scholarly journals A descriptive study of demographics, triage allocations and patient outcomes at a private emergency centre in Pretoria

2021 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsty Hedding ◽  
Enrico Dippenaar ◽  
Lee Wallis
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Healthcare Settings ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
High Care ◽  
High Acuity ◽  
The Mean ◽  
General Wards ◽  
International Systems ◽  
Mean Time

Background: Triage aims to detect critically ill patients and to prioritise those with time-sensitive needs, whilst contributing to the efficiency of an emergency centre (EC). International systems have been relatively well researched; however, little data exists on the use of the South African Triage Scale (SATS) in private healthcare settings in South Africa (SA).Methods: A retrospective descriptive study was undertaken. Data relating to demographics, application of triage, time in EC and disposition were collected on all patients presenting to the EC from 1st January to 31st December 2018.Results: A total of 29 055 patients’ data were included. The mean age was 41 years. Most patients were triaged yellow (73.5%); 17.4% were triaged as red and orange. Patients were seen by a doctor in a mean time of 28 min. Delays to be seen exceeded standards for red and orange patients at 8 min and 18 min, respectively. Most patients (76.1%) were discharged; 5.6% were admitted to intensive care unit (ICU)/high care, and 14.4% to general wards. Of patients triaged red and orange, 11.1% and 49.3% were discharged, respectively, whereas 81.7% of yellow patients were discharged home.Conclusion: This study found that most patients were triaged into low acuity categories and were discharged home. High acuity patients were usually admitted to ICU/high care; however, these patients experienced delays in receiving treatment. The causes of these issues, and the implications, remain unknown. Large numbers of high acuity patients were discharged home. Further studies are needed to understand the influence of triage accuracy on these patients’ outcomes.

scholarly journals Scavenging behaviour by Ergalatax contractus (Gastropoda: Muricidae) and interactions with Nassarius nodifer (Gastropoda: Nassariidae) in the Cape d'Aguilar Marine Reserve, Hong Kong

2006 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 141-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Morton
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Marine Reserve ◽  
Flowing Water ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Baited Traps ◽  
Behavioural Characteristics ◽  
Shallow Subtidal ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Mean Time

Aspects of the feeding behaviour of Ergalatax contractus (Muricidae) were studied. Field experiments demonstrated that large numbers of individuals of this species, comprising ∼90% of a suite of gastropod scavengers, were attracted to baited traps in the subtidal sands of Lobster Bay, Cape d'Aguilar Marine Reserve, Hong Kong. Laboratory experiments identified the effective chemo-detection distances of E. contractus as 60 cm in still and >80 cm in flowing water, respectively. The average times to arrival at bait in still and flowing water were 92.3 and 69.0 min, respectively, but were significantly less for individuals experiencing a longer period of starvation. The mean time taken for E. contractus to consume a meal was 70.6 min.Comparisons were made between Ergalatax contractus and Nassarius nodifer, representative of a suite of sympatric scavenging nassariids in Lobster Bay. The nassariid arrived significantly faster at bait in both still (30.2 min) and flowing water (20.8 min) than E. contractus and fed faster (25.7 min), as is typical of representatives of the Nassariidae. Although the two species partition carrion resources temporally, manipulation experiments provided evidence for inter-specific competition between them. That is, although E. contractus possesses the morphological and behavioural characteristics of a predator, its opportunistic scavenging abilities have led to its success and numerical superiority on the shallow subtidal sands of Lobster Bay. The dominance of E. contractus in Lobster Bay, and elsewhere in Hong Kong, is unusual. Here, the normally predatory E. contractus, far outnumbers all other scavengers, possibly because of an enhanced, largely allochthonous, supply of food which it is able to exploit by virtue of its previously identified opportunistic habit of scavenging the leftovers of other predators. The presence of inter-specific competition between E. contractus and a sympatric suite of nassariids enhances, not impedes, carrion exploitation.

