Acoustic neuroma: suggestions for helping the patient adapt after translabyrinthine surgery.

An acoustic neuroma is a benign, slow growing tumor which arises from the eighth cranial nerve and produces a variety of symptoms. The translabyrinthine approach is one of the most common surgical procedures employed to remove an acoustic neuroma. Surgical removal may result in frustrating alterations to which the individual must adapt. Patient education can prepare the patient for these alterations and facilitate adaptation.

Bacterial ventriculitis and duration of ventriculostomy catheter insertion.

Invasive monitoring of intracranial pressure (ICP) plays an important role in managing many neurosurgical patients. While there are several techniques available to monitor ICP, the ventricular catheter is most commonly used and the most accurate. ICP monitoring poses potential risks to the patient. The most common and one of the most devastating complications is infection. This research study examined the rate of bacterial ventriculitis in relation to duration of ventricular catheter insertion as well as other factors which may contribute to ventriculitis. Data were collected prospectively on 78 patients with a ventriculostomy who were 14 years of age or older and admitted to the neuroscience intensive care unit. Patients were followed from the time of ventricular catheter placement to two weeks after the catheter was removed or until the patient was discharged from the hospital. A significantly higher ventriculitis rate was found in patients with a mean catheter duration of 11 days or longer (p = .004). In the group that developed ventriculitis there was a significant rise (means = 6.03592, p = .014) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) lactate prior to the onset of ventriculitis. Neuroscience nurses should be aware of the factors which may increase the rate of ventriculitis, such as duration of catheter placement and factors which may indicate impending infection such as a rise in the CSF lactate. Future studies should compare various methods of ventriculostomy site care for efficacy of infection prevention, cost and caregiver time.

The Neuman Systems Model: application to a patient with a cervical spinal cord injury.

Neuman's Systems Model provides a framework for holistic neuroscience nursing practice. Utilizing Neuman's assessment format, results are presented for a patient who sustained a cervical spinal cord injury. Nursing diagnoses are identified and a sample plan of care is included.

Hope, self-esteem and social support in persons with multiple sclerosis.

A descriptive study was conducted to determine if a relationship among the variables of hope, self-esteem and social support existed in persons with multiple sclerosis. A demographic data sheet and three instruments were used: Miller Hope Scale (MHS), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and Part II of the Personal Resource Questionnaire (PRQ). Of 75 individuals contacted by mail asking them to participate, 40 sets of questionnaires were returned. The subjects' ages ranged from 32 to 70 with a mean of 48.2. The mean scores on the 3 instruments were: MHS--157.9 (40-200 possible range), self-esteem--29.68 (10-40 possible range), and PRQ Part II--141.13 (25-175 possible range). A statistically significant relationship was found between hope and self-esteem, hope and social support and social support and self-esteem. Additionally, findings were reported and conclusions and nursing implications identified.

Nursing diagnosis: a strategy for teaching etiologies.

In teaching the nursing process, educators ask students to identify nursing diagnoses for patients in the clinical area. Nursing diagnoses provide structure and focus for the student's plan of care. However, beginning nursing students have little or no clinical knowledge upon which to base decisions in the area of etiology determination. A model is presented which limits etiologies to four categories. The four categories can also assist the nurse in practice to assess needs in order to comprehensively plan and implement care. Examples of nursing diagnoses pertaining to the neuroscience patient using the four categories of etiologies are described.

Transient global amnesia.

Transient global amnesia is a benign, self-limiting disorder primarily involving a disturbance of memory. It occurs in late middle and older aged adults. Patients with this syndrome do not have a history of head trauma, drug or alcohol intoxication, hypoglycemia or psychologic dysfunction. Once the episode has cleared, there are no residual deficits except amnesia for the events which occurred during the episode. This article includes a case presentation in addition to discussion of the clinical features, etiology, treatment and nursing interventions for the patient with a transient global amnesia episode.

Estudos experimentais para demonstração de proteinas especificas na lepra

1. Um methodo foi descripto para a demonstração de elementos especificos nos tecidos leprosos. 2. Outro methodo foi descripto para estandardização de varios typos de antigenos. 3. Os antigenos usados foram neutralizados pelos sôros leprosos mas não pelos sôros normaes usados para controle. 4. A neutralização é presumidamente uma reacção antigeno-anticorpo e, portanto, prova da existencia do ultimo na lepra. 5. Varios antigenos foram preparados, mostrando-se nas provas mais activos que a leprolina de Mitsuda. 6. Um methodo foi applicado para o diagnostico e prognostico da lepra e usado com resultados promissores. 7. Estes processos podem ter applicação no estabelecimento da etiologia da doença, no estudo immnunologico, e como um meio para avaliação dos processos therapeuticos. 8. EStas provas podem ser applicadas no diagnostico, prognostico e estudo de outras doenças, como por exemplo a tuberculose.