Bronze open access

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) as a ceiling of care treatment for hypoxemic respiratory failure due to COVID-19 (2021)

Posted on by

Type of publication:
Journal article

Author(s):
Patrick Bradley , *Jennifer Nixon , James Wilson , James Redfern , Tarek Saba , Emily Nuttall, Thomas Bongers

Citation:
Journal of the Intensive Care Society 2021, Vol. 0(0), 1–3 [epub ahead of print]

Abstract:
Among patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 in the UK, 10% develop severe hypoxemic respiratory failure managed with invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). Much interest has focused on non-invasive strategies to avert progression to IMV. UK guidelines recommend the use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), including in patients for whom IMV is not appropriate. However, other nations have recommended against the use of CPAP, and within the UK, CPAP use has varied widely (personal communication). The greatest burden of COVID-19 disease is carried by older patients with comorbidities, many of whom are deemed unsuitable for IMV and critical care. However, it is unclear whether they might benefit from CPAP. The RECOVERY-RS trial is investigating the efficacy of CPAP and high-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) in severely hypoxic patients with COVID-19, but will not complete until late 2021, and excludes patients unsuitable for IMV. Current evidence is limited to cohort studies of heterogeneous patient groups, with no published data focussing on patients for whom CPAP is the ceiling-of-care. Physicians caring for such patients, and those involved in planning the delivery of CPAP services, must balance any potential benefits of CPAP against its burden on patients, families, staff, and services. Therefore data in this patient population are urgently needed.

Link to full-text [no password required]

Boat propeller transection of hemithorax-successful multidisciplinary surgical reconstruction (2020)

Posted on by

Type of publication:
Conference abstract

Author(s):
*Cheruvu S.; Oo K.T.M.; Erel E.; Satur C.

Citation:
British Journal of Surgery; Jun 2020; vol. 107 ; p. 37

Abstract:
A 69 year old man fell into canal and was drawn into the propeller of his canal boat that resulted in transection of the right thoracic cavity and the right upper arm. Emergency helicopter transfer was made to our major trauma centre for multidisciplinary surgical care. Injuries included a full thickness antero-posterior transection from the sternum to beyond the tip of the scapula, and an open right midshaft humeral fracture with wound extending obliquely into the axilla. The entire thoracic cavity was contaminated by canal water. There was severe haemodynamic and cardiorespiratory compromise requiring level 3 intensive care. Following emergency resuscitative management, multidisciplinary surgical care was provided by the cardiothoracic, plastic and orthopaedic surgery teams utilising innovative operative techniques. Multistage operative management of chest wall required initial damage control surgery with debridement and negative pressure therapy. After 4 days of intensive care physiological stabilisation, reconstruction of the thoracic defect was undertaken with specialist thoracic titanium implants and the chest wall was reconstructed. This was a major thoracic trauma case treated successfully using revolutionary surgical techniques at the Royal Stoke Hospital. The subsequent impact on practice for thoracic polytrauma has led to improved survival rates by 75%.

Link to full-text [no password required]

Assessing the adequacy of radiographs for hip fractures (2020)

Posted on by

Type of publication:
Conference abstract

Author(s):
*Mulrain J.; *Omar N.; *Burston B.

Citation:
British Journal of Surgery; Jun 2020; vol. 107 ; p. 138

Abstract:
Aim: Radiographs for the assessment of femoral neck fractures are frequently inadequate for the visualisation of the proximal femur. A low centred radiograph of both hips offers enough information but is rarely achieved.We sought to determine the proportion of hip fractures where initial radiographs adequately visualised the femur to encompass the proposed surgical management.We also sought to find the proportion of patients who required repeat radiographs and whether this was affected by time of presentation. Method(s): A retrospective review of the radiographs of hip fractures presenting to our institution, over a three-month period was undertaken. The timings, number and adequacy of radiographs was assessed. Result(s): Radiographs of 89 patients were reviewed. Most radiographs were taken between 8am and 5pm. Radiographs of 58 patients were centred on the pelvis rather than the hips. Patients presenting overnight were more likely to have adequate radiographs. Despite a duplicate x-ray rate of 48%, most patients (55%) had inadequate visualisation of the proximal femur. The average excess radiation exposure by duplicate radiographs was 2.31mSv per patient. Conclusion(s): The majority of patients had inadequate visualisation of the fractured proximal femur on their radiographs.Many had excessive radiographs performed. This was not improved by increased staffing levels during daylight hours.

