From indwelling Foley to fail-safe voiding: Proposed changes in design and thinking

The Foley indwelling urethral catheter (IDC) has been an effective part of the clinician’s armoury for more than 80 years. It meets wide clinical needs, such as overcoming urinary retention for men and perioperative management, but its use risks the major iatrogenic conditions of catheter-associated urinary tract infection and urethral injury (CAUI) – the latter mainly in men. This article focuses on CAUI, examines some factors contributing to these risks, makes suggestions for design solutions which may help tackle them and invites collaboration to develop more effective and fail-safe IDC or voiding solutions.

e-Health: A Future Solution for Optimized Management of Elderly Patients. GER-e-TEC™ Project

Background: Elderly residents in nursing homes have multiple comorbidities (including cognitive and psycho-behavioral pathologies, malnutrition, heart failure, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and renal failure) and use multiple medications. Methods: The GER-e-TEC project aims to provide these fragile and complex patients with telemedicine tools, more specifically telemonitoring, backed by a well-defined and personalized protocol. Results: Medically, this implies the need for regular monitoring and a high level of medical and multidisciplinary expertise for the healthcare team. The tools use non-invasive communicating sensors and artificial intelligence techniques, allowing daily monitoring with the ability to detect any abnormal changes in the patient’s condition early. Conclusions: The GER-e-TEC project specifically considers the challenges of aging residents and significant challenges in nursing homes, with the main geriatric syndromes (falls, malnutrition, cognitive-behavioral disorders, and iatrogenic conditions).

Introduction to Iatrogenic Conditions

Post-therapy imaging interpretation can be challenging. In most practices, the main thoracic interventions include drug therapy, surgery and radiation therapy. In certain practices, especially in the absence of stereotactic radiation, radiofrequency ablation and cryoablation have gained a foothold. Post -therapeutic changes in the lung may be divided into two main categories: local and diffuse. Local changes are usually seen with radiation and percutaneous therapies. Diffuse changes mainly include organizing pneumonia and alveolar damage. The latter may be seen after both medical and surgical intervention. Two key questions must be answered when dealing with the treated patient: what was the prior therapy and when was the treatment. Both questions will help determine the significance of the imaging findings.