scholarly journals Success rate of repeat flexible ureteroscopy following previous failed access: An analysis of stent duration

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dylan T. Hoare ◽  
Timothy A. Wollin ◽  
Shubha De ◽  
Michael G. Hobart

Introduction: Approximately 8% of patients that undergo therapeutic or diagnostic ureteroscopy will have the procedure aborted and ureter stented due to failed access. The primary objective of this study was to assess mean stent duration prior to repeat ureteroscopy and to calculate the associated successful access rate. Methods: This retrospective, descriptive study evaluated all patients undergoing interval ureteroscopy following a failed procedure by endourologic surgeons at the University of Alberta from 2016–2018. Patients declining interval ureteroscopy, or those with malignant/known ureteral strictures were excluded from the study. The primary outcome measures were median time to salvage ureteroscopy and the rate of successful access of the repeat procedure. Results: A total of 119 patients were identified as having a failed ureteroscopy during our study period. First-time and recurrent stone formers accounted for 64 (53.8%) and 47 (39.5%) patients, respectively. Median stent duration to second procedure was 17 days (average 20, range 10–84). Most patients had their repeat ureteroscopy at 14 days or greater (81.5%); 22 (18.5%) patients had their repeat ureteroscopy between 10 and 13 days. The success rate of a second ureteroscopy after stenting was 99.2% (118/119). Conclusions: Ureteric stenting following failed ureteroscopy leads to exceedingly high rates of successful access at interval procedure (99.2%). The standard duration of ureteric stenting employed at our institution is two weeks. Of the patients that underwent an accelerated second procedure (between 10–13 days of stenting), all had successful access at their interval procedure.

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Debbie Feisst

Hatanaka, Kellen. Work: An Occupational ABC. Toronto: Groundwood Books, 2014. Print.At first glance, you may look at this book and think it just like the myriad of other ABC books for young children and preschoolers, but you would be delightfully wrong!  Yes, of course, each letter from A to Z is represented and indeed each letter is accompanied by an image that characterizes the letter.  But that is where the similarities end. Toronto-based designer, illustrator and artist Kellen Hatanaka, who can now also call himself a first time author, has created a beautiful and unexpected piece of art for the youngest readers and it is as much a delight to read as it is to behold.  With creamy paper and softly-coloured images, created digitally after first creating ‘hand-drawn patterns and images’, it is reminiscent of a small person’s version of a coffee table book, if said coffee table were in a nursery.It starts out simple enough, with A for Aviator and a full page spread with a boldly-coloured A as well as mountain tops that echo the A’s shape.  The next page, however, alerts the reader to the fun in store – B is for Butcher, shown chasing after a group of raccoons who have absconded with a string of sausages. Yes, there are occupations like Grocer and Tailor but there are also the Ice Cream Vendor, K-9 Officer and the Wedding Singer! What’s wonderful to note are the many alternative occupations, some that you may have not have heard of, and that there is a nice mix of women, men, and cultures taking part. For the curious reader, there is a section of funny ‘Want Ads’ which provides a short description of the occupation.This would make a wonderful new baby gift and is an excellent addition to a home or public library.Highly recommended: 4 stars out of 4 Reviewer: Debbie FeisstDebbie is a Public Services Librarian at the H.T. Coutts Education Library at the University of Alberta.  When not renovating, she enjoys travel, fitness and young adult fiction.


2014 ◽  
Vol 191 (4S) ◽  
Author(s):  
John Knoedler ◽  
Mitra de Cogain ◽  
John Lieske ◽  
Terri Vrtiska ◽  
Xijuan Li ◽  
...  