Link to full-text [no password required]

Acute appendicitis-can we shorten the length of hospital stay? (2020)

Posted on by

Type of publication:
Conference abstract

Author(s):
British Journal of Surgery; Jun 2020; vol. 107 ; p. 197

Citation:
*Jones G.; *Bura K.; *Rink J.

Abstract:
Introduction: Appendicectomy is the most commonly performed emergency general surgical operation in the UK. Hospital episode data revealed that our unit had longer than average length of stay (LOS). We designed a study to examine our length of stay and management of acute appendicitis. Method(s): We performed a retrospective study of consecutive patients undergoing appendicectomy from January to March 2019. Cases were identified from theatre logbooks. Data collection included demographics, pre and post-operative LOS, CT imaging and histology. The data was then examined to see what factors were associated with length of stay and where improvements might be realised. Result(s): 71 patients were identified. Mean LOS was 81 hours, mean time to theatre from admission was 22 hours withmean post-operative LOS at 58 hours. There was a difference between females vs males LOS 95 vs 67 hours. CT scan was obtained in 26 patients and the mean time to theatre in these patients was longer at 27 hours compared to 20 hours in the non- CT group. Patients who took longer to get to theatre had increased LOS. Conclusion(s): Rapid access to CT could shorten time to theatre. Getting patients to theatre quicker might shorten post-operative length of stay.

Link to full-text [no password required]

The annual usage of anaesthetic gases at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust: the environmental impact and potential solutions (2020)

Posted on by

Type of publication:
Conference abstract

Author(s):
*Thompson T.; *Passey S.; *Mowatt C.

Citation:
British Journal of Surgery; 2020; vol. 107 ; p. 74-75

Abstract:
Aims: The NHS is responsible for 5.5% of the UK's net emissions, with anaesthetic gases comprising of 5% of hospital emissions. Shrewsbury and Telford hospitals (SaTH) are DGH's with 18 combined theatres, 9 at each site. The aim of this study was to evaluate the environmental impact of anaesthetic gases used by the trust and suggest possible improvements.
Method(s): Figures from October 2018-2019 supplied by the hospital pharmacy and compared using the RCoA Anaesthetic Impact Calculator. Costs obtained from pharmacy relating to the available anaesthetic gases and drugs.
Result(s): Over the past year SaTH has emitted the equivalent of 4,819,050kg of CO2 through its anaesthetic gases alone (these gases being sevoflurane, isoflurane, desflurane and nitrous oxide). Of these gases, sevoflurane is the greenest, while nitrous oxide is the worst offender. To give this an idea of scale, to offset, this would require the planting of 10915 trees, which would take up an area of 4-10 hectares of land.
Conclusion(s): We are recommending that SaTH stops using Nitrous oxide and Isoflurane, which is currently under consideration by the consultant body. We would discourage the use of desflurane, and where possible sevoflurane. Encourage the use of total intravenous anaesthetic (TIVA). We postulate this would save the trust aminimum of 5000 per year or 15000 per year with a 10% reduction in sevoflurane use. This would reduce our CO2 equivalent production by over 4.6 million kg.

Link to full-text [no password required]

The benefits of multidisciplinary human factors training in theatre (2020)

Posted on by

Type of publication:
Conference abstract

Author(s):
*Jones R.; *Branfield L.

Citation:
British Journal of Surgery; 2020; vol. 107 ; p. 75

Abstract:
Aims: The awareness of Human Factors (HF) and their role in patient safety is vital in the theatre environment.
The aim of this audit was therefore to assess the awareness of human factors within our theatre team during a Human Factors Training Course at a District General Hospital.
Method(s): The Human Factors Training Course started with a questionnaire assessing roles, experience, and awareness of HF. It also looked at staff morale. The course involved a presentation and 2 simulation scenarios in theatre. After completion, there was a post course questionnaire looking at awareness of human factors, effects on staff morale and impact on patient care.
Result(s): Of the respondents, experience varied from 1 to 10+ years. The pre-course awareness of HF averaged 6.1 out of 10. The opinions on morale averaged at 6.7 out of 10, and the effect of HF training on morale averaged 8.4 out of 10. All respondents believed that the course could improve patient care. Post course awareness of HF increased and staff morale also increased as a consequence of the course.
Conclusion(s): From the results we can see that the awareness of human factors within the cohort prior to training was relatively low. Post course, we can see an increase in terms of awareness of human factors. As well as providing a training opportunity, this course had a positive effect on staff morale, and vitally, it was thought that the course would have positive impact on patient care.