scholarly journals Epidemiología de la atención prehospitalaria de las luxaciones de hombro en montaña (Epidemiology of prehospital care of shoulder dislocation in the mountain)

2019 ◽  
Vol 0 (Avance Online) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Sierra Quintana ◽  
Francisco Benjumea Fernández ◽  
María de la Vieja Soriano
Keyword(s):  
Shoulder Dislocation ◽  
Prehospital Care ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Approach Method ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Extremity Injuries ◽  
Epidemiological Characteristics ◽  
Mean Time ◽  
Accident Site

RESUMEN Objetivo: Describir las características clínico-epidemiológicas de los pacientes rescatados que presentaban luxación de hombro, así como el abordaje terapéutico. Método: Estudio descriptivo retrospectivo de los pacientes atendidos durante el periodo julio 2010-diciembre 2016 que presentaban una luxación de hombro. Resultados: Se analizan 57 pacientes. Las luxaciones de hombro suponen un 42.5% de las lesiones en extremidades superiores y un 2.7% del total de rescates. La edad media es 40.7±11.9 años; 96.4% varones. El senderismo, barranquismo y esquí de montaña son las actividades con más luxaciones. El 98.2% eran tipo glenohumeral anterior. La reducción fue exitosa en 80.9%, siendo la maniobra de Kocher la más empleada. El tiempo medio hasta el primer intento de reducción cuando maniobra fue exitosa fue de 87 minutos y 142 minutos cuando fracasa. Conclusiones: Se observa un aumento en las luxaciones de hombro, siendo la mayoría reducidas en el lugar del accidente, sin existir una maniobra de elección, y mayor éxito cuanto menor tiempo hasta maniobra. Reducir sin radiografía es seguro y eficaz. ABSTRACT Objective: To describe the clinical-epidemiological characteristics of the rescued patients with shoulder dislocation, as well as the therapeutic approach. Method: A retrospective descriptive study of the patients treated during the period July 2010-December 2016, who presented with a shoulder dislocation. Results: A total of 57 patients were analysed. Shoulder dislocations account for 42.5% of upper extremity injuries and 2.7% of total rescues. The mean age being 40.7±11.9 years; 96.4% were male. Hiking, canyoning and mountain skiing are the activities in which most of the dislocations occur. 98.2% of the dislocations were anterior glenohumeral type. The reduction was successful in 80.9%, with the Kocher manoeuvre being the most used. The mean time until the first reduction attempt was successful was 87 minutes and 142 minutes when the manoeuvre failed. Conclusions: An increase in the number of shoulder dislocation was observed, most of them reduced at the accident site, there is no evidence of a single most successful manoeuvre over another. The quicker the reduction is attempted the more success is achieved. A reduction without performing an X-ray is safe and efficient. RESUMO Objetivo: Descrever as características clínico-epidemiológicas e abordagem terapêutica em pacientes resgatados com luxação do ombro. Método: Estudo descritivo retrospectivo dos pacientes que apresentaram luxação de ombro, atendidos no período de julho de 2010 a dezembro de 2016. Resultados: Um total de 57 pacientes foram analisados. Luxações do ombro representam 42.5% das lesões da extremidade superior e 2.7% do total de resgates. A médiade idade foi de 40.7 ± 11.9 anos; 96.4% eram do sexo masculino. Caminhadas, canyoning e esqui de montanha são as atividades nas quais a mayoría das luxações ocorre. 98.2% das luxações foram do tipo glenoumeral anterior. A redução foi bem sucedida em 80.9%, sendo a manobra de Kocher a mais utilizada. O tempo médio até a primeira tentativa de redução foi de 87 minutos e 142 minutos quando a manobra falhou. Conclusões: Um aumento no número de luxações do ombro foi observado e a maioria delas reduzidas no local do acidente. Não há evidência de uma única manobra de maior sucesso em detrimento de outra. Quanto mais rápidaa redução é realizada, maior é o sucesso alcançado. Uma redução sem a realização de um raio X é segura e eficiente.

