Use of a urine dipstick and brief clinical questionnaire to predict an abnormal serum creatinine in the emergency department.

Objectives: Prior data demonstrated that a urine dipstick used alone was a sensitive predictor of abnormal creatinine, but not sufficiently enough to forego screening of serum creatinine prior to administration of contrast for diagnostic studies. The authors hypothesized that a brief historical questionnaire coupled with a urine dipstick would have high sensitivity for renal dysfunction, potentially eliminating the need for a serum creatinine prior to contrast administration.

Methods: This was a prospective study of a convenience sample of patients at two academic tertiary-care emergency departments (EDs) during 2006-2007.

Total hip arthroplasty with cement and use of a collared matte-finish femoral component: nineteen to twenty-year follow-up.

Background: In the mid- to late 1970s, on the basis of laboratory and finite element data, many surgeons in the United States began using collared matte-finish femoral components and metal-backed acetabular components in their total hip arthroplasties. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term results of the use of one such construct in arthroplasties performed by a single surgeon in a consecutive nonselected patient cohort.

Methods: Between January 1984 and December 1985, 273 patients underwent a total of 304 consecutive nonselected total hip arthroplasties with cement and use of the Iowa femoral component (which is collared, has a proximal cobra shape, and has a matte finish) and a metal-backed TiBac acetabular component performed by a single surgeon.

Can urine dipstick be used as a surrogate for serum creatinine in emergency department patients who undergo contrast studies?

Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is a complication associated with contrasted computed tomography (CT). Elevated creatinine (Cr) is often used to screen for CIN. This study evaluates dipstick urinalysis (Udip) detection of Cr > 1.

Not your everyday anisocoria: angel's trumpet ocular toxicity.

A 12-year-old boy was brought to the emergency department by his parents with new-onset anisocoria. He complained of blurry vision and of his left pupil being larger than the right. His visual acuity was normal and examination revealed a painless left mydriasis.

Total hip arthroplasty with a cemented, polished, collared femoral stem and a cementless acetabular component. A follow-up study at a minimum of ten years.

Background: Recent studies have suggested that cemented femoral components with a polished surface may provide superior long-term fixation when compared with femoral components with a roughened surface. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the results of total hip arthroplasty with a cemented femoral component with a polished surface finish and compare them with the results of total hip arthroplasty performed with a similar design of cemented femoral component with a rougher surface finish.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed a consecutive group of 132 patients (149 hips) in whom primary total hip arthroplasty had been performed by one surgeon using a cemented collared femoral component with a polished (0.

Predictors of diabetes-specific knowledge and treatment satisfaction among Costa Ricans.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of disease-specific knowledge and patient satisfaction among adult Costa Ricans with type 2 diabetes. Knowledge differences between Costa Ricans and Spanish-speaking US Latinos also were tested. The psychometric viability of a Spanish-language diabetes knowledge and client satisfaction measure with Costa Ricans was reviewed.