Link to full-text [no password required]

Supratentorial vs infratentorial posterior calvarial distraction osteogenesis for the increase of ICV in children with syndromic or multi-suture craniosynostosis: a retrospective cohort study (2021)

Posted on by

Type of publication:
Journal article

Author(s):
Sharman J.; Rodrigues D.; McGuirk S.; *Panikkar M.; Nishikawa H.; Dover S.; Evans M.; White N.

Citation:
Child's Nervous System; 2021 [epub ahead of print]

Abstract:
Purpose: Craniosynostosis is the premature and pathological fusion of calvarial sutures. One modality of surgical treatment of syndromic craniosynostosis is posterior calvarial distraction (PCD). This can be either supratentorial or infratentorial. Currently, supratentorial PCD may be regarded as safer but produces a smaller increase in calvarial volume compared to infratentorial PCD. This study quantifies and compares the effectiveness of supratentorial and infratentorial PCD to help guide surgical decision-making. Method(s): The CT and/or MRI scans of 47 cases of craniosynostosis who underwent PCD from the Birmingham Children's Hospital (BCH) were converted to sagittal series multi-planar reformatted (MPR) scans for the manual calculation of ICV. The 47 cases were classified as having undergone either supratentorial or infratentorial PCD using lateral plain film radiographs, with 28 and 32 pairs of pre- and post-operative CT/MRI scans reviewed respectively. Result(s): A statistically significant difference between supratentorial and infratentorial PCD was observed for the increase in supratentorial volume (STV) (P = 0.0458) and total intracranial volume (TICV) (P = 0.0437), but not for the increase in infratentorial volume (ITV) (P = 0.0697). The relationship for each volume trended towards convergence but was not achieved before the physical limit of 30 mm distraction had been reached. Intraclass correlation coefficient values for agreement of MRI and CT scans for STV, ITV and total ICV were 0.852, 0.864 and 0.854 respectively. Conclusion(s): Our evidence suggests that supratentorial PCD is more effective for increasing ICV in a clinical setting. CT and MRI imaging modalities are acceptably clinically interchangeable for calculating ICV in craniosynostosis.

Link to full-text [no password required]

Altmetrics:

Uterotonic agents for first-line treatment of postpartum haemorrhage: a network meta-analysis (2020)

Posted on by

Type of publication:
Systematic Review

Author(s):
*Parry Smith, William R; Papadopoulou, Argyro; Thomas, Eleanor; Tobias, Aurelio; Price, Malcolm J; Meher, Shireen; Alfirevic, Zarko; Weeks, Andrew D; Hofmeyr, G Justus; Gülmezoglu, Ahmet Metin; Widmer, Mariana; Oladapo, Olufemi T; Vogel, Joshua P; Althabe, Fernando; Coomarasamy, Arri; Gallos, Ioannis D

Citation:
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews; Nov 2020; vol. 11 ; p. CD012754