scholarly journals Speed of coming down from infinity for birth-and-death processes

2016 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 1183-1210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent Bansaye ◽  
Sylvie Méléard ◽  
Mathieu Richard
Keyword(s):  
Death Rate ◽  
Law Of Large Numbers ◽  
Hitting Times ◽  
Nonincreasing Function ◽  
Birth And Death Processes ◽  
Death Rates ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Inversion Procedure ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Mean Time

AbstractWe describe in detail the speed of `coming down from infinity' for birth-and-death processes which eventually become extinct. Under general assumptions on the birth-and-death rates, we firstly determine the behavior of the successive hitting times of large integers. We identify two different regimes depending on whether the mean time for the process to go from n+1 to n is negligible or not compared to the mean time to reach n from ∞. In the first regime, the coming down from infinity is very fast and the convergence is weak. In the second regime, the coming down from infinity is gradual and a law of large numbers and a central limit theorem for the hitting times sequence hold. By an inversion procedure, we deduce that the process is almost surely equivalent to a nonincreasing function when the time goes to 0. Our results are illustrated by several examples including applications to population dynamics and population genetics. The particular case where the death rate varies regularly is studied in detail.

scholarly journals Intervening factors for the initiation of treatment of patients with stomach and colorectal cancer

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thaína Dalla Valle ◽  
Ruth Natalia Teresa Turrini ◽  
Vanessa de Brito Poveda
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Medical Care ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
The Family ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Mean Time ◽  
Intervening Factors ◽  
History Of Cancer

ABSTRACT Objective: to identify the time between symptoms, the request for care and the beginning of treatment in patients with stomach and colorectal cancer as well as the factors that interfere in these processes. Method: correlational descriptive study, including 101 patients diagnosed with stomach or colorectal cancer, treated in a hospital specialized in oncology. Results: the 101 patients investigated there was predominance of males, mean age of 61.7 years. The search for medical care occurred within 30 days after the onset of symptoms, in most cases. The mean total time between the onset of symptoms and the beginning of treatment ranged from 15 to 16 months, and the mean time between the search for medical care and the diagnosis was 4.78 months. The family history of cancer (p=0.008) and the implementation of preventive follow-up (p<0.001) were associated with shorter periods between the search for care and the beginning of treatment. Nausea, vomiting, hematochezia, weight loss and pain were associated with faster demand for care. Conclusion: the longer interval between the search for medical care and the diagnosis was possibly due to the non-association between the presented symptoms and the disease.

Predicting Daily Maintenance Dose of Fluindione, an Oral Anticoagulant Drug

1996 ◽  
Vol 75 (05) ◽  
pp. 731-733 ◽  
Author(s):  
V Cazaux ◽  
B Gauthier ◽  
A Elias ◽  
D Lefebvre ◽  
J Tredez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Effective Dose ◽  
Maintenance Dose ◽  
Successive Approximations ◽  
Hemorrhagic Complication ◽  
Simple Method ◽  
Individual Variations ◽  
Anticoagulant Drug ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Mean Time ◽  
Daily Maintenance Dose