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Debbie Feisst

Sayres, Brianna K. Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night? Illus. Christian Slade.  New York: Random House, 2012. Print.If the title Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night? seems a tad familiar, well, it probably is.  In the same vein as the ultra-popular Good Night, Good Night, Construction Site, Diggers presents the sweet nighttime rituals of diggers, trucks and other heavy machinery.  At first I thought this was a simple effort to take advantage of a similar, bestselling title however Sayres’ work does indeed hold its own.In this picture book aimed at ages 3-6, first time picture book author Sayres gives young heavy equipment aficionados a delightful take on the bedtime story.  In rhyming couplets and often in a humorous manner, all sorts of trucks, cranes and tractors get ready for rest under the watchful headlamps of their caregivers: “Where do garbage trucks sleep / when they’re done collecting trash? / Do their dads sniff their load and say, / ‘Pee-yew—time to take a bath’?”  Sure to get the young ones giggling.The sleepy-eyed dozers and tow trucks eventually give way to an equally sleepy young boy in his cozy bed, with a reminder that the trucks will be waiting for him when he wakes.  Save for one naughty truck, winking, under the bed (my five-year-old happily pointed this out).Though the illustrations by former Disney animator Christian Slade are rather cartoon-like and not realistic, they match the text well, are in soothing nighttime colours and allow for the trucks to have droopy eyes and smiling faces. Read in a lyrical fashion, or even as a song, this would be a nice end to any wee truck lover’s day.  This would make a nice addition to any public library or as a gift.Reviewer: Debbie Feisst Recommended: 3 stars out of 4Debbie is a Public Services Librarian at the H.T. Coutts Education Library at the University of Alberta.  When not renovating, she enjoys travel, fitness and young adult fiction.


Urology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 80 (4) ◽  
pp. 776-779 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian H. Eisner ◽  
Sonali Sheth ◽  
Stephen P. Dretler ◽  
Benjamin Herrick ◽  
Vernon M. Pais

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle Marshall

Russo, Meredith. If I Was Your Girl. Flatiron Books, 2016.At 18 years old, Amanda is taking a cautious approach to her new lease on life. Assigned the male gender at birth and named Andrew, Amanda endured bullying as a child and disappointment from a father who viewed his “son” as effeminate and ill-equipped to handle life’s challenges. Post-transition life in Atlanta wasn’t much easier, and a traumatic instance of violence led Amanda’s mother to decide to send Amanda to live with her father in small-town Tennessee. While the rural American South might not seem like an accepting environment for a transgender teen, Amanda is keeping her past sex a secret.As Amanda decides not to reveal her past to the Lambertville locals (known in the transgender community as going “stealth”), she starts to live the life of an average teenager for the first time. Her beauty attracts much attention from boys, and she finds friend groups with both the in crowd and social misfits - all of whom appear to be harbouring secrets of their own. As things get increasingly serious with her boyfriend Grant, Amanda grapples with sharing her own history.Russo’s debut novel depicts a round protagonist with whom all teens should be able to relate, on some level. As a trans woman herself, Russo deftly depicts teenage belonging and the politics of going stealth, while acknowledging that she intentionally chose a character that could easily “pass” to demonstrate the conflict. Moreover, the author’s note sends an inspirational message to trans youth that validates the uniqueness of their experience and the importance of self-love.Although Russo occasionally falls into YA romantic cliches, it’s not as though the genre is overflowing with romantic storylines featuring trans characters. If I Was Your Girl is a vital and timely addition to YA literature, and should have a place in every library for transgender, cisgender and non-binary teens alike to discover.Recommended: 3 stars out of 4Reviewer: Kyle MarshallKyle Marshall is the Planning, Assessment & Research Analyst for Edmonton Public Library. He graduated with his MLIS from the University of Alberta in June 2015, and is passionate about diversity in children's and youth literature.


2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie Aitken

Walters, Eric.  Today is the Day.  Illus. Eugenie Fernandes.  Toronto: Tundra Books, a division of Random House of Canada, 2015.Eric Walters, who has written a wealth of realistic fiction for Canadian children, now takes young audiences into the realm of fictionalized reality.  The decision to fictionalize is warranted; the unvarnished truths with which he deals are stark enough for an adult’s comprehension, let alone that of a child. A former teacher and social worker, Walters established The Creation of Hope, a foundation which runs an orphanage in the Mbooni district in Kenya.  He works with hundreds of children who have lost parents to a wide variety of causes including HIV/AIDS.  Children arrive at his orphanage because any extended family members whom they might have are too impoverished or frail to provide for them.  Today is the Day is set in the orphanage.Walters’ gift as a writer is the ability to create a positive, hopeful and believable moment in a harsh reality.  His young protagonist, Mutanu, has awakened to a day of celebration, a day when all one hundred fifteen young residents of the orphanage would receive gifts and treats and visits from extended family.  Even more exciting than these events for Mutanu and each of fifteen others, this day, July 12, was to be declared their official birthday.  Such were the circumstances of their early lives that no record of their birth exists. Now, for the very first time, Mutanu’s “… coming into the world was not forgotten but was a cause for joyous celebration.”Eugenia Fernandes’ illustrations convey the expansiveness and beauty of the Kenyan landscape, the humbleness and simplicity of the orphanage.  Her line drawings are generally realistic in perspective, whimsical in content.  Her color palette is cheerful and sunlit.  In large part, her work creates the mood of hopefulness in this book.Extensive end notes explain the purpose and setting of the Creation of Hope foundation and, as well, provide photographs of the orphanage.  The background to this story is explained, and we are introduced to the real Mutanu and some of her friends. There is no direct appeal for funds in the book itself; however, the publisher’s notes indicate that “A contribution to The Creation of Hope will be made by the author and publisher based on sales of this book in Canada.”  It seems a worthy cause.Highly Recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Leslie AitkenLeslie Aitken’s long career in librarianship involved selection of literature for school, public, special and academic libraries.  She was a former Curriculum Librarian at the University of Alberta.