Abstract:
BACKGROUND Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), defined as a blood loss of 500 mL or more after birth, is the leading cause of maternal death worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that all women giving birth should receive a prophylactic uterotonic agent. Despite the routine administration of a uterotonic agent for prevention, PPH remains a common complication causing one-quarter of all maternal deaths globally. When prevention fails and PPH occurs, further administration of uterotonic agents as 'first-line' treatment is recommended. However, there is uncertainty about which uterotonic agent is best for the 'first-line' treatment of PPH. OBJECTIVES To identify the most effective uterotonic agent(s) with the least side-effects for PPH treatment, and generate a meaningful ranking among all available agents according to their relative effectiveness and side-effect profile.SEARCH METHODSWe searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth's Trials Register, ClinicalTrials.gov, the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) (5 May 2020), and the reference lists of all retrieved studies. SELECTION CRITERIA All randomised controlled trials or cluster-randomised trials comparing the effectiveness and safety of uterotonic agents with other uterotonic agents for the treatment of PPH were eligible for inclusion.DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two review authors independently assessed all trials for inclusion, extracted data and assessed each trial for risk of bias. Our primary outcomes were additional blood loss of 500 mL or more after recruitment to the trial until cessation of active bleeding and the composite outcome of maternal death or severe morbidity. Secondary outcomes included blood loss-related outcomes, morbidity outcomes, and patient-reported outcomes. We performed pairwise meta-analyses and indirect comparisons, where possible, but due to the limited number of included studies, we were unable to conduct the planned network meta-analysis. We used the GRADE approach to assess the certainty of evidence.MAIN RESULTS Seven trials, involving 3738 women in 10 countries, were included in this review. All trials were conducted in hospital settings. Randomised women gave birth vaginally, except in one small trial, where women gave birth either vaginally or by caesarean section. Across the seven trials (14 trial arms) the following agents were used: six trial arms used oxytocin alone; four trial arms used misoprostol plus oxytocin; three trial arms used misoprostol; one trial arm used Syntometrine® (oxytocin and ergometrine fixed-dose combination) plus oxytocin infusion. Pairwise meta-analysis of two trials (1787 participants), suggests that misoprostol, as first-line treatment uterotonic agent, probably increases the risk of blood transfusion (risk ratio (RR) 1.47, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02 to 2.14, moderate-certainty) compared with oxytocin. Low-certainty evidence suggests that misoprostol administration may increase the incidence of additional blood loss of 1000 mL or more (RR 2.57, 95% CI 1.00 to 6.64). The data comparing misoprostol with oxytocin is imprecise, with a wide range of treatment effects for the additional blood loss of 500 mL or more (RR 1.66, 95% CI 0.69 to 4.02, low-certainty), maternal death or severe morbidity (RR 1.98, 95% CI 0.36 to 10.72, low-certainty, based on one study n = 809 participants, as the second study had zero events), and the use of additional uterotonics (RR 1.30, 95% CI 0.57 to 2.94, low-certainty). The risk of side-effects may be increased with the use of misoprostol compared with oxytocin: vomiting (2 trials, 1787 participants, RR 2.47, 95% CI 1.37 to 4.47, high-certainty) and fever (2 trials, 1787 participants, RR 3.43, 95% CI 0.65 to 18.18, low-certainty). According to pairwise meta-analysis of four trials (1881 participants) generating high-certainty evidence, misoprostol plus oxytocin makes little or no difference to the use of additional uterotonics (RR 0.99, 95% CI 0.94 to 1.05) and to blood transfusion (RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.77 to 1.17) compared with oxytocin. We cannot rule out an important benefit of using the misoprostol plus oxytocin combination over oxytocin alone, for additional blood loss of 500 mL or more (RR 0.84, 95% CI 0.66 to 1.06, moderate-certainty). We also cannot rule out important benefits or harms for additional blood loss of 1000 mL or more (RR 0.76, 95% CI 0.43 to 1.34, moderate-certainty, 3 trials, 1814 participants, one study reported zero events), and maternal mortality or severe morbidity (RR 1.09, 95% CI 0.35 to 3.39, moderate-certainty). Misoprostol plus oxytocin increases the incidence of fever (4 trials, 1866 participants, RR 3.07, 95% CI 2.62 to 3.61, high-certainty), and vomiting (2 trials, 1482 participants, RR 1.85, 95% CI 1.16 to 2.95, high-certainty) compared with oxytocin alone. For all outcomes of interest, the available evidence on the misoprostol versus Syntometrine® plus oxytocin combination was of very low-certainty and these effects remain unclear. Although network meta-analysis was not performed, we were able to compare the misoprostol plus oxytocin combination with misoprostol alone through the common comparator of oxytocin. This indirect comparison suggests that the misoprostol plus oxytocin combination probably reduces the risk of blood transfusion (RR 0.65, 95% CI 0.42 to 0.99, moderate-certainty) and may reduce the risk of additional blood loss of 1000 mL or more (RR 0.30, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.89, low-certainty) compared with misoprostol alone. The combination makes little or no difference to vomiting (RR 0.75, 95% CI 0.35 to 1.59, high-certainty) compared with misoprostol alone. Misoprostol plus oxytocin compared to misoprostol alone are compatible with a wide range of treatment effects for additional blood loss of 500 mL or more (RR 0.51, 95% CI 0.20 to 1.26, low-certainty), maternal mortality or severe morbidity (RR 0.55, 95% CI 0.07 to 4.24, low-certainty), use of additional uterotonics (RR 0.76, 95% CI 0.33 to 1.73, low-certainty), and fever (RR 0.90, 95% CI 0.17 to 4.77, low-certainty). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS The available evidence suggests that oxytocin used as first-line treatment of PPH probably is more effective than misoprostol with less side-effects. Adding misoprostol to the conventional treatment of oxytocin probably makes little or no difference to effectiveness outcomes, and is also associated with more side-effects. The evidence for most uterotonic agents used as first-line treatment of PPH is limited, with no evidence found for commonly used agents, such as injectable prostaglandins, ergometrine, and Syntometrine®.

