Medical students' learning processes the first time they role-play in psychiatry: A grounded theory study.

BACKGROUND: Recent changes in psychiatric care and teaching that limit patient contact for medical students can be overcome in part by simulation-based education. Understanding the learning processes of medical students involved in psychiatric simulation-based programmes could usefully inform efforts to improve this teaching. This study explored the learning processes of medical students the first time they role-play in psychiatry. METHODS: We used constructivist grounded theory to analyse semi-structured interviews of 13 purposively sampled medical students and the six psychiatrists who trained them. To improve the triangulation process, the results of this analysis were compared with those of the analyses of the role-play video and the debriefing audio-tapes. RESULTS: Five organising themes emerged: improving the students' immediate perception of patients with mental disorders; cultivating clinical reasoning; managing affect; enhancing skills and attitudes and fostering involvement in learning psychiatry. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that psychiatric role-playing can improve students' progressive understanding of psychiatry through the development of intuition and by allaying affects. Emotional elaboration and student involvement appear to be key features.

Pulmonary Function After Convex Thoracoplasty in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Patients Treated by Posteromedial Translation.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the morbidity of thoracoplasty, and more specifically its effect on pulmonary function, after surgery with hybrid constructs using sublaminar bands in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). BACKGROUND: Cosmetic concern is one of the main reasons to consider surgery in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Several studies have demonstrated significant improvement of self-image scores after thoracoplasty. However, consequences of thoracoplasty on pulmonary function (ie, pulmonary function tests [PFTs]) remain controversial. METHODS: After institutional review board approval, 96 consecutive AIS patients with thoracic curves (Lenke 1 and 2) were included between January 2014 and November 2015. All patients underwent low-dose stereoradiography with 3D reconstructions. Surgical procedure was the same in all patients: posterior correction using posteromedial translation technique with hybrid constructs (thoracic sublaminar bands and lumbar pedicle screws). Pulmonary function was explored with PFTs (forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in 1 second, and total lung capacity). Radiographic parameters and PFT results were compared between patients with and without thoracoplasty preoperatively and at two years postoperation. RESULTS: Mean age was 15 ± 2 years, and body mass index averaged 18.8 ± 2.6. Thirty-six patients (37.5%) underwent thoracoplasty. Both groups were comparable preoperatively regarding demographic data, radiographic parameters, and PFT results. No significant difference was found between groups regarding postoperative correction rates. At the two-year follow-up, PFT results were similar to the preoperative ones and no difference was observed between groups. However, pleural effusions were reported in 26 patients (72%) on chest radiographs. Only one pleural effusion due to thoracoplasty required drainage. CONCLUSION: Results of the current study demonstrated that thoracoplasty associated with posteromedial translation technique did not alter PFT results at two years postoperation. The morbidity of the procedure is limited, and it can therefore be considered in patients with high cosmetic demand and significant residual rib hump after main curve correction. However, hump height and pain evaluation would be interesting data in a prospective study. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

Evaluation of the analgesia nociception index for monitoring intraoperative analgesia in children.

BACKGROUND: Intraoperative analgesia is still administered without guidance. Anaesthetists decide upon dosing on the basis of mean population opioid pharmacological studies and in response to variations in haemodynamic status. However, those techniques have been shown to be imprecise. We assessed the diagnostic value of monitoring the analgesia nociception index (ANI) to detect surgical stimulation in children. METHODS: This was an observational study of 2- to 12-yr-old patients 5 min before and after surgical incision. Hypnosis was maintained with sevoflurane and guided by bispectral index. Intraoperative analgesia was administered as a remifentanil infusion titrated to variations in haemodynamic parameters, and ANI monitor values were recorded. ANI parameters assessed included instantaneous ANI (ANIi), mean ANI (ANIm), and the relative change of ANIi to ANIm (DeltaANI=ANIi-ANIm/ANIm). Statistical analyses were performed using receiver-operating-characteristic analysis with determination of the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve and the grey zone. RESULTS: Overall, 49 subjects were included in this study. The AUROC was 0.755 (0.738-0.772), 0.771 (0.755-0.787), and 0.756 (0.738-0.774) for ANIi, ANIm, and DeltaANI, respectively. The threshold of ANI parameters indicating the presence of noxious surgical stimuli was ≤53%, ≤56%, and ≤-13.3% for ANIi, ANIm, and DeltaANI, respectively. The percentage of subjects in the inconclusive zone was 41%, 51%, and 33% for ANIi, ANIm, and DeltaANI, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: ANI has diagnostic value for detecting surgical stimuli in children.