SummaryDue to large inter-individual variations, the dose of vitamin K antagonist required to target the desired hypocoagulability is hardly predictible for a given patient, and the time needed to reach therapeutic equilibrium may be excessively long. This work reports on a simple method for predicting the daily maintenance dose of fluindione after the third intake. In a first step, 37 patients were delivered 20 mg of fluindione once a day, at 6 p.m. for 3 consecutive days. On the morning of the 4th day an INR was performed. During the following days the dose was adjusted to target an INR between 2 and 3. There was a good correlation (r = 0.83, p<0.001) between the INR performed on the morning of day 4 and the daily maintenance dose determined later by successive approximations. This allowed us to write a decisional algorithm to predict the effective maintenance dose of fluindione from the INR performed on day 4. The usefulness and the safety of this approach was tested in a second prospective study on 46 patients receiving fluindione according to the same initial scheme. The predicted dose was compared to the effective dose soon after having reached the equilibrium, then 30 and 90 days after. To within 5 mg (one quarter of a tablet), the predicted dose was the effective dose in 98%, 86% and 81% of the patients at the 3 times respectively. The mean time needed to reach the therapeutic equilibrium was reduced from 13 days in the first study to 6 days in the second study. No hemorrhagic complication occurred. Thus the strategy formerly developed to predict the daily maintenance dose of warfarin from the prothrombin time ratio or the thrombotest performed 3 days after starting the treatment may also be applied to fluindione and the INR measurement.

Retrospective analysis of mortality within 30 days of systemic anticancer therapy and comparison with a previous audit at an Australian Regional Cancer Centre

2021 ◽  
pp. 107815522110160
Author(s):  
Bernadatte Zimbwa ◽  
Peter J Gilbar ◽  
Mark R Davis ◽  
Srinivas Kondalsamy-Chennakesavan
Keyword(s):  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Anticancer Therapy ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Feedback Process ◽  
Time To Death ◽  
Cancer Centre ◽  
Haematology Patients ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Regional Cancer Centre ◽  
Mean Time

Purpose To retrospectively determine the rate of death occurring within 14 and 30 days of systemic anticancer therapy (SACT), compare this against a previous audit and benchmark results against other cancer centres. Secondly, to determine if the introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), not available at the time of the initial audit, impacted mortality rates. Method All adult solid tumour and haematology patients receiving SACT at an Australian Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) between January 2016 and July 2020 were included. Results Over a 55-month period, 1709 patients received SACT. Patients dying within 14 and 30 days of SACT were 3.3% and 7.0% respectively and is slightly higher than our previous study which was 1.89% and 5.6%. Mean time to death was 15.5 days. Males accounted for 63.9% of patients and the mean age was 66.8 years. 46.2% of the 119 patients dying in the 30 days post SACT started a new line of treatment during that time. Of 98 patients receiving ICI, 22.5% died within 30 days of commencement. Disease progression was the most common cause of death (79%). The most common place of death was the RCC (38.7%). Conclusion The rate of death observed in our re-audit compares favourably with our previous audit and is still at the lower end of that seen in published studies in Australia and internationally. Cases of patients dying within 30 days of SACT should be regularly reviewed to maintain awareness of this benchmark of quality assurance and provide a feedback process for clinicians.

Vitamin D Level Stability in Dystrophinopathy Patients on Vitamin D Supplementation

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Naomi Vather-Wu ◽  
Matthew D. Krasowski ◽  
Katherine D. Mathews ◽  
Amal Shibli-Rahhal
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
Retrospective Cohort ◽  
Vitamin D Supplementation ◽  
Hydroxyvitamin D ◽  
Frequent Monitoring ◽  
25 Hydroxyvitamin D ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Stable Maintenance ◽  
Mean Time

Background: Expert guidelines recommend annual monitoring of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) and maintaining 25-OHD ≥30 ng/ml in patients with dystrophinopathies. Objective: We hypothesized that 25-OHD remains stable and requires less frequent monitoring in patients taking stable maintenance doses of vitamin D. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study, using the electronic health record to identify 26 patients with dystrophinopathies with a baseline 25-OHD ≥30 ng/mL and at least one additional 25-OHD measurement. These patients had received a stable dose of vitamin D for ≥3 months prior to their baseline 25-OHD measurement and throughout follow-up. The main outcome measured was the mean duration time the subjects spent with a 25-OHD ≥30 ng/mL. Results: Only 19% of patients dropped their 25-OHD to <  30 ng/ml, with a mean time to drop of 33 months and a median nadir 25-OHD of 28 ng/mL. Conclusions: These results suggest that measurement of 25-OHD every 2–2.5 years may be sufficient in patients with a baseline 25-OHD ≥30 ng/mL and who are on a stable maintenance dose of vitamin D. Other patients may require more frequent assessments.

