Sedation vs. general anesthesia in stone ureteroscopy: Comparison of efficacy and safety, a post COVID-19 report.

Introduction: Ureterorenoscopy (URS) for ureteral or renal stones is traditionally performed under general anesthesia (GA). Sedation is an alternative to GA, allowing control of the level of consciousness, spontaneous ventilation, and faster recovery. Our aim was to compare sedation and GA for patients undergoing ureterorenoscopy.

Improvement in process of care and outcome in patients requiring intensive care unit admission for community acquired pneumonia.

Background: The present study was performed to assess the prognosis of patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for community acquired pneumonia (CAP) after implementation of new processes of care.

Methods: Two groups of patients with CAP were admitted to a 16-bed multidisciplinary ICU in an urban teaching hospital during two different periods: the years 1995-2000, corresponding to the historical group; and 2005-2010, corresponding to the intervention group. New therapeutic procedures were implemented during the period 2005-2010.