvers, but does not provide information regarding the nature of morphologic changes and their location. In the search for the ideal method of lung aeration assessment, it is necessary to define its characteristics, such as noninvasiveness, availability and visualization of tissue morphologic changes in real time

Bowel Perforation During Haemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis Treatment with Corticosteroids and Anakinra

We report the use of anakinra to treat a case of a 64-year-old man diagnosed with haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) with neurological involvement. After the administration of intravenous pulse corticosteroid therapy, immunoglobulin and anakinra the patient showed neurological recovery. However, the recovery was complicated by the perforation of a pre-existing bowel diverticulum. The effect of anakinra on bowel inflammation has not yet been clearly established. It can potentially augment bowel inflammation and contribute to the risk of bowel perforation associated with the concomitant use of corticosteroids

Prospektywna ocena standaryzowanego współczynnika śmiertelności (SMR) jako instrumentu oceny jakości postępowania terapeutycznego na pojedynczym oddziale intensywnej terapii

BACKGROUND: The standardized mortality ratio (SMR) is a recognized indicator of critical care quality. This ratio is used to compare actual hospital mortality of all patients treated in a Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with predicted mortality. The aim of the study was prospective analysis of SMR as a measure of quality of care in single ICU. METHOD: Prospective study was performed during the period of 12 months in ICU of Czerniakowski Hospital in Warsaw. Predicted hospital mortality was calculated using the SAPS 3 model. The value of SMR was evaluated in the three risk groups (low, moderate, high risk) and included patients surgical status (nonoperative, after elective and emergency surgery). RESULTS: A total of 341 patients were included. SMR in general population was 0,98 (95% CI 0,74-1,28). In the low and high-risk groups the value of SMR did not differ significantly from 1. In the average risk group as well as patients undergoing elective surgery, the value of SMR tended to exceed 1. CONCLUSIONS: In groups of patients with low and high risk the values of SMR indicated favourable quality of care. Study results should prompt to carry out detailed analysis of the course of treatment of patients at average risk of death. Analysis of the course of treatment and qualification criteria for surgery in patients undergoing elective surgery is also indicated.BACKGROUND: The standardized mortality ratio (SMR) is a recognized indicator of critical care quality. This ratio is used to compare actual hospital mortality of all patients treated in a Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with predicted mortality. The aim of the study was prospective analysis of SMR as a measure of quality of care in single ICU. METHOD: Prospective study was performed during the period of 12 months in ICU of Czerniakowski Hospital in Warsaw. Predicted hospital mortality was calculated using the SAPS 3 model. The value of SMR was evaluated in the three risk groups (low, moderate, high risk) and included patients surgical status (nonoperative, after elective and emergency surgery). RESULTS: A total of 341 patients were included. SMR in general population was 0,98 (95% CI 0,74-1,28). In the low and high-risk groups the value of SMR did not differ significantly from 1. In the average risk group as well as patients undergoing elective surgery, the value of SMR tended to exceed 1. CONCLUSIONS: In groups of patients with low and high risk the values of SMR indicated favourable quality of care. Study results should prompt to carry out detailed analysis of the course of treatment of patients at average risk of death. Analysis of the course of treatment and qualification criteria for surgery in patients undergoing elective surgery is also indicated

