Death in 12-24-Year-Old Youth in Nova Scotia: High Risk of Preventable Deaths for Males, Socially Deprived and Rural Populations-A Report from the NSYOUTHS Program.

Deaths from avoidable causes represent the largest component of deaths in young people in Canada and have a considerable social cost in relation to years of potential life lost. We evaluated social and demographic determinants of deaths in youth aged 12-24 years in Nova Scotia for the period 1995-2004. Youth most at risk of death were males, the more socially deprived, and those living in rural areas. There was a five-fold increase in suicides and a three-fold increase in injury deaths in males compared to females and a substantial component of these deaths were amongst males living in rural areas. Initiatives and prevention policies should be targeted towards specific at-risk groups, particularly males living in rural areas. Published vital statistics hide these important trends and thus provide only limited evidence with which to base-prevention initiatives.

[Outpatient laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a one year experience on unselected patients]. / Cholécystectomie coelioscopique ambulatoire: expérience d'un an sur des patients non sélectionnés.

UNLABELLED: This study reviews our experience with outpatient laparoscopic cholecystectomy (CCA) to evaluate the benefits of this approach to routine clinical practice. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Of 217 consecutive patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy over a one-year period (2002-2003) at our university medical center, 151 were selected for same day surgery and discharge according to the following selection criteria: non-urgent surgery, no major co-morbidities, domicile within one hour of the hospital. Patients were typically discharged the afternoon of their surgery if their clinical condition was stable. RESULTS: Of 151 planned outpatient CCA's, 122 (81%) were discharged on the day of surgery. Of these, 16 had a post-operative complication and three required readmission; no patient required reoperation. Univariate analysis revealed three factors predictive of failure of the outpatient strategy: age >65 (p=0.015), operative duration (p<0.0001), and surgical start time after 11 am (p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Outpatient laparoscopic cholecystectomy can be routinely accomplished in unselected patients in an academic center. The low rate of in-patient admission is acceptable. The out-patient strategy for laparascopic cholecystectomy allows for a reduction in waiting time at our institution.

Oral versus intravenous rehydration for treating dehydration due to gastroenteritis in children.

BACKGROUND: Dehydration associated with gastroenteritis is a serious complication. Oral rehydration is an effective and inexpensive treatment, but some physicians prefer intravenous methods. OBJECTIVES: To compare oral with intravenous therapy for treating dehydration due to acute gastroenteritis in children. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group Specialized Register (March 2006), CENTRAL (The Cochrane Library 2006, Issue 1), MEDLINE (1966 to March 2006), EMBASE (1974 to March 2006), LILACS (1982 to March 2006), and reference lists. We also contacted researchers, pharmaceutical companies, and relevant organizations. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomized and quasi-randomized controlled trials comparing intravenous rehydration therapy (IVT) with oral rehydration therapy (ORT) in children up to 18 years of age with acute gastroenteritis. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two authors independently extracted data and assessed quality using the Jadad score. We expressed dichotomous data as a risk difference (RD) and number needed to treat (NNT), and continuous data as a weighted mean difference (WMD). We used meta-regression for subgroup analyses. MAIN RESULTS: Seventeen trials (1811 participants), of poor to moderate quality, were included. There were more treatment failures with ORT (RD 4%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1 to 7, random-effects model; 1811 participants, 18 trials; NNT = 25). Six deaths occurred in the IVT group and two in the ORT groups (4 trials). There were no significant differences in weight gain (369 participants, 6 trials), hyponatremia (248 participants, 2 trials) or hypernatremia (1062 participants, 10 trials), duration of diarrhea (960 participants, 8 trials), or total fluid intake at six hours (985 participants, 8 trials) and 24 hours (835 participants, 7 trials). Shorter hospital stays were reported for the ORT group (WMD -1.20 days, 95% CI -2.38 to -0.02 days; 526 participants, 6 trials). Phlebitis occurred more often in the IVT group (NNT 50, 95% CI 25 to 100) and paralytic ileus more often in the ORT group (NNT 33, 95% CI 20 to 100, fixed-effect model), but there was no significant difference between ORT using the low osmolarity solutions recommended by the World Health Organization and IVT (729 participants, 6 trials). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Although no clinically important differences between ORT and IVT, the ORT group did have a higher risk of paralytic ileus, and the IVT group was exposed to risks of intravenous therapy. For every 25 children (95% CI 14 to 100) treated with ORT one would fail and require IVT.

[Could we trust clinical statistics from data banks of the National Health Service (NHS)?]. / Peut-on se fier aux statistiques fournies par les banques de données émanant du ministère de la santé?

Can we accept the statistics provided by the Ministry of Health, which uses large computerized databases? Through MEDECHO, the Ministry provides to hospital managers, reports cards on different interventions. These reports compare different hospitals performances. Surgeons involved in the process hesitate to accept this information. Using the results of the performance of cholecystectomy provided by this system (Gr: A), we compared the same cohort (1 April-31 December 1996 = 346 cholecystectomies) but using specific criteria determined as relevant to our surgeons (Gr: B). The rate of complication gives a crude aftermath and no attempt was used to adjust for severity. The MEDECHO data are adjusted for severity. The global rate of complications is similar Gr: A 11%, Gr: B 12%. Major complication rate for pulmonary embolism, hemorrhage and biliary duct trauma are identical. The rate of surgical site infection is higher in Gr: B (5% vs. 2%). The patients are seen in the outpatient clinic and these observations are not included by the analytical system unless the patient has been readmitted. For our hospital, the MEDECHO data are valid and reliable even though they underestimated the wound infection rate. These results could be explained by an appropriate interpretation of the code system by the archivist and by the surgeons' precision to complete the summary sheet of hospitalization. We can conclude that these data can be used as a means to evaluate the quality of outcome of a surgical service.

[Assessment of the quality of life during adjuvant chemotherapy of colorectal cancer]. / Mesure de la qualité de vie durant une chimiothérapie adjuvante du cancer colorectal.

Enhanced 5 year survival rates with adjuvant chemotherapy for colon and rectal cancers are 5% and 9% respectively, according to recent meta-analysis. Despite the NIH consensus statement endorsing adjuvant chemotherapy, many clinicians regard such a seemingly small benefit not justworthy of the expense, inconvenience, discomfort and risk of treatment for their individual patient with colorectal carcinoma. The aim of this study is to evaluate these quality of life issues. The seven criteria considered most important were determined by interviews of treated patients, who emphasized the following quality of life parameters: nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, perineal dermatitis, asthenia, impairment of daily activity, family support, and difficulties of daily transportation to hospital. A numeric scale (1-5) was used to measure their answers (0 = hospitalization, 5 = no modification), and the nonparametric rank coefficient of Kendall was used to compare them. Twenty patients with colon cancer treated with Moertel's protocol and 5 patients with rectal cancer treated with Krook's protocol were evaluated. The study revealed a diminished quality of life for both patients with colon cancer (7 on a scale of 10) and those with rectal cancer (6 on the same scale). By using the same questionnaire at one week interval, the responses remained unchanged (p < 0.001). The effect of radiotherapy seems to be responsible for this difference. This study is one of the first to approach the quality of life from the real interested party's point of view: the patient.