Effect of a person-centred goals-of-care form and clinical communication training on shared decision-making and outcomes in an acute hospital: a prospective longitudinal interventional study.

Background: Patients with a life-limiting illness (LLI) requiring hospitalisation have a high likelihood of deterioration and 12-month mortality. To avoid non-aligned care, we need to understand our patients' goals and values.

Aim: To describe the association between the implementation of a shared decision-making (SDM) programme and documentation of goals of care (GoC) for hospitalised patients with LLI.

Continuous gastric decompression for postoperative nausea and vomiting after coronary revascularization surgery.

Postoperative nausea and vomiting is common after cardiac surgery and may contribute to significant morbidity. Gastric decompression during anesthesia has been used for postoperative nausea and vomiting prophylaxis in shorter duration noncardiac surgery with conflicting results. We tested the hypothesis that gastric decompression during elective coronary revascularization surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass and continued afterwards until tracheal extubation would reduce the incidence of vomiting or retching and nausea.

Importance of access to fixed-imaging fluoroscopy: practice implications for the vascular surgeon.

Purpose: To examine the impact of unfettered access to high quality fixed-imaging fluoroscopy in a vascular surgery practice.

Methods: The case mix of 2 vascular surgeons was retrospectively examined for a 12-month period before (period A) and after (period B) routine access to fixed-imaging equipment was established. Operative and endovascular cases were identified by their CPT codes.