Publications by authors named "Anna Lock"
High early mortality after percutaneous liver biopsy in metastatic cancer: national analysis.
BMJ Support Palliat Care
August 2024
Article Synopsis
- * Inpatient biopsies had significantly higher mortality rates (8% at 14 days, 26% at 30 days) compared to outpatient ones (2.2% at 14 days, 8.6% at 30 days), with older and more comorbid patients facing greater risks.
- * Approximately 46% of patients received chemotherapy within six months, influenced by factors like age, sex, and the type of biopsy, highlighting the need for careful risk assessment and potential palliative care involvement in treatment decisions.
Article Synopsis
- - The study aimed to evaluate the effects of percutaneous nephrostomy for renal decompression in patients with metastatic cancer in England between 2010 and 2019, focusing on mortality and treatment outcomes post-procedure.
- - Out of 10,932 patients analyzed, about 6.7% died within 14 days and 16.7% within 30 days post-nephrostomy, with higher mortality linked to existing comorbidities and the specialty under which the patient was treated.
- - A quarter of the patients went on to receive chemotherapy, and nearly 44% had subsequent surgery, with younger patients more likely to receive chemotherapy and inpatient nephrostomy affecting the likelihood of undergoing further surgery.
This narrative describes the experiences of an inner city respiratory unit that was transformed to treat COVID-19 patients with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) ventilation who were not scheduled for any further escalation in treatment. The high mortality rate and unconventional way of dying led to the creation of local guidance for removing assisted ventilation when the treatment ceased to be effective. We reflect on the specific challenges that caring for these patients holistically has presented and how we have learnt to deliver good palliative care in a unique set of circumstances.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Following the development of a service that consisted of a "single point of contact" to coordinate end-of-life care (EoLC), including EoLC facilitators and an urgent response team, we aimed to explore whether the provision of coordinated EoLC would support patients being cared or dying in their preferred place and avoid unwanted hospital admissions.
Design/methodology/approach: Using a realist evaluation approach, the authors examined "what worked for whom, how, in what circumstances and why". Multiple data were collected, including activity/performance indicators, observations of management meetings, documents, satisfaction survey and 30 interviews with service providers and users.
The normative development of infant shared attention has been studied extensively, but few studies have examined the impact of disorganized attachment and disturbed maternal caregiving on mother-infant shared attention. The authors examined both maternal initiations of joint attention and infants' responses to those initiations during the reunion episodes of the Strange Situation Procedure at 12 and 18 months of infant age. The mothers' initiations of joint attention and three forms of infant response, including shunning, simple joint attention, and sharing attention, were examined in relation to infant disorganized attachment and maternal disrupted communication.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Cancer patients increasingly are among older age groups, but to date little work has examined the trends in cancer among older people, particularly in relation to end of life care and death. This study describes the older population who die of cancer and the factors which may affect their place of death.
Methods: A Cross-sectional analysis of national data was performed.