Functional ability in younger and older elderlies after discharge from the intensive care unit. A prospective cohort.

Objective: To compare the functional capacity of younger elderly individuals (60 to 79 years old) with that of older elderly individuals (≥ 80 years old) during the first 6 months after discharge from the intensive care unit.

Methods: A multicenter prospective cohort study was conducted, in which data on intensive care unit admission and outcomes after hospital discharge (immediate post-discharge, after 3 months and after 6 months) were collected. Muscle strength was evaluated through the protocol of the Medical Research Council and dynamometry (handgrip); the ability to perform activities of daily life and functional independence were assessed by the Barthel index and the usual level of physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire); and quality of life was assessed by the 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey Version 2.

Behavior of lung ultrasound findings during spontaneous breathing trial.

Objective: We aimed to investigate a potential association between B-lines and weaning failure.

Methods: Fifty-seven subjects eligible for ventilation liberation were enrolled. Patients with tracheostomy were excluded.

Cardiogenic shock due to Gemella morbillorum native mitral valve endocarditis.

Gemella morbillorum is a rare cause of infective endocarditis. Consequently, little is known about the natural course of endocarditis secondary to this pathogen. Herein, we report a case of cardiogenic shock as a complication of acute mitral valve regurgitation following Gemella morbillorum native valve endocarditis.

Alveolar recruitment maneuver and perioperative ventilatory support in obese patients undergoing abdominal surgery.

The development of abdominal surgery represents an alternative therapy for the morbidly obese; however, patients undergoing this surgical procedure often experience postoperative pulmonary complications. The use of alveolar recruitment maneuvers and/or perioperative ventilatory strategies is a possible alternative to reduce these complications, focusing on the reduction of postoperative pulmonary complications. In this review, the benefits of perioperative ventilatory strategies and the implementation of alveolar recruitment maneuvers in obese patients undergoing abdominal surgery are described.

Regular use of dental services among adults and older adults in a vulnerable region in Southern Brazil.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of regular use of dental care services by adults and older adults residing in vulnerable community and to identify associated factors.

Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study was carried out with 3,391 adults and older adults residing in areas of social vulnerability in Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil, from July to December of 2009. A systematic sampling method was used the selection probability proportional to the population of each of the the 121 census sectors.

EFFECTIVENESS OF THE VIDEOARTHROSCOPY LEARNING PROCESS IN SYNTHETIC SHOULDER MODELS.

Objectives: The authors evaluate the learning of the videoarthroscopic technique, using the video surgery simulator SAM® (Shoulder Arthroscopy Model).

Methods: Twenty medical residents in Orthepaedics, without prior knowledge of the arthroscopic technique, were evaluated before and after training. The tasks consisted of positioning, in holes that simulated portals, four surgical threads attached to an anchor placed in the anatomical neck of the humerus in the synthetic model.