Background: The optimal timing of initiating adjuvant temozolomide (TMZ) chemoradiotherapy after surgery in patients with glioblastoma is contentious. This study aimed to determine whether the timing of adjuvant treatment affects their overall survival (OS).
Methods: Consecutive adult patients with histologically-confirmed newly diagnosed glioblastoma treated with adjuvant TMZ chemoradiotherapy across all neurosurgical centers in Hong Kong between 2006 and 2020 were analyzed.
Objective: To explore the experience of patients with incontinence and incontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD) in acute care hospitals and their family caregivers, including their perceptions and management, as well as the impact on their wellbeing.
Method: A qualitative exploratory study design was employed in 18 wards across six acute/subacute hospitals in New South Wales, Australia. Patients with incontinence (with or without IAD) were invited to participate.
The study aimed to evaluate the effect of an intervention on the prevalence and severity of incontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD) in six hospitals in one state in Australia. This quasi-experimental pre-and post-study, conducted in 18 wards, was part of a larger implementation science study on incontinence-associated dermatitis. Skin and incontinence assessments were conducted on patients during February and March 2020 (pre-intervention) and July and August 2021 (post-intervention).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStud Health Technol Inform
January 2024
The objective of this study was to assess the viability and acceptability of an innovative Virtual Wound Care Command Centre where patients in the community, and their treating clinicians, have access to an expert wound specialist service that comprises a digital wound application (app) for wound analysis, decision-making, remote consultation, and monitoring. Fifty-one patients with chronic (42.6%) wounds were healed, with a median time to healing of 66 (95% CI: 56-88) days.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe objective of this study was to assess the viability and acceptability of an innovative Virtual Wound Care Command Centre where patients in the community, and their treating clinicians, have access to an expert wound specialist service that comprises a digitally enabled application for wound analysis, decision-making, remote consultation, and monitoring. Fifty-one patients with chronic wounds from 9 centres, encompassing hospital services, outpatient clinics, and community nurses in one metropolitan and rural state in Australia, were enrolled and a total of 61 wounds were analysed over 7 months. Patients received, on average, an occasion of service every 4.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Incontinence-associated dermatitis is a common, under-recognized painful skin condition associated with poorer quality of life, increased nurse workloads, and costs.
Objective: To systematically review economic evidence for the prevention and treatment of incontinence-associated dermatitis.
Design: Systematic review of quantitative research.
Background: Myths and religion are belief systems centered around supernatural entities that attempt to explain the observed world and are of high importance to certain communities. The former is a collection of stories that belong to a cultural tradition and the latter are organized faiths that determine codes of ethics, rituals and philosophy. Deities or monstrous creatures in particular act as archetypes instructing an individual's conduct.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims And Objectives: To explore patient experience of chronic wound care across diverse models of outpatient wound care delivery.
Background: Chronic wounds represent a significant personal, family and healthcare system burden. Evidence suggests specialist wound clinics are more effective and less expensive, however, most outpatient wound care is delivered by general community nurses.
Aims: Incontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD) is an insidious and under-reported hospital-acquired complication which substantially impacts on patients' quality of life. A published international guideline and the Ghent Global IAD Categorisation Tool (GLOBIAD) outline the best available evidence for the optimal management of IAD. This study aims to implement theguideline and the GLOBIAD tool and evaluate the effect on IAD occurrences and sacral pressure injuries as well as patient, clinician and cost-effectiveness outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAsbtract: BACKGROUND: There are limited neuroprotective treatment options for patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Cerebrolysin, a brain-specific proposed pleiotropic neuroprotective agent, has been suggested to improve global functional outcomes in ischemic stroke. We investigated the efficacy, safety and feasibility of administering Cerebrolysin for SAH patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Sodium valproate (VPA) is a commonly prescribed antiepileptic drug (AED) in daily neurosurgical practice. However, the incidence of VPA-associated hyperammonemia (VAH) and its life-threatening consequence, VPA-induced hyperammonemic encephalopathy (VHE), in neurosurgical patients is unknown. We determined the incidence, clinical presentation, and risk factors for VAH.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Extent of resection of glioblastoma is an important predictor for overall survival, and 5-aminolevulinic acid fluorescence-guided surgery can improve outcomes. However, the technique requires the installation of a blue light module on operative microscopes and may be cost prohibitive. A novel and economical blue light-emitting headlamp was designed, and its clinical utility was explored.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChronic subdural haematoma (CSDH) is a common neurosurgical condition and is more prevalent in the ageing population. Studies have suggested that placement of subdural drains after burr-hole drainage was associated with lower recurrence rates. However, a considerable proportion of surgeons remained unconvinced of the effectiveness of drain placement and concerns exist with the potential complications this additional manoeuvre entails such as infection or bleeding.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Burn Care Res
December 2015
The aim of this study was to understand the lived experience of burn injury for Australian patients and families. Of specific interest was the period covering emergency and inhospital care and early experiences of transition into the community. Eighteen participants including patients with serious burn injury and close family members engaged in indepth, semistructured interviews.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLarge or giant intracranial aneurysms can simulate brain tumors clinically and radiologically by virtue of their progressive mass effect. Unlike aneurysms from alternative locations, those arising from the distal posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) are uncommon. We report a patient who experienced progressive hemiparesis with magnetic resonance imaging findings suggestive of an infratentorial ependymoma.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: We investigated factors associated with morbidity and pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission in children with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection and explored seasonality and implication of prophylaxis.
Methods: A retrospective study between 2006 and 2008 of every child with a laboratory-confirmed RSV infection was included.
Results: Six hundred seventy RSV admissions were identified.