Introduction: Breast cancer is common among Danish women with more than 4,100 new cases annually. In 2008 the concept of fast-track surgery was introduced at the Department of Breast Surgery at Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen. The aim of this study is to describe the new clinical pathway for breast cancer patients after implementation of a fast-track surgery programme.
Material And Methods: A clinical pathway of all involved disciplines was developed including anaesthetic, analgesics, nausea and vomiting, drain and wound management, discharge assessment and psychosocial support.
Results: The overall mean length of stay (LOS) decreased from 3.6 days before introduction of fast-track surgery to 1.2 days after its implementation. The largest decrease was observed among patients undergoing mastectomy, where LOS was reduced from 5.0 to 1.6 days. The number of beds at the department was reduced by about 30% and a nurse-led clinic was established which enabled nurses to take charge of wound management, seromas, temporary breast prostheses and psychosocial and rehabilitation aspects in the outpatient clinic. Additionally, the previously available telephone counselling service was intensified to provide immediate advice and support.
Conclusion: The results confirm that a short stay can be successfully carried out for breast cancer patients. Implementing the fast-track programme involved the introduction of a clear clinical pathway for the patients and more effective daily routines. Patients felt safe and confident after early discharge.
Funding: not relevant.
Trial Registration: not relevant.
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JTCVS Open
December 2024
Department of Cardiac Sciences, Libin Cardiovascular Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Background: Minimally invasive mitral valve repair (MIMVR), often performed within specialized care pathways, has been shown to reduce hospital length of stay and improve patient recovery. The relative value of rapid-recovery protocols as a component of care pathways, including enhanced recovery programs (ERPs), has not been well described. This study compared clinical outcomes following implementation of a new, comprehensive rapid-recovery protocol within a previously established, mature ERP for patients undergoing MIMVR.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChildren (Basel)
November 2024
Department of Pediatric Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, Egypt.
Background: Pediatric orthopedic nursing requires specialized competencies to optimize patient outcomes, particularly in the complex realm of pediatric surgery. This study explores the effectiveness of the Pediatric Nursing Excellence (PNE) Model in enhancing nurses' knowledge and clinical practice in providing perioperative care for pediatric orthopedic patients in tertiary care inpatient settings.
Methods: A double-blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted from February to July 2024, involving 100 nurses from two tertiary care hospitals in Tanta, Egypt.
Open Heart
January 2025
Cardiology, University Hospital Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
Introduction: The impact of sex on coronary artery disease prognosis is debated. It has been postulated that women receive less prompt treatment compared with men, potentially adversely affecting their prognosis by significantly increasing the risk of morbidity and mortality. We aim to investigate the influence of sex on the timing and clinical outcomes of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients using a controlled Swiss registry.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Hand Surg Am
January 2025
Hand and Upper Extremity Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA.
Purpose: Current technologies to define the zone of acute peripheral nerve injury intraoperatively are limited by surgical experience, time, cumbersome electrodiagnostic equipment, and interpreter reliability. In this pilot study, we evaluated a real-time, label-free optical technique for intraoperative nerve injury imaging. We hypothesize that fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIm) will detect a difference between the time-resolved fluorescence signatures for acute crush injuries versus uninjured segments of peripheral nerves in sheep.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Musculoskelet Disord
December 2024
Department of Surgery, Hospital Nova of Central Finland, Wellbeing Services County of Central Finland, Jyväskylä, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
Background: The optimal length of thromboprophylaxis after total hip or knee arthroplasty (THA and TKA) is unknown. Fast-track protocols have improved patient care and led to shorter immobilization and length of stay (LOS) after THA and TKA, thereby diminishing venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk. Here, we investigated risk stratification-based thromboprophylaxis after fast-track THA and TKA.
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