Incidence of in-hospital cardiac arrest in Poland

Background: In-hospital cardiac arrest with its poor prognosis is a challenging problem in hospitals. The aim of this study was to evaluate in Polish hospitals the frequency of in-hospital cardiac arrests with the subsequent mortality, with special emphasis on the type of unit at which the event occurred, and the patient's demographic data, such as age and sex. Methods: The study was a retrospective analysis of data for 2012 registered in the Polish General Hospital Morbidity Study. This research covered all Polish hospitals, excluding only government and psychiatric hospitals. The study inclusion criterion was the incidence of cardiac arrest in any hospital ward, recorded by the respective ICD-10 diagnosis code. Results: Of the 7,775,553 patients hospitalized, the diagnosis of cardiac arrest was reported in a total of 22,602 patients, which included 22,317 adults (98.7% of all patients) and 285 children (1.3%). Overall mortality after cardiac arrest among adults was 74.2%, and in children 46.7%. In both absolute numbers and as percentages of all documented cases, cardiac arrests occurred most often at the departments of intensive care, internal medicine, cardiology and emergency medicine. The accompanying mortality was lower than average at the departments of intensive care, cardiology, cardiology high dependency unit and emergency medicine. The median age of patients with cardiac arrest who died in the hospital was higher than the median age of those who survived (72 vs. 64; P < 0.05). Although cardiac arrests were reported more often among men than women (58.2% vs. 41.8%; P < 0.001), the hospital mortality was higher among women (79.2% vs. 71.6%; P < 0.001). Conclusion: The frequency of in-hospital cardiac arrests in Polish hospitals and the subsequent mortality is not substantially different from that observed in other countries. However, our study, based on ICD-10 diagnosis codes, gives only limited information about the patients and circumstances of this event. An in-depth analysis of the causes, prognoses, and outcome of in-hospital cardiac arrests could be facilitated by the creation of a national registry

Ocena częstości występowania wewnątrzszpitalnego nagłego zatrzymania krążenia w Polsce

  BACKGROUND: In-hospital cardiac arrest with its poor prognosis is a challenging problem in hospitals. The aim of this study was to evaluate in Polish hospitals the frequency of in-hospital cardiac arrests with the subsequent mortality, with special emphasis on the type of unit at which the event occurred, and the patient’s demographic data, such as age and sex. METHODS: The study was a retrospective analysis of data for 2012 registered in the Polish General Hospital Morbidity Study. This research covered all Polish hospitals, excluding only government and psychiatric hospitals. The study inclusion criterion was the incidence of cardiac arrest in any hospital ward, recorded by the respective ICD-10 diagnosis code. RESULTS: Of the 7,775,553 patients hospitalized, the diagnosis of cardiac arrest was reported in a total of 22,602 patients, which included 22,317 adults (98.7% of all patients) and 285 children (1.3%). Overall mortality after cardiac arrest among adults was 74.2%, and in children 46.7%. In both absolute numbers and as percentages of all documented cases, cardiac arrests occurred most often at the departments of intensive care, internal medicine, cardiology and emergency medicine. The accompanying mortality was lower than average at the departments of intensive care, cardiology, cardiology high dependency unit and emergency medicine. The median age of patients with cardiac arrest who died in the hospital was higher than the median age of those who survived (72 vs. 64; P < 0.05). Although cardiac arrests were reported more often among men than women (58.2% vs. 41.8%; P < 0.001), the hospital mortality was higher among women (79.2% vs. 71.6%; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The frequency of in-hospital cardiac arrests in Polish hospitals and the subsequent mortality is not substantially different from that observed in other countries. However, our study, based on ICD-10 diagnosis codes, gives only limited information about the patients and circumstances of this event. An in-depth analysis of the causes, prognoses, and outcome of in-hospital cardiac arrests could be facilitated by the creation of a national registry.    BACKGROUND: In-hospital cardiac arrest with its poor prognosis is a challenging problem in hospitals. The aim of this study was to evaluate in Polish hospitals the frequency of in-hospital cardiac arrests with the subsequent mortality, with special emphasis on the type of unit at which the event occurred, and the patient’s demographic data, such as age and sex. METHODS: The study was a retrospective analysis of data for 2012 registered in the Polish General Hospital Morbidity Study. This research covered all Polish hospitals, excluding only government and psychiatric hospitals. The study inclusion criterion was the incidence of cardiac arrest in any hospital ward, recorded by the respective ICD-10 diagnosis code. RESULTS: Of the 7,775,553 patients hospitalized, the diagnosis of cardiac arrest was reported in a total of 22,602 patients, which included 22,317 adults (98.7% of all patients) and 285 children (1.3%). Overall mortality after cardiac arrest among adults was 74.2%, and in children 46.7%. In both absolute numbers and as percentages of all documented cases, cardiac arrests occurred most often at the departments of intensive care, internal medicine, cardiology and emergency medicine. The accompanying mortality was lower than average at the departments of intensive care, cardiology, cardiology high dependency unit and emergency medicine. The median age of patients with cardiac arrest who died in the hospital was higher than the median age of those who survived (72 vs. 64; P < 0.05). Although cardiac arrests were reported more often among men than women (58.2% vs. 41.8%; P < 0.001), the hospital mortality was higher among women (79.2% vs. 71.6%; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The frequency of in-hospital cardiac arrests in Polish hospitals and the subsequent mortality is not substantially different from that observed in other countries. However, our study, based on ICD-10 diagnosis codes, gives only limited information about the patients and circumstances of this event. An in-depth analysis of the causes, prognoses, and outcome of in-hospital cardiac arrests could be facilitated by the creation of a national registry