Ketamine for chronic non-cancer pain: A meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Ketamine has been suggested to be efficient in relieving chronic pain. However, there is inconsistency across studies investigating the effect of ketamine for chronic pain management. We aimed to perform a meta-analysis in order to assess the efficacy of this compound during chronic non-cancer pain conditions. METHODS: The study consisted in a meta-analysis of clinical trials comparing ketamine to a placebo during chronic non-cancer pain. The primary endpoint of this study was pain relief 4 weeks after the beginning of treatment. Secondary outcomes were: pain relief 1, 2, 8 and 12 weeks after the beginning of treatment and incidence of psychedelic manifestations. RESULTS: Six studies were included in this meta-analysis. Overall, 99 patients received ketamine and 96 received placebo. Ketamine did not decrease pain intensity at 4 weeks (MD (on a 0 to 10 scale) = -1.12 [-2.33, 0.09], GRADE evidence: very low). However, analysing studies with no high-risk bias found ketamine to decrease pain intensity at 4 weeks and increased the level of GRADE evidence to moderate. Trial sequential analysis confirmed the overall result and revealed the lack of power of this meta-analysis. Ketamine also decreased pain intensity at all other evaluated points in time. Ketamine increased the incidence of psychedelic manifestations in comparison to placebo. CONCLUSION: Results of this meta-analysis found moderate evidence suggesting the efficacy of ketamine during chronic pain. Further studies are warranted to conclude about the effect of ketamine during chronic pain conditions and to determine optimal administration regimes of this agent during this condition. SIGNIFICANCE: Ketamine has been found interesting for managing chronic pain. We performed a meta-analysis aiming to confirm those results. Ketamine was found efficient in alleviating pain up to 12 weeks after the beginning of treatment. However, overall evidence favouring the use of this compound was very low.

Emergency hysterectomy for life-threatening postpartum haemorrhage: Risk factors and psychological impact.

BACKGROUND: Emergency postpartum hysterectomy (EPH) is usually considered the final resort for the management of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). The aim of this observational study was to identify the risk factors for EPH, to evaluate the ability of EPH to stop bleeding and, finally, to estimate its psychological impact. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of postpartum hysterectomy in all patients with PPH admitted between 2004 and 2011 to Lariboisière Hospital. We compared women for whom EPH was successful and those who required an advanced interventional procedure (AIP) to stop the bleeding despite hysterectomy. We also evaluated the severe PPH (SPPH) score in this particular setting. The psychological impact of emergency hysterectomy was also assessed. RESULTS: A total of 44 hysterectomies were performed among 869 cases of PPH. Twenty were successful, while an additional AIP was required in 22 others (50%). Prothrombin time<50% and a shorter interval between the onset of PPH and hysterectomy were independently associated with the need for an additional AIP. The area under the ROC curve of the SPPH score to predict the need for another AIP was 0.738 (95% confidence interval 0.548-0.748). Furthermore, 64% of the hysterectomized patients suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. CONCLUSION: Failure of postpartum hysterectomy to control bleeding was frequent, and it was associated with persistence of coagulopathy. Hysterectomy in this context had important psychological impacts.

Efficacy of intraoperative dexmedetomidine compared with placebo for surgery in adults: a meta-analysis of published studies.

Dexmedetomidine (Dex) demonstrates sedative and analgesic effects. We investigated the intraoperative and postoperative effects of intraoperative Dex administration during surgery in adult patients. A search for randomized placebo-controlled trials was conducted in Pubmed and Embase databases to identify randomized controlled clinical trials using intraoperative Dex for surgery in adult population. Outcome assessed were: intraoperative and postoperative opioid consumption, time of recovery from anesthesia, postoperative pain, and postoperative nausea or vomiting (PONV) in the first 24 hours. Data from each trial were combined to calculate pooled odds ratios (OR), mean difference (MD) or standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (95 % CI). Heterogeneity was measured using I² statistics. Eighteen randomized controlled trials were analyzed. Dex was administered to 815 patients and 410 received placebo. Overall, Dex significantly decreased intraoperative opioid consumption (SMD=-1.58 [-2.98, -0.19], I²=95 %, P<0.00001), but did not decrease time of recovery from anesthesia (SMD=-0.13 [-1.60, 1.34] minutes, I²=95 %, P<0.00001). Dex significantly reduced postoperative opioid consumption (SMD=-1.58 [-2.98, -0.19], I²=95 %, P<0.00001), postoperative pain intensity (SMD=-0.73 [-1.19, -0.27], I²=62 %, P=0.03), and the prevalence of PONV (OR=0.43 [0.27, 0.69], I²=0 %, P=0.46). This meta-analysis shows that intraoperative Dex administration in adult patients reduces intra and postoperative opioid consumption, postoperative pain and PONV. Time of recovery is not affected.

