Safe Management (safe + management)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


The radioactive autopsy: safe working practices

HISTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 3 2007
M Singleton
Autopsy cases involving individuals retaining radioactive substances are fortunately rare, but when they occur they can impose significant radiation safety and legal requirements. This review aims to improve the understanding of these issues so that appropriate precautions are implemented when necessary. This review describes the properties of ionizing radiations, natural and man-made sources of ionizing radiation and its use in healthcare. It identifies the most likely circumstances leading to radioactive substances being present during autopsy and sources of information, including radiation protection advice. It discusses precautions that may need to be implemented prior to, during and following autopsy. Despite the issue of appropriate information to patients and next of kin, it is inevitable that some cases will be identified only at autopsy and it is important that robust local procedures are maintained. Information must be communicated to assist safe management of the body and liaison between relevant professional groups may be needed to standardize methods of communication. Provided that appropriate precautions are implemented, determined through consultation with a qualified expert in radiation protection and by completion of risk assessment, the radioactive autopsy can be undertaken safely and in compliance with relevant legislative requirements. [source]


Review of non-invasive ventilation in the emergency department: clinical considerations and management priorities

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 23 2009
Louise Rose
Aims and objectives., We aimed to synthesise evidence from published literature on non-invasive ventilation to inform nurses involved in the clinical management of non-invasive ventilation in the emergency department. Background., Non-invasive ventilation is a form of ventilatory support that does not require endotracheal intubation and is used in the early management of acute respiratory failure in emergency departments. Safe delivery of this intervention requires a skilled team, educated and experienced in appropriate patient selection, available devices and monitoring priorities. Design., Systematic review. Method., A multi-database search was performed to identify works published in the English language between 1998,2008. Search terms included: non-invasive ventilation, continuous positive airway pressure and emergency department. Inclusion and exclusion criteria for the review were identified and systematically applied. Results., Terminology used to describe aspects of non-invasive ventilation is ambiguous. Two international guidelines inform the delivery of this intervention, however, much research has been undertaken since these publications. Strong evidence exists for non-invasive ventilation for patients with acute exacerbation of congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Non-invasive ventilation may be delivered with various interfaces and modes; little evidence is available for the superiority of individual interfaces or modes. Conclusions., Early use of non-invasive ventilation for the management of acute respiratory failure may reduce mortality and morbidity. Though international guidelines exist, specific recommendations to guide the selection of modes, settings or interfaces for various aetiologies are lacking due to the absence of empirical evidence. Relevance to clinical practice., Monitoring of non-invasive ventilation should focus on assessment of response to treatment, respiratory and haemodynamic stability, patient comfort and presence of air leaks. Complications are related to mask-fit and high air flows; serious complications are few and occur infrequently. The use of non-invasive ventilation has resource implications that must be considered to provide effective and safe management in the emergency department. [source]


Isolation of clinically relevant fungal species from solid waste and environment of dental health services

LETTERS IN APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 4 2010
C.D. Vieira
Abstract Aims:, This study was undertaken to detect, identify and determine antifungal susceptibility of yeast strains isolated from dental solid waste and to evaluate airborne fungi in the Brazilian dental health care environment and in the waste storage room. Methods and Results:, A group of 17 yeast strains were identified by macroscopic and microscopic characteristics, API 20C Aux system and Multiplex PCR. All 104 airborne fungal colonies were identified by macroscopic and microscopic morphology. The CLSI broth microdilution method was utilized as the susceptibility test. Candida parapsilosis was the prevailing yeast species recovered from waste, followed by Rhodotorula glutinis. Three strains of Candida guilliermondii presented minimal inhibitory concentration values considered to be susceptible dose dependent (2 ,g ml,1) to voriconazole. Of all airborne fungal species, 69% were recovered from the waste storage room and 31% were recovered from the clinical/surgical environment. Most of them were identified as Cladosporium spp. Conclusions:, These findings reinforce the potential risk of waste handling and point out the need for safe management to minimize the spread of these agents to the environment. Filamentous fungi isolation in almost all sampled environments indicates that a periodic monitoring of airborne microbiota in the dental health care service environment is required. Significance and Impact of the Study:, The survival of yeast strains for 48 h suggests that dental waste should be carefully controlled and monitored. [source]


Early onset severe pre-eclampsia: expectant management at a secondary hospital in close association with a tertiary institution

BJOG : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 1 2005
Charl Oettle
Objectives Early onset severe pre-eclampsia is ideally managed in a tertiary setting. We investigated the possibility of safe management at secondary level, in close co-operation with the tertiary centre. Design Prospective case series over 39 months. Setting Secondary referral centre. Population All women (n= 131) between 24 and 34 weeks of gestation with severe pre-eclampsia, where both mother and fetus were otherwise stable. Methods After admission, frequent intensive but non-invasive monitoring of mother and fetus was performed. Women were delivered on achieving 34 weeks, or if fetal distress or major maternal complications developed. Transfer to the tertiary centre was individualised. Main outcome measures Prolongation of gestation, maternal complications, perinatal outcome and number of tertiary referrals. Results Most women [n= 116 (88.5%)] were managed entirely at the secondary hospital. Major maternal complications occurred in 44 (33.6%) cases with placental abruption (22.9%) the most common. One maternal death occurred and two women required intensive care admission. A mean of 11.6 days was gained before delivery with the mean delivery gestation being 31.8 weeks. The most frequent reason for delivery was fetal distress (55.2%). There were four intrauterine deaths. The perinatal mortality rate (,1000 g) was 44.4/1000, and the early neonatal mortality rate (,500 g) was 30.5/1000. Conclusions The maternal and perinatal outcomes are comparable to those achieved by other tertiary units. This model of expectant management of early onset, severe pre-eclampsia is encouraging but requires close co-operation between secondary and tertiary institutions. Referrals to the tertiary centre were optimised, reducing their workload and costs, and patients were managed closer to their communities. [source]


Rapid assessment and safe management of severe pulmonary hypertension with milrinone during orthotopic liver transplantation

CLINICAL TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 4 2010
Kyota Fukazawa
Fukazawa K, Poliac LC, Pretto EA. Rapid assessment and safe management of severe pulmonary hypertension with milrinone during orthotopic liver transplantation. Clin Transplant 2010: 24: 515,519. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Abstract:, The incidence of porto-pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) in patients with end stage liver disease is 8.5%. Evidence indicates that proceeding with orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) in patients diagnosed with severe PPHN (mean pulmonary artery pressure [mPAP] > 45 mmHg) at the time of OLT surgery is associated with high perioperative mortality. We describe a case of severe PPHN that was diagnosed by right heart catheterization at the time of surgery. We quickly determined the reversibility of PPHN with a bolus of milrinone and proceeded with OLT. Further episodes of pulmonary hypertension were successfully managed with continuous milrinone infusion and transesophageal echocardiography monitoring. Reversibility via vasodilator trial after identification of high pulmonary artery pressures (PAP) may be an important indication of the feasibility of OLT. Milrinone may be useful for the rapid identification of the reversibility of high PAP and may be an effective agent to control abrupt increases in PAP during OLT. [source]