Hospital readmissions after liver transplantation (LT) are common and associated with increased morbidity and cost. High readmission rates at our center motivated a change in practice with adoption of a nurse practitioner (NP)-based posttransplant care program. We sought to determine if this program was effective in reducing 30- and 90-day readmissions after LT and to identify variables associated with readmission.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of making cochlear implant recommendations based on diagnostic ABR and ASSR results. The goal was to challenge the need for behavioral audiometry as part of the standard cochlear implant assessment battery for infants with profound hearing loss and to reduce the age at which cochlear implant recommendation was made.
Study Design: A retrospective review of 123 patient files for children referred to the pediatric cochlear implant service before 3 years of age over a 3-year period was undertaken.
Impairment and burn injury outcomes are often influenced by an intermingling of physical and psychosocial factors. We hypothesized that patients without insurance would be more likely to return home. We also believed that patients with inadequate social support would be less likely to return home.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObesity may contribute to the functional decline in elderly adults. It can also increase the risk of mortality in burn patients. However, little data exist regarding the relationship between obesity and functional outcomes in patients with burns.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBurn patients require careful consideration of their post-discharge needs to maximize their recovery. Patient-specific variables or a combination of variables that might allow clinicians to develop pathways and objective endpoints for appropriate discharge would assist in expediting the patient's post-discharge care. While there have been numerous studies examining a single variable and its ability to predict outcomes, these studies may not be directly applicable to burn patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe effectiveness of a synthetic lure system to reduce the incidence of blowfly strike in sheep flocks was assessed, using randomised field trials. Four field trials used eight total groups of sheep randomised to treatment (flytrap) or control on two properties in southern Queensland between 1999 and 2001. Treatment consisted of the operation of flytraps in paddocks as per manufacturer's recommendations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe output of speech processors for multiple-electrode cochlear implants consists of current waveforms with complex temporal and spatial patterns. The majority of existing processors output sequential biphasic current pulses. This paper describes a practical method of calculating loudness estimates for such stimuli, in addition to the relative loudness contributions from different cochlear regions.
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