Safety and efficacy of one-stage total laparoscopic treatment of common bile duct stones in children.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to confirm the effectiveness of total laparoscopic treatment of common bile duct (CBD) stones in children. METHODS: All children who were treated in our department for cholelithiasis were reviewed from 1996 to 2013. Data collection focused on children with CBD stones, including age, sex, symptoms at diagnosis, hepatic and pancreatic blood tests results, US scan results, etiology, detailed surgical technique, operative time, length of hospital stay, complications, and stone-free status or not, at last follow-up. RESULTS: 551 children were treated for cholelithiasis and had undergone laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Among those, 36 children (6.5%) presented with CBD stones with a mean age at symptom onset of 10.4 years (min-max: 4 months-18 years). A majority of the patients presented with hemolytic disease (61%). In 55% of the cases, cholangiography alone or simple serum saline flush of the biliary tree was sufficient to obtain a stone-free CBD. Additional maneuvers with Dormia basket or Fogarty catheter led to 72% of success rate. In 9 cases (25%) of failure of the procedure, 6 patients underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) with endoscopic sphincterotomy (ES), 1 patient was re-operated at day1 for hemorrhage, and 2 patients were followed by US scan with spontaneous evacuation of CBD stones. Mean follow-up was of 2 years (min-max: 1 month-5 years). All patients were stone free at last clinical and radiological evaluation. CONCLUSION: A one-stage total laparoscopic treatment of common bile duct stones in children is a safe, feasible, reproducible, and efficient procedure in 72% of the cases. This rate could be upgraded by a combination of laparoscopic and endoscopic technique during the same anesthesia and preserving Oddi sphincter function. These minimal invasive techniques still need to be developed in children.

Postoperative decrease in plasma sodium concentration after infusion of hypotonic intravenous solutions in neonatal surgery.

BACKGROUND: Hypotonic i.v. solutions can cause hyponatraemia in the context of paediatric surgery. However, this has not been demonstrated in neonatal surgery. The goal of this study was to define the relationship between infused perioperative free water and plasma sodium in neonates. METHODS: Newborns up to 7 days old undergoing abdominal or thoracic surgery were included in this prospective, observational study. Collected data included type and duration of surgery, calculated i.v. free water intake, and pre- and postoperative plasma sodium. Statistical analyses were performed using the Pearson correlation, Mann-Whitney test, and receiver operating characteristic analysis with a 1000 time bootstrap procedure. RESULTS: Thirty-four subjects were included. Postoperative hyponatraemia occurred in four subjects (11.9%). The difference between preoperative and postoperative plasma sodium measurements (ΔNaP) correlated with calculated free water intake during surgery (r=0.37, P=0.03), but not with preoperative free water intake. Calculated operative free water intake exceeding 6.5 ml kg(-1) h(-1) was associated with ΔNaP≥4 mM with a sensitivity and specificity [median (95% confidence interval)] of 0.7 (0.9-1) and 0.5 (0.3-0.7), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Hypotonic solutions and i.v. free water intake of more than 6.5 ml kg(-1) h(-1) are associated with reductions in postoperative plasma sodium measurements ≥4 mM. In the context of neonatal surgery, close monitoring of plasma sodium is mandatory. Routine use of hypotonic i.v. solutions during neonatal surgery should be questioned as they are likely to reduce plasma sodium.

Neuropsychological prediction of dementia in Parkinson's disease.

