Sternal surgical site infection prevention - is there any room for improvement?

Objective: The objectives of this multicenter study are to evaluate current clinical practices in cardiac surgery concerning the prevention and management of sternal wound infections, to identify room for improvement, and to support implementation of systematic measures.

Methods: As a part of a campaign for infection prevention in cardiac surgery in Germany, a multiple-choice questionnaire with two main sections was developed and submitted to all cardiac surgery units in Germany (79). The project was realized in cooperation with the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, the BQS Institute for Quality and Patient Safety, and the National Reference Center for Nosocomial Infection Surveillance.

Spondyloenchondrodysplasia with spasticity, cerebral calcifications, and immune dysregulation: clinical and radiographic delineation of a pleiotropic disorder.

Enchondromas are a feature of several constitutional disorders of bone, and the classification of different nosologic entities is still provisional. Among these disorders, spondyloenchondrodysplasia (SPENCD), as outlined by Schorr et al. [1976], is defined by the presence of radiolucent spondylar and metaphyseal lesions that represent persistence of islands of chondroid tissue within bone.

[The risk of rehospitalisation during therapy with atypical and typical neuroleptics--a contribution to differential indication].

Atypical neuroleptics have a lot of advantages compared with conventional substances. It is still disadvantageous that a depot-medication is missing. The role of the form of application has been studied in a schizophrenia-out-patient department.