Heparin versus 0.9% sodium chloride locking for prevention of occlusion in central venous catheters in adults.

Background: Intermittent locking of central venous catheters (CVCs) is undertaken to help maintain their patency and performance. There are systematic variations in care: some practitioners use heparin (at different concentrations), whilst others use 0.9% sodium chloride (normal saline).

A case report of pseudoaneurysm after a core needle biopsy of breast cancer.

Breast pseudoaneurysms after a core needle biopsy are a rare complication with a low incidence. However, it is important to be aware of the possibility of complications that require treatment.

Determinants of dyspnea in patients with different grades of stable asthma.

Dyspnea is a main feature of symptomatology in asthma, and its perception does not necessarily correlates well with airway obstruction. The aim of this study was twofold: (1) to identify factors determining the subjective degree of dyspnea in patients with different grades of stable bronchial asthma and (2) to compare various clinical methods existing for grading dyspnea. The investigation comprised 153 outpatients with stable asthma.