Randomized clinical trial to assess the mPADSS scale in recovery and home discharge after endoscopy.

BACKGROUND: current clinical practice guidelines recommend the use of objective scales as a criterion for post-endoscopy sedation discharge. OBJECTIVE: to assess the recovery time, complications and patient satisfaction level using the mPADSS scale. MATERIAL AND METHODS: demographic data and medical history were collected. Vital signs, anxiety and abdominal pain were measured pre-endoscopy. Patients were randomized into a control group, discharged according to the usual practice, and the intervention group, who underwent the mPADSS scale every ten minutes, until an objective score was reached. RESULTS: one hundred and eighteen patients were randomized (78 colonoscopies, 32 gastroscopies, three gastro + colonoscopies and 15 endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatographies/endoscopic ultrasound [ERCP/USE]). With regard to medical history, there were 36 cases of elevated blood pressure and 19 diabetes cases, 15 with anticoagulant/antiplatelet and 21 with hypnotic/anxiolytic medication. An average of 160 mg of propofol was required per patient, with additional flumazenil and midazolam in 49. There were two episodes of vomiting and three of mild desaturation, all of them in the control group. Sixty patients were included in the control group and 58 in the mPADSS group, who were discharged in 15 and 10 minutes on average respectively (p < 0.005); 24-48h telephone call follow-up data were available for 105 subjects. There were four readmissions (three control and one mPADSS). There were no differences in pain and post-sedation symptoms and the level of satisfaction in terms of attention and duration of stay was similar in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: this study shows the efficiency, safety and patient satisfaction using the mPADSS scale. Thus, its use is recommend.

Spatial and temporal epidemiology of clinical malaria in Cambodia 2004-2013.

BACKGROUND: Artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria has recently been identified on the Thailand-Cambodia border and more recently in parts of Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam. There is concern that if this resistance were to spread, it would severely hamper malaria control and elimination efforts worldwide. Efforts are currently underway to intensify malaria control activities and ultimately eliminate malaria from Cambodia. To support these efforts, it is crucial to have a detailed picture of disease burden and its major determinants over time. METHODS: An analysis of spatial and temporal data on clinical malaria in Cambodia collected by the National Centre for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria Control (CNM) and the Department of Planning and Health Information, Ministry of Health Cambodia from 2004 to 2013 is presented. RESULTS: There has been a marked decrease of 81% in annual cases due to P. falciparum since 2009 coinciding with a rapid scale-up in village malaria workers (VMWs) and insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs). Concurrently, the number of cases with Plasmodium vivax has greatly increased. It is estimated that there were around 112,000 total cases in 2012, 2.8 times greater than the WHO estimate for that year, and 68,000 in 2013 (an annual parasite incidence (API) of 4.6/1000). With the scale-up of VMWs, numbers of patients presenting to government facilities did not fall and it appears likely that those who saw VMWs had previously accessed healthcare in the private sector. Malaria mortality has decreased, particularly in areas with VMWs. There has been a marked decrease in cases in parts of western Cambodia, especially in Pailin and Battambang Provinces. In the northeast, the fall in malaria burden has been more modest, this area having the highest API in 2013. CONCLUSION: The clinical burden of falciparum malaria in most areas of Cambodia has greatly decreased from 2009 to 2013, associated with roll-out of ITNs and VMWs. Numbers of cases with P. vivax have increased. Possible reasons for these trends are discussed and areas requiring further study are highlighted. Although malaria surveillance data are prone to collection bias and tend to underestimate disease burden, the finding of similar trends in two independent datasets in this study greatly increased the robustness of the findings.

Study of pulsed electrostatic field (PESF) in the perfusion of peripheral tissues: Microangiopathy, nutrition and quality of perceiver life.

Microangiopathy compromises the structural and functional integrity of organs and tissues in patients with type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) negatively affecting the perceived quality of life. Nitric oxide (NO) is a multifunctional signalling molecule, acting as a vasodilator, neurotransmitter, and modulator of inflammatory processes. Patients with type II diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease, controlled from glycaemic status, were treated or not with pulsed electrostatic field (PESF) cycles to evaluate effect on the perfusion of peripheral tissues. Everyone was monitored for the metabolic profile, and we tested circulating NO with a commercial enzyme immunoassay kit. In addition, we tested the perceived quality of life of patients before/after a PESF cycle using a questionnaire. Patients treated with PESF were improved circulating NO levels, significant changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate and were more homogeneous for their metabolic profile. The questionnaire showed also a marked improvement in the perceived quality of life. The use of pulsed electrostatic fields has allowed us to observe an improvement in the metabolic, psychological, and clinical profile in patients with T2DM and chronic kidney disease whose pathological profile is strongly compromised.