Current Issue : January-March Volume : 2023 Issue Number : 1 Articles : 5 Articles
Background: Oxygen is a commonly used drug in modern medical care. It has biochemical actions, safe dosage ranges, adverse physiologic effects and can be toxic at high doses and prolonged use. As a drug, it needs a formal prescription prior to administration. The prescription needs to meet certain basic minimums for appropriateness and safety. Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the standards of prescriptions for oxygen therapy amongst admitted medical patients at the Dr. George Mukhari Academic Hospital. Materials and Methods: It was a cross-sectional study of 159 acutely ill medical admissions who received supplemental oxygen. The medication charts of patients on oxygen were audited; with regards to the availability and/or adequacy of the prescription for oxygen. Results: Of the one hundred and fifty nine patients on oxygen only 43 (27%) had an actual prescription for oxygen written. The target oxygen saturation was specified in 19 (44%) cases. The device for oxygen delivery was specified in 21 (49%) patients and just over half of the patients (56%) had flow rates indicated on their charts. Conclusion: The practice of oxygen administration in our medical wards was sub-optimal. The audit highlights the need for education and training in acute oxygen therapy....
Background. Lepidic adenocarcinoma (LPA) is an infrequent subtype of invasive pulmonary adenocarcinoma (ADC). However, the clinicopathological features and prognostic factors of LPA have not been elucidated. Methods. Data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database of 4191 LPA patients were retrospectively analyzed and compared with non-LPA pulmonary ADC to explore the clinicopathological and prognosis features of LPA. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were performed to identify independent survival predictors for further nomogram development. The nomograms were validated using the concordance index, receiver operating characteristic curves, and calibration plots, as well as decision curve analysis, in both the training and validation cohorts. Results. Compared with non-LPA pulmonary ADC patients, those with LPA exhibited unique clinicopathological features, including more elderly and female patients, smaller tumor size, less pleural invasion, and lower histological grade and stage. Multivariate analyses showed that age, sex, race, tumor location, primary tumor size, pleural invasion, histological grade, stage, primary tumor surgery, and chemotherapy were independently associated with overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) in patients with LPA. The nomograms showed good accuracy compared with the actual observed results and demonstrated improved prognostic capacity compared with theTNM stage. Conclusions. LPA is more frequently diagnosed in older people and women. LPA was inclined to be smaller in tumor size and lower in tumor grade and staging, which may indicate a favorable prognosis. The constructed nomograms accurately predict the long-term survival of LPA patients....
Immune-checkpoint inhibitors are extensively used in cancer treatment and have transformed the therapeutic landscape by inducing durable responses. Immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors targeting programmed death 1 (PD-1) receptor and programmed death ligand-1 (PDL-1) are used alone or with chemotherapy for treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). There is a great need for improving outcomes of patients with early stage NSCLC after surgical resection and with recent F. D. A. approval, immune checkpoint inhibitors are used as neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy to enable curative resection and prevent or delay disease progression. In this article, we review the clinical studies evaluating the role of adjuvant and neoadjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitors in NSCLC and discuss the role of immunotherapy with radiation therapy in locally advanced non-metastatic NSCLC....
Background and Objectives: As the number of minimally invasive surgeries, including video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, increases, small, deeply located lung nodules are difficult to visualize or palpate; therefore, localization is important. We studied the use of a mixture of indigo— carmine and lipiodol, coupled with a transbronchial approach—to achieve accurate localization and minimize patient discomfort and complications. Materials and Methods: A total of 60 patients were enrolled from May 2019 to April 2022, and surgery was performed after the bronchoscopy procedure. Wedge resection or segmentectomy was performed, depending on the location and size of the lesion. Results: In 58/60 (96.7%) patients, the localization of the nodules was successful after localization, and 2/60 required c-arm assistance. None of the patients complained of discomfort during the procedure; in all cases, margins were found to be free from carcinoma, as determined by the final pathology results. Conclusions: We recommend this localization technique using mixture of indigo carmine and lipiodol, in concert with the transbronchial approach, because the procedure time is short, patient’s discomfort is low, and success rate is high....
Background and Objectives: Since the first transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) procedure was performed in 2002, advances in technology and refinement of the method have led to its widespread use in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) and high surgical risk. We aim to identify the impact of TAVI on the clinical and functional status of patients with severe AS at the one-month follow-up and to identify potential predictors associated with the evolution of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in this category of patients. Materials and Methods: We conducted a prospective study which included 86 patients diagnosed with severe AS undergoing TAVI treatment. We analyzed demographics, clinical and echocardiographic parameters associated with AS and PH both at enrolment and at the 30-day follow-up. Results: In our study, the decrease of EUROSCORE II score (p < 0.001), improvement of angina (p < 0.001) and fatigue (p < 0.001) as clinical benefits as well as a reduction in NYHA functional class in patients with heart failure (p < 0.001) are prognostic predictors with statistical value. Regression of left ventricular hypertrophy (p = 0.001), increase in the left ventricle ejection fraction (p = 0.007) and improvement of diastolic dysfunction (p < 0.001) are echocardiographic parameters with a prognostic role in patients with severe AS undergoing TAVI. The pulmonary artery acceleration time (PAAT) (p < 0.001), tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) (p = 0.020), pulmonary arterial systolic pressure (PASP) (p < 0.001) and the TAPSE/PASP ratio (p < 0.001) are statistically significant echocardiographic parameters in our study that assess both PH and its associated prognosis in patients undergoing TAVI. Conclusions: PAAT, TAPSE, PASP and the TAPSE/PASP ratio are independent predictors that allow the assessment of PH and its prognostic implications post-TAVI....
Loading....