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Disease Staging (disease + staging)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	100%

Selected Abstracts

Primum Non Nocere: Is Chronic Kidney Disease Staging Appropriate in Living Kidney Transplant Donors?

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 4 2009
Y. Barri
The aphorism of Primum non Nocere (,first do no harm') was introduced to guide physicians in making difficult and potentially hazardous decisions. The application of estimating equations for glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and classification schema for chronic kidney disease (CKD) has inadvertently led to ,labeling' of many living donors as having CKD postdonation. This review examines this issue and its possible consequences. Although complete long-term studies are lacking, it appears that the ,labeling' of such donors as having CKD postdonation is common but not associated with a major effect on morbidity or mortality. [source]

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Diagnosis and Management in Older Adults

JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 6 2010
Nalaka S. Gooneratne MD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in older adults is a complex disorder with several unique age-related aspects. Underlying changes in pulmonary lung function and poor sensitivity to bronchoconstriction and hypoxia with advancing age can place older adults at greater risk of mortality or other complications from COPD. The establishment of the Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease criteria, which can be effectively applied to older adults, has more rigorously defined the diagnosis and management of COPD. An important component of this approach is the use of spirometry for disease staging, a procedure that can be performed in most older adults. The management of COPD includes smoking cessation, influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations, and the use of short- and long-acting bronchodilators. Unlike with asthma, corticosteroid inhalers represent a third-line option for COPD. Combination therapy is frequently required. When using various inhaler designs, it is important to note that older adults, especially those with more-severe disease, may have inadequate inspiratory force for some dry-powder inhalers, although many older adults find the dry-powder inhalers easier to use than metered-dose inhalers. Other important treatment options include pulmonary rehabilitation, oxygen therapy, noninvasive positive airway pressure, and depression and osteopenia screening. Clinicians caring for older adults with an acute COPD exacerbation should also guard against prognostic pessimism. Although COPD is associated with significant disability, there is a growing range of treatment options to assist patients. [source]

Outcomes of critically ill patients with cirrhosis admitted to intensive care: an important perspective from the non-transplant setting

ALIMENTARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 2 2010
S. J. Thomson
Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2010; 32: 233,243 Summary Background, Hospital admissions for cirrhosis have been increasing in the United Kingdom, leading to increased pressure on intensive care (ICU) services. Outcome data for patients admitted to ICU are currently limited to transplant centre reports, with mortality rates exceeding 70%. These tertiary reports could fuel a negative bias when patients with cirrhosis are reviewed for ICU admission in secondary care. Aims, To determine whether disease severity and mortality rates in non-transplant general ICU are less severe than those reported by tertiary datasets. Methods, A prospective dual-centre non-transplant ICU study. Admissions were screened for cirrhosis and physiological and biochemical data were collected. Disease-specific and critical illness scoring systems were evaluated. Results, Cirrhosis was present in 137/4198 (3.3%) of ICU admissions. ICU and hospital mortality were 38% and 47%, respectively; median age 50 [43,59] years, 68% men, 72% alcoholic cirrhosis, median Child Pugh Score (CPS) 10 [8,11], Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) 18 [12,24], Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score (APACHE II) 16 [13,22]. Conclusions, Mortality rates and disease staging were notably lower than in the published literature, suggesting that patients have a more favourable outlook than previously considered. Transplant centre data should therefore be interpreted with caution when evaluating the merits of intensive care admission for patients in general secondary care ICUs. [source]

Experience with laparoscopic ultrasonography for defining tumour resectability in carcinoma of the pancreatic head and periampullary region

BRITISH JOURNAL OF SURGERY (NOW INCLUDES EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SURGERY), Issue 8 2001
Dr A. M. Taylor
Background: Computed tomography (CT) is currently the most widely available staging investigation for pancreatic tumours. However, the accuracy of CT for determining tumour resectability is variable and can be poor. Laparoscopic ultrasonography (LUS) is potentially a more accurate method for disease staging. The authors' experience of LUS for staging carcinoma of the pancreatic head and periampullary region is described. Methods: Fifty-one patients with potentially resectable pancreatic tumours defined at CT underwent further investigation with LUS. Twenty-seven patients subsequently had an open laparotomy. The evaluations of tumour resectability at CT and LUS were compared with the operative findings. Results: At LUS, 24 patients were considered to have resectable tumours, 21 non-resectable tumours and six patients were shown to have no pancreatic tumour mass. Twenty-two patients deemed to have a resectable tumour at LUS underwent surgery. Twenty patients were confirmed to have resectable disease and two patients had non-resectable disease. A further five patients underwent surgery. In all five the ultrasonographic diagnosis was confirmed at surgery (four patients with non-resectable disease and no pancreatic tumour in one patient). LUS prevented unnecessary extensive surgery in 53 per cent of patients. For the 22 patients who underwent surgery for potentially resectable disease, the positive predictive value of LUS for defining tumour resectability was 91 per cent. Conclusion: LUS is an accurate additional investigation for defining tumour resectability and directing management in patients with potentially resectable carcinoma of the pancreatic head or periampullary region. © 2001 British Journal of Surgery Society Ltd [source]