2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (34_suppl) ◽  
pp. 92-92
Author(s):  
Helen Marin ◽  
Patrick Mayo ◽  
Deonne Dersch-Mills ◽  
Spencer Ling ◽  
Vincent Thai ◽  
...  

92 Background: The transition from active cancer treatment to palliative care often results in a shift in drug risk-benefit assessment which requires the deprescribing of various medications. In addition, a change in patients’ goals of care (GOC) necessitates the alteration of drug therapy which includes both deprescribing and the addition of medications intended to improve quality of life. Depending on a patient’s GOC, a medication can be considered as inappropriate. Methods: The study was a one year retrospective database review and included cancer patients seen by the PCC team at the University of Alberta Hospital. Primary Objective: Comparison between potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) prior to the palliative care consult (PCC) versus after the PCC. Secondary objective: Association between PIMs and GOC. The OncPal guidelines were used to identify and determine the number of PIMs prior to the PCC and after the PCC. Results: The reduction in PIMs prior to PCC versus after the PCC was 49% and was statistically significant (p < 0.001), demonstrating the PCC has a positive significant impact on deprescribing PIMs. For our secondary outcome, an overall decrease in PIMs was observed with the changes of GOC. This decrease in PIMs associated with GOC although not statistically significant, demonstrates that one of the benefits of a PCC is the GOC conversation. Conclusions: Deprescribing in palliative cancer patients can benefit patients by reducing their pill burden, decrease potentially side effects, and potentially decrease healthcare costs. This study shows the positive impact a PCC has on deprescribing and reassessing GOC. Furthermore, this study reveals the importance of using guidelines for deprescribing in palliative oncology and brings to light other medications that may be considered PIMs.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenda Roberts

Rivard, Émilie.  Really and Truly. Illus. Anne-Claire Delisle. Trans. Sarah Quinn. Toronto:  Owlkids Books Inc., 2011.  Print. Prolific Quebec author Émilie Rivard departs from her usual novel format in the picture book, Really and Truly. Really and Truly describes the loving relationship between Charlie and his grandfather, a master storyteller.  Grandpa’s stories are fabulous and Charlie becomes immersed in the tales of pirates, gnomes and witches.  Grandpa has an imaginative explanation for everything and Charlie is mesmerized.  Every story ends with the line, “Really and truly, Charlie.”  Time passes, Charlie gets older and Grandpa changes as a disease “eats up his memory and his words”.  Visit after visit Grandpa becomes less responsive, leaving Charlie and his family heartbroken.  During one visit, Charlie remembers a story his Grandpa used to tell and decides to tell it back to Grandpa.  For the first time in a long time, he catches his Grandpa’s attention.  At each visit, Charlie tells another story eventually eliciting a small smile from Grandpa. This is an endearing story about family relationships and the difficulties of dealing with dementia.  Clever illustrations complement the straightforward text.  Grandpa’s and Charlie’s stories are illustrated in black and white on top of the coloured illustrations of reality.   This would be a good read aloud for primary-junior students, providing a vehicle for discussions about family stories, grandparents, and Alzheimer’s disease.   Recommended: 3 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Brenda Roberts Brenda Roberts is the teacher-librarian at Edenbrook Hill Public School in Brampton, Ontario and is working on her M.Ed. in teacher-librarianship from the University of Alberta.  When not devouring books, she enjoys travel, quilting, music and gardening.


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