Link to full-text [no password required]

Altmetrics:

The FAST-M complex intervention for the detection and management of maternal sepsis in low-resource settings: a multi-site evaluation (2021)

Posted on by

Type of publication:
Journal article

Author(s):
Cheshire, James; Jones, Laura; Munthali, Laura; Kamphinga, Christopher; Liyaya, Harry; Phiri, Tarcizius; *Parry-Smith, William; Dunlop, Catherine; Makwenda, Charles; Devall, Adam James; Tobias, Aurelio; Nambiar, Bejoy; Merriel, Abi; Williams, Helen Marie; Gallos, Ioannis; Wilson, Amie; Coomarasamy, Arri; Lissauer, David

Citation:
BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology; Jul;128(8):1324-1333

Abstract:
OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether the implementation of the FAST-M complex intervention was feasible and improved the recognition and management of maternal sepsis in a low-resource setting.DESIGNA before and after design.SETTINGFifteen government healthcare facilities in Malawi.POPULATION Women suspected of having maternal sepsis.METHODS The FAST-M complex intervention consisted of the following components: i) the FAST-M maternal sepsis treatment bundle and ii) the FAST-M implementation programme. Performance of selected process outcomes were compared between a two month baseline phase and six month intervention phase with compliance used as a proxy measure of feasibility.MAIN OUTCOME RESULT Compliance with vital sign recording and use of the FAST-M maternal sepsis bundle.RESULTS Following implementation of the FAST-M intervention, women were more likely to have a complete set of vital signs taken on admission to the wards (0/163 (0%) vs. 169/252 (67.1%), p<0.001). Recognition of suspected maternal sepsis improved with more cases identified following the intervention (12/106 (11.3%) vs. 107/166 (64.5%), p<0.001). Sepsis management improved, with women more likely to receive all components of the FAST-M treatment bundle within one hour of recognition (0/12 (0%) vs. 21/107 (19.6%), p=0.091). In particular women were more likely to receive antibiotics (3/12 (25.0%) vs. 72/107 (67.3%), p=0.004) within one hour of recognition of suspected sepsis.CONCLUSION Implementation of the FAST-M complex intervention was feasible and led to the improved recognition and management of suspected maternal sepsis in a low-resource setting such as Malawi.

Link to full-text [open access - no password required]

Altmetrics:

Sinecatechins ointment as a potential novel treatment for usual type vulval intraepithelial neoplasia: a single-centre double-blind randomised control study (2021)

Posted on by

Type of publication:
Randomised controlled trial

Author(s):
Jason Yap, Daniel Slade, Harriet Goddard, Christopher Dawson, Raji Ganesan, Shireen Velangi, *Banchhita Sahu, Baljit Kaur, Ana Hughes, David Luesley

Citation:
BJOG 2021 May;128(6):1047-1055

Abstract:
Objective To compare the safety and efficacy of Veregen® ointment against placebo in the treatment of usual type vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (uVIN). Design A Phase II randomised control trial. Setting A tertiary gynaecological oncology referral center. Population All women diagnosed with primary and recurrence uVIN. Methods Eligible patients were randomised to receive either Veregen® or placebo ointment (applied 3 times daily for 16 weeks), and were followed up at 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 52 weeks. Main outcome measures Outcome measures, recorded at 16 and 32 weeks, were histological (HR) and clinical (CR) response (as measured by ≥30% reduction in the sum of the longest diameter of all lesions when compared to baseline), toxicity and changes in quality of life and pain scores. Results 26 patients were randomised and all 13 patients who received Veregen® showed either complete (n=5) or partial (n=8) CR with a trend towards an improvement in baseline symptoms. In placebo group, 3 patients had complete CR, 2 had partial CR and 6 had stable disease. Patients in the Veregen® group showed a significant improvement in CR as compared to the placebo group (P=0.0026). There was no evidence of difference in HR and toxicity reported in both groups. Conclusion Our study indicates that Veregen application is safe and leads to at least a partial clinical resolution of uVIN lesions and symptoms improvement, thus warranting a phase III multi-centre RCT.

Link to full-text [NHS OpenAthens account required]