The impact of education on caregiver burden on two inpatient oncology units.

Providing standardized education can alleviate the burden felt by the caregiver and improve health outcomes for both the patient and caregiver. Four disease groups were included in this study that represent a significantly longer hospital stay than other cancers: acute myelogenous leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, lymphoma, or those undergoing blood marrow transplant. The complexity of care is significantly higher, necessitating greater caregiver burden following hospitalization.

Decreasing patient misidentification before chemotherapy administration.

More accurate patient identification is a Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goal. To decrease the possibility of patient misidentification during chemotherapy administration, nurses on the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill instituted a bedside check and measured compliance.

The silicone gel breast implant controversy: current status and clinical implications.

The silicone breast implant controversy has amassed a great deal of media coverage in the past year. Unfortunately, separating fact from fiction has been extremely frustrating and difficult, not only for physicians but for women who have either had or are considering cosmetic or reconstructive surgery of the breast. At a recent meeting attended by most of the board eligible and certified Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons in the State of Arkansas, it was felt that a consensus statement was needed to clarify the issues and inform other Arkansas physicians of the most up to date information.

Monitoring of blood pressure and heart rate during routine endoscopy: a prospective, randomized, controlled study.

Six hundred and eighteen patients were randomized to have automated cardiovascular monitoring or clinical observation during routine endoscopy. Hemodynamic parameters were recorded at 3-min intervals before, during, and after the procedure. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy resulted in an increased heart rate (HR), while colonoscopy caused a decreased blood pressure (BP) and HR.

Does the addition of methylene blue to the sclerosant improve the accuracy of injections during variceal sclerotherapy?

We evaluated the possibility that the addition of methylene blue to the sclerosant would improve the accuracy of intravariceal injections during endoscopic variceal sclerotherapy. Four patients had eight sessions of endoscopic variceal sclerotherapy with a sclerosant containing a combination of 3% sodium tetradecyl and 60% renograffin. For four sessions, 1 ml of methylene blue was added to 9 ml of sclerosant.