The differences between two selected intensive care units located in central and northern Europe — preliminary observation

 BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate possible differences in the functioning of two selected intensive care units in Poland and Finland. The activity of the units was analysed over a period of one year. METHODS: The following parameters were compared: demography of treated populations, site of admission, category of illness, severity of illness (APACHE-II scale), mean length of stay, demanded workload (TISS-28 scale), mortality (both ICU and hospital) and standardized mortality ratio (SMR). RESULTS: The results of this study indicated that most of the patients in the Polish ICU, regardless of age, diagnosis and APACHE II score, presented significantly longer lengths of stay (14.65 ± 13.6 vs 4.1 ± 4.7 days, P = 0.0001), higher mean TISS-28 score (38.9 ± 9.1 vs 31.2 ± 6.1, P = 0.0001) and higher ICU and hospital mortality (41.5% vs 10.2% and 44.7% vs 21.8%, respectively, P = 0.0001). The values of SMR were 0.9 and 0.85 for the Finnish and Polish ICUs, respectively. CONCLUSION: The collected data indicate huge differences in the utilisation of critical care resources. Treatment in Polish ICU is concentrated on much more severely ill patients which might be sometimes accompanied by futility of care. In order to verify and correctly interpret the presented phenomena, further studies are needed.  BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate possible differences in the functioning of two selected intensive care units in Poland and Finland. The activity of the units was analysed over a period of one year. METHODS: The following parameters were compared: demography of treated populations, site of admission, category of illness, severity of illness (APACHE-II scale), mean length of stay, demanded workload (TISS-28 scale), mortality (both ICU and hospital) and standardized mortality ratio (SMR). RESULTS: The results of this study indicated that most of the patients in the Polish ICU, regardless of age, diagnosis and APACHE II score, presented significantly longer lengths of stay (14.65 ± 13.6 vs 4.1 ± 4.7 days, P = 0.0001), higher mean TISS-28 score (38.9 ± 9.1 vs 31.2 ± 6.1, P = 0.0001) and higher ICU and hospital mortality (41.5% vs 10.2% and 44.7% vs 21.8%, respectively, P = 0.0001). The values of SMR were 0.9 and 0.85 for the Finnish and Polish ICUs, respectively. CONCLUSION: The collected data indicate huge differences in the utilisation of critical care resources. Treatment in Polish ICU is concentrated on much more severely ill patients which might be sometimes accompanied by futility of care. In order to verify and correctly interpret the presented phenomena, further studies are needed.

Защита населения и объектов от чрезвычайных ситуаций. Радиационная безопасность

Background: The standardized mortality ratio (SMR) is a recognized indicator of critical care quality. This ratio is used to compare actual hospital mortality of all patients treated in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with predicted mortality. The aim of this study was a prospective analysis of SMR as a measure of the quality of care in a single ICU. Methods: A prospective study was performed during a 12-month period in the ICU of the Czerniakowski Hospital in Warsaw. Predicted hospital mortality was calculated using the SAPS 3 model. The value of the SMR was evaluated in three risk groups (low, moderate, and high risk) and included the surgical status of patients (nonoperative, after elective or emergency surgery). Results: A total of 341 patients were included. The SMR in the general population was 0.98 (95% CI 0.74-1.28). In the low-and high-risk groups, the value of the SMR did not differ significantly from 1. In the average risk group, as well as among patients undergoing elective surgery, the value of the SMR tended to exceed 1. Conclusions: In groups of patients with low and high risk, the values of the SMR indicated a favourable quality of care. Study results should prompt a detailed analysis of the course of treatment for patients with an average risk of death. Analysis of the treatment course and qualification criteria for surgery in patients undergoing elective surgery is also indicated