OBJECTIVE: To identify neuropsychological characteristics predictive of later dementia in Parkinson's disease. METHODS: A comprehensive neuropsychological test battery was administered to a cohort of 89 initially non-demented patients with Parkinson's disease consecutively enrolled at a specialised Parkinson's disease clinic. They were reassessed after a mean of 3.5 years for the diagnosis of dementia. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify baseline characteristics predictive of dementia. RESULTS: Only four of the baseline clinical characteristics of Parkinson's disease and neuropsychological variables remained independently linked to subsequent development of dementia: the age of onset of Parkinson's disease (>60 years; relative risk (RR) 4.1, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.8-24.0, p<0.03), the picture completion subtest of the Wechsler adult intelligence scale (score<10; RR 4.9, 95% CI 1.0-24.1, p<0.02), the interference section of the Stroop test (score<21; RR 3.8, p=0.08), and a verbal fluency task (score<9; RR 2.7, 95% CI 0.8-9.1, p=0.09). Depressive symptoms and the severity of motor impairment were not predictive of dementia. CONCLUSION: These features are different from the neuropsychological characteristics predictive of Alzheimer's dementia in healthy elderly people (mainly memory and language performance). They are in keeping with the well known specificity of the impairments in Parkinson's disease for visuospatial abilities and difficulties in inhibiting irrelevant stimuli. It is postulated that the composite nature of the picture completion subtest, involving several cognitive abilities impaired in Parkinson's disease, explains its sensitivity.

[Neuropsychological testing of 5 patients with Parkinson's disease before and after neuron graft]. / Examen neuropsychologique de 5 patients Parkinsoniens avant et après greffe neuronale.

Five patients with idiopathic PD were followed by neuropsychological tests after brain fetal neuronal transplantation. The following tests were used in order to assess memory as well as visuospatial and frontal functions: MMSE, Mattis Scale, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Stroop task, word fluency tasks, 15-objects test, WAIS-R (Digit span, Arithmetic, Block design, Pictures completion, Pictures arrangement), learning of 15 words of Rey, WMS-R (Logical memory) and Visual memory of L. Israël. The same tests were performed before, then one year following the transplantation. Pooled data did not show any significant difference between pre and post-operative tests. Individual results varied among patients: 2 remained unchanged, 1 had a pathological deterioration which increased after one year, 1 had some frontal symptoms whereas the last patient improved. Our data confirm that this surgical procedure do not induce permanent neuropsychological deficits, but do not indicate at the present time any clear effect of dopamine reinnervation on cognitive functions.

Mini-Mental Parkinson: first validation study of a new bedside test constructed for Parkinson's disease.

We have developed a brief screening test aimed at identifying cognitive disorders in Parkinson's disease. The Mini-Mental Parkinson derives from the Mini-Mental State Examination of Folstein. It includes seven ordered subsections, with a total score of 32. A pilot study was conducted in 50 community-dwelling parkinsonian patients, in order to establish its metrological qualities. Comparisons were made with a neuropsychological battery including several tests widely used in the assessment of specific cognitive disorders in Parkinson's disease. The correlations between the Mini-Mental Parkinson and each component of this battery were substantial, especially for the performance subtests of the WAIS-R (r = 0.62 to 0.72), the Stroop test (r = 0.65) the 15-objects test (r = 0.64), the word fluency (r = 0.63) and the Odd Man Out test (r = 0.61). The validity of each subtest of the Mini-Mental Parkinson was adequate except for one, based on a word choice, which requires a modification in French before definitive use. The test-retest reliability was high (r = 0.84). There was a significant difference in the mean scores in cases with confusional event (22.4), even without current signs of dementia, compared with patients with no such history (27.2). In conclusion, this brief test is suitable for assessment of parkinsonian patients.

[Specialized memory consultation. Value and evaluation after 2 years of functioning]. / Consultation spécialisée de la mémoire. Intérêt et bilan de 2 années de fonctionnement.

Disorders of memory are a frequent cause of consultation and are observed in dementias, in some depressive syndromes and in normal ageing. The specialized memory consultation is based on two successive examinations: one by a neurologist, the other by a psychologist, using standardized batteries of tests. In 100 consecutive subjects, 3 main groups of about 20 to 30 individuals each could be identified: dementia syndromes, psychiatric disorders and age-related disorders of memory. The remaining subjects had various diseases. In subjects with memory complaints a psychometric evaluation performed by a team of specialists seems to be the only means of refining the diagnosis enough for a personalized management. In addition, the specialized consultation team acquires the knowledge that will help it, in the future, to lay down the bases of medical prevention of pathological cerebral ageing.