The effectiveness and ethical justification of psychiatric outpatient commitment.

Studies link involuntary outpatient commitment with improved patient outcomes, fueling debate on its ethical justification. This study compares inpatient utilization for committed outpatients in the 1990s with those who were not under outpatient civil commitment orders. Findings reveal committed outpatients had higher utilization of inpatient services and restraint episodes prior to their commitment compared with a control group.

Outcome after catheter-directed thrombolysis of occluded prosthetic femoropopliteal bypasses. A prospective study.

Purpose: To evaluate the outcome after catheter-directed thrombolysis of occluded femoropopliteal prosthetic bypasses with the distal anastomosis above the knee.

Material And Methods: Twenty-one patients were included in this prospective study. End-hole catheters, a bolus dose and continuous infusion of recombinant tissue-plasminogen activator (rt-PA) were used, with a median total dose of 10 mg (range 7-20 mg).

[Phlegmasia cerulea dolens as the initial symptom of abdominal aortic aneurysm].

Phlegmasia cerulea dolens is a serious condition and a result of central venous obstruction which can lead to venous gangrena and amputation of the affected limb. Multiple underlying conditions are described: malignant disease, trauma and hypercoagulable states such as heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, deficiency of protein C and antithrombin III. Phlegmasia cerulea dolens is also described as complication to insertion of a vena caval filter.