A Longitudinal Perspective on User Uptake of an Electronic Personal Health Record for Diabetes, With Respect To Patient Demographics.

Introduction: The growing prevalence of diabetes has increased the need for scalable technologies to improve outcomes. My Diabetes My Way (MDMW) is an electronic personal health record (ePHR) available to all people with diabetes in Scotland since 2010, associated with improved clinical outcomes among users. MDMW pulls data from a national clinician-facing informatics platform and provides self-management and educational information.

Incidence and management of inferior vena cava filter thrombus detected at time of filter retrieval.

Purpose: To evaluate inferior vena cava (IVC) venograms (ie, cavograms) before filter retrieval to determine the incidence and volume of filter thrombus relative to filter dwell time and evaluate subsequent changes in thrombus volume with additional anticoagulation.

Materials And Methods: IVC filter retrieval attempts between December 2002 and June 2010 were retrospectively reviewed to determine the incidence of filter thrombus and estimate thrombus volume on a preretrieval cavogram. Correlation between filter dwell times (assessed at 30-d intervals) and incidence and volume of thrombus was assessed.

Management of recurrent ventricular pseudoaneurysm.

A 49-year-old man suffered multiple recurrences of pseudoaneurysm following ventricular aneurysmectomy in which Teflon felt strips had been used to reinforce the closure. The pseudoaneurysm was secondary to infection of the cardiac suture line, caused by a pathogen resident in the multifilamented Teflon strips. The patient was treated successfully by removal of all residual foreign material and reinforcement of the suture line with an omental pedicle graft.

Mitral valve replacement in the first 5 years of life.

Between 1976 and 1986, 19 children aged 1 month to 5 years underwent replacement of the mitral (systemic atrioventricular) valve. Indications for valve replacement included isolated congenital mitral stenosis (n = 2), valve dysfunction associated with a more complex procedure (n = 15), and failed valvuloplasty (n = 2). Seven different valve types were used; nine were mechanical valves and ten were bioprosthetic valves.

Aggressive treatment of chylothorax complicating transhiatal esophagectomy without thoracotomy.

Chylothorax is an unusual complication after transhiatal esophagectomy (THE) and in the past 10 years has occurred in 11 of 320 patients (3%) undergoing this operation for diseases of the intrathoracic esophagus. Four patients had benign esophageal disease: scleroderma reflux esophagitis (1), caustic stricture (1), and achalasia (2), and each had undergone at least one previous esophageal operation. Seven patients had intrathoracic esophageal carcinoma--two upper-third, two middle-third, and three distal-third lesions.