Cardiac surgical outcomes improvement led by a physician champion working with a nurse clinical coordinator.

Cardiac surgical outcomes improvement in a community hospital was driven by a physician champion working with a nurse clinical coordinator. Specific system improvements implemented were (1) nurse checklists of vital signs, cardiovascular function parameters, and life support appliance operation; (2) use of the EuroSCORE system of preoperative patient risk assessment; (3) monthly morbidity and mortality conferences; and (4) daily patient progress tracking. The hospital received 1 star (bottom 12% of hospitals for quality outcomes) from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Database in 2006 prior to program inception, 2 stars (middle 76% of hospitals for quality outcomes) in 2007 and 2008, and 3 stars (top 12% of hospitals) in 2009.

Tocolysis in women with preterm labor between 32 0/7 and 34 6/7 weeks of gestation: a randomized controlled pilot study.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether intravenous magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) followed by oral nifidepine tocolysis in women with preterm labor between 32 0/7 and 34 6/7 weeks' gestation reduces neonatal hospital stay.

Study Design: Fifty-four women between 32 0/7 and 34 6/7 weeks with preterm labor were randomized to receive either MgSO4 and oral nifidepine (n = 24) or no tocolysis (n = 30). All women received betamethasone and prophylactic antibiotics.

[Echinococcosis involvement of the heart].

A case report is given of a 37-year-old patient who had echinococcus infestment the heart. Diagnosis was established after drainage of the pericardium, when cysts of a diameter between 0.5 and 3 cm were evacuated.

Temporary cutaneous vesicostomy in pediatric patients.

Cutaneous vesicostomy is useful as a stage in management of various vesical and infravesical disorders in pediatric patients. The underlying problem can often be circumvented by temporary cutaneous vesicostomy and later be approached by reconstructive surgery, intermittent catheterization, or pharmacologic manipulation. In contrast, long-term cutaneous vesicostomy often leads to an unacceptably high rate of complications.

Ureterosigmoidostomy followed by carcinoma of the colon.

Adenocarcinoma of the colon developing as a late complication or ureterosignoidostomy has been reported with increasing frequency. A patient is presented who developed adenocarcinoma of the colon 28 years after ureterosigmoidostomy for bladder exstrophy and 13 years after conversion of the ureterosigmoidostomy to an ileal conduit. The colonic tumor was documented at postmortem examination to be at the ureterosigmoidostomy site.