Various maturity assessment approaches have been developed to help research data repositories effectively manage their holdings at both the organizational and dataset levels. Repositories can use these approaches as self-assessment tools-potentially leading to formal certification-to benchmark the maturity of their data holdings, highlight gaps in their practices, and improve their sustainability. Understanding the differences among these assessment approaches can provide beneficial information on stewardship best practices for supporting FAIR data managed by Trustworthy Data Repositories.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLimb contractures are a debilitating and progressive consequence of a wide range of upper motor neuron injuries that affect skeletal muscle function. One type of perinatal brain injury causes cerebral palsy (CP), which affects a child's ability to move and is often painful. While several rehabilitation therapies are used to treat contractures, their long-term effectiveness is marginal since such therapies do not change muscle biological properties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe anesthesia market continues to undergo disruption. Financial margins are shrinking, and buyers are demanding that anesthesia services be provided in an efficient, low-cost manner. To help anesthesiologists analyze their market, Drucker and Porter's framework of buyers, suppliers, quality, barriers to entry, substitution, and strategic priorities allows for a structured analysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEvolving financial and medical constraints fueled by the increasing repertoire of nonoperating room cases and widening scope of patient comorbidities are discussed. The need to integrate finances and care approaches is detailed, and strategic suggestions for broader collaborative practice are suggested.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose Of Review: The nonoperating room environment presents a number of distinct challenges for anesthesiologists in the implementation of electronic health records (EHRs). These include documentation compliance, billing, and room design.
Recent Findings: EHRs offer multiple opportunities for improved continuity of care, expedited preoperative evaluation, and seamless transitions between anesthesia and nonanesthesia providers.
Background: Radiofrequency ablation of ventricular tachycardia (VT) may be performed with general anesthesia (GA) or conscious sedation; however, comparative data are limited.
Objective: The purpose of the study was to assess the effects of GA on VT inducibility and stability.
Methods: A retrospective comparison of 226 patients undergoing radiofrequency ablation for scar-related VT under GA or intravenous conscious sedation was performed.
Introduction: Moderate sedation outside the operating room is performed for a variety of medical and surgical procedures. It involves the administration of different drug combinations by nonanesthesia professionals. Few data exist on risk stratification and patient outcomes in the adult population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSemin Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth
December 2011
Uncorrected congenital interatrial septal defect can be found in nearly a third of all adults and are associated with significant morbidity, including pulmonary hypertension, right-heart failure, atrial arrhythmias, and paradoxical embolic stroke. With advancing technology, percutaneous closure of atrial septal defects has become a viable alternative to open surgical repair. In this review, the authors provide 3 examples in which 3-dimensional interventional transesophageal echocardiogram effectively provided more precise visualization of the dynamic surface and geometry of the atrial septum and related structures than 2-dimensional TEE, permitting accurate sizing and repair of the defects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Bactec MGIT 960 system for testing susceptibility to second-line drugs was evaluated with 117 clinical strains in a multicenter study. The four drugs studied were levofloxacin, amikacin, capreomycin, and ethionamide. The critical concentration established for levofloxacin and amikacin was 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWhether we like it or not, medicine is big business. The argument is sometimes made that standard management strategies from the business world do not apply to medicine because the economics and practice of medicine are unique--driven by science and rapid rates of change. But an exploding knowledge base, light-speed technological development, and ever-changing reimbursement schemes are not exclusive to medicine and health care.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose Of Review: The cardiac catheterization lab has concerns for both patient care and for safety. As the cardiac catheterization lab continues to evolve, the demand for anesthesia services will certainly increase. The role of the anesthesiologist in the cardiac catheterization lab must be defined in this changing environment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAll physicians increasingly will encounter patients who have implanted cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) for protection from ventricular arrhythmias. This advisory provides a concise summary relevant to the assessment and management of patients with ICDs, including those who present to primary care or emergency department physicians with symptoms suggesting arrhythmia or ICD malfunction and those who require cardiac or surgical procedures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe have identified a potential quality control strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to monitor isoniazid susceptibility testing. This strain (strain A) has a stable phenotypic low-level resistance to isoniazid, has a mutation of C (-15) --> T in the inhA promoter region, and gave consistent susceptibility test results in 141 laboratories.
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