scholarly journals Surveillance System in Smart Cities: A Dependability Evaluation Based on Stochastic Models

Electronics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 876
Author(s):  
Igor Gonçalves ◽  
Laécio Rodrigues ◽  
Francisco Airton Silva ◽  
Tuan Anh Nguyen ◽  
Dugki Min ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surveillance System ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Heterogeneous Data ◽  
Time To Failure ◽  
Video Streams ◽  
Dependability Evaluation ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Mean Time ◽  
The Internet Of Things

Surveillance monitoring systems are highly necessary, aiming to prevent many social problems in smart cities. The internet of things (IoT) nowadays offers a variety of technologies to capture and process massive and heterogeneous data. Due to the fact that (i) advanced analyses of video streams are performed on powerful recording devices; while (ii) surveillance monitoring services require high availability levels in the way that the service must remain connected, for example, to a connection network that offers higher speed than conventional connections; and that (iii) the trust-worthy dependability of a surveillance system depends on various factors, it is not easy to identify which components/devices in a system architecture have the most impact on the dependability for a specific surveillance system in smart cities. In this paper, we developed stochastic Petri net models for a surveillance monitoring system with regard to varying several parameters to obtain the highest dependability. Two main metrics of interest in the dependability of a surveillance system including reliability and availability were analyzed in a comprehensive manner. The analysis results show that the variation in the number of long-term evolution (LTE)-based stations contributes to a number of nines (#9s) increase in availability. The obtained results show that the variation of the mean time to failure (MTTF) of surveillance cameras exposes a high impact on the reliability of the system. The findings of this work have the potential of assisting system architects in planning more optimized systems in this field based on the proposed models.

scholarly journals The impact of COVID-19 infection on hip fracture 30-day mortality

Trauma ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 146040862094972
Author(s):  
Ahmed Fadulelmola ◽  
Rob Gregory ◽  
Gavin Gordon ◽  
Fiona Smith ◽  
Andrew Jennings
Keyword(s):  
Hip Fracture ◽  
Hip Fractures ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Primary Outcome Measure ◽  
Time To Death ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Mean Time

Introduction: A novel virus, SARS-CoV-2, has caused a fatal global pandemic which particularly affects the elderly and those with comorbidities. Hip fractures affect elderly populations, necessitate hospital admissions and place this group at particular risk from COVID-19 infection. This study investigates the effect of COVID-19 infection on 30-day hip fracture mortality. Method: Data related to 75 adult hip fractures admitted to two units during March and April 2020 were reviewed. The mean age was 83.5 years (range 65–98 years), and most (53, 70.7%) were women. The primary outcome measure was 30-day mortality associated with COVID-19 infection. Results: The COVID-19 infection rate was 26.7% (20 patients), with a significant difference in the 30-day mortality rate in the COVID-19-positive group (10/20, 50%) compared to the COVID-19-negative group (4/55, 7.3%), with mean time to death of 19.8 days (95% confidence interval: 17.0–22.5). The mean time from admission to surgery was 43.1 h and 38.3 h, in COVID-19-positive and COVID-19-negative groups, respectively. All COVID-19-positive patients had shown symptoms of fever and cough, and all 10 cases who died were hypoxic. Seven (35%) cases had radiological lung findings consistent of viral pneumonitis which resulted in mortality (70% of mortality). 30% ( n = 6) contracted the COVID-19 infection in the community, and 70% ( n = 14) developed symptoms after hospital admission. Conclusion: Hip fractures associated with COVID-19 infection have a high 30-day mortality. COVID-19 testing and chest X-ray for patients presenting with hip fractures help in early planning of high-risk surgeries and allow counselling of the patients and family using realistic prognosis.

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