General anaesthesia in end-of-life care: extending the indications for anaesthesia beyond surgery.

In this article, we describe an extension of general anaesthesia - beyond facilitating surgery - to the relief of suffering during dying. Some refractory symptoms at the end of life (pain, delirium, distress, dyspnoea) might be managed by analgesia, but in high doses, adverse effects (e.g. respiratory depression) can hasten death. Sedation may be needed for agitation or distress and can be administered as continuous deep sedation (also referred to as terminal or palliative sedation) generally using benzodiazepines. However, for some patients these interventions are not enough, and others may express a clear desire to be completely unconscious as they die. We summarise the historical background of an established practice that we refer to as 'general anaesthesia in end-of-life care'. We discuss its contexts and some ethical and legal issues that it raises, arguing that these are largely similar issues to those already raised by continuous deep sedation. To be a valid option, general anaesthesia in end-of-life care will require a clear multidisciplinary framework and consensus practice guidelines. We see these as an impending development for which the specialty should prepare. General anaesthesia in end-of-life care raises an important debate about the possible role of anaesthesia in the relief of suffering beyond the context of surgical/diagnostic interventions.

The Warwick Agreement on femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAI syndrome): an international consensus statement.

The 2016 Warwick Agreement on femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) syndrome was convened to build an international, multidisciplinary consensus on the diagnosis and management of patients with FAI syndrome. 22 panel members and 1 patient from 9 countries and 5 different specialties participated in a 1-day consensus meeting on 29 June 2016. Prior to the meeting, 6 questions were agreed on, and recent relevant systematic reviews and seminal literature were circulated. Panel members gave presentations on the topics of the agreed questions at Sports Hip 2016, an open meeting held in the UK on 27-29 June. Presentations were followed by open discussion. At the 1-day consensus meeting, panel members developed statements in response to each question through open discussion; members then scored their level of agreement with each response on a scale of 0-10. Substantial agreement (range 9.5-10) was reached for each of the 6 consensus questions, and the associated terminology was agreed on. The term 'femoroacetabular impingement syndrome' was introduced to reflect the central role of patients' symptoms in the disorder. To reach a diagnosis, patients should have appropriate symptoms, positive clinical signs and imaging findings. Suitable treatments are conservative care, rehabilitation, and arthroscopic or open surgery. Current understanding of prognosis and topics for future research were discussed. The 2016 Warwick Agreement on FAI syndrome is an international multidisciplinary agreement on the diagnosis, treatment principles and key terminology relating to FAI syndrome.Author note The Warwick Agreement on femoroacetabular impingement syndrome has been endorsed by the following 25 clinical societies: American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM), Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Sports and Exercise Medicine (ACPSEM), Australasian College of Sports and Exercise Physicians (ACSEP), Austian Sports Physiotherapists, British Association of Sports and Exercise Medicine (BASEM), British Association of Sport Rehabilitators and Trainers (BASRaT), Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine (CASEM), Danish Society of Sports Physical Therapy (DSSF), European College of Sports and Exercise Physicians (ECOSEP), European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery and Arthroscopy (ESSKA), Finnish Sports Physiotherapist Association (SUFT), German-Austrian-Swiss Society for Orthopaedic Traumatologic Sports Medicine (GOTS), International Federation of Sports Physical Therapy (IFSPT), International Society for Hip Arthroscopy (ISHA), Groupo di Interesse Specialistico dell'A.I.F.I., Norwegian Association of Sports Medicine and Physical Activity (NIMF), Norwegian Sports Physiotherapy Association (FFI), Society of Sports Therapists (SST), South African Sports Medicine Association (SASMA), Sports Medicine Australia (SMA), Sports Doctors Australia (SDrA), Sports Physiotherapy New Zealand (SPNZ), Swedish Society of Exercise and Sports Medicine (SFAIM), Swiss Society of Sports Medicine (SGMS/SGSM), Swiss Sports Physiotherapy Association (SSPA).

Characteristics and practices of National Immunisation Technical Advisory Groups in Europe and potential for collaboration, April 2014.

In many countries, national vaccination recommendations are developed by independent expert committees, so-called national immunisation technical advisory groups (NITAG). Since the evaluation of vaccines is complex and resource-demanding, collaboration between NITAGs that evaluate the same vaccines could be beneficial. We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 30 European countries in February 2014, to explore basic characteristics and current practices of European NITAGs and identify potential modes and barriers for collaboration. Of 28 responding countries, 26 reported to have a NITAG or an equivalent expert group. Of these, 20 apply a systematic approach in the vaccine decision-making process, e.g. by considering criteria such as country-specific disease epidemiology, vaccine efficacy/effectiveness/safety, health economics, programme implementation/logistics or country-specific values/preferences. However, applied frameworks and extent of evidence review differ widely. The use of systematic reviews is required for 15 of 26 NITAGs, while results from transmission modelling and health economic evaluations are routinely considered by 18 and 20 of 26 NITAGs, respectively. Twenty-five countries saw potential for NITAG-collaboration, but most often named structural concerns, e.g. different NITAG structures or countries' healthcare systems. Our survey gathered information that can serve as an inventory on European NITAGs, allowing further exploration of options and structures for NITAG collaboration.

Mumps epidemiology in Germany 2007-11.

In Germany, mumps has been notifiable until 2013 only in the five Eastern federal states (EFS) of former East Germany. Due to different immunisation policies until 1990 and varying vaccination coverages thereafter, mumps incidences cannot be extrapolated to the 11 Western federal states (WFS). We studied mumps-related International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) code diagnoses claimed through statutory health insurances between 2007 and 2011 to estimate countrywide mumps incidences in the outpatient sector, and compared them with case numbers from ambulatory notification data. Overall, 32,330 outpatient mumps cases were claimed. Annual incidence ranged between 9.3/100,000 and 11.8/100,000 and showed a significant decreasing trend. Compared with EFS, mumps incidence in WFS was higher and indicated a shift towards older age groups. Notified outpatient case numbers in EFS were 13-fold lower and from voluntary surveillance during an outbreak in the WFS Bavaria 8-fold lower than from insurance data (n=316 versus n=4,217 and n=238 versus 1,995, respectively). Of all notified cases with available information, 75.4% (EFS) and 57.6% (Bavaria) were unvaccinated; 6.8% (EFS) and 19.3% (Bavaria) required hospitalisation. In Germany, mumps is still endemic despite decades of vaccination, with considerable underreporting in the established notification systems.

[Effects of the MMR vaccination on the epidemiology of mumps in Germany]. / Effekte der Masern-Mumps-Röteln (MMR)-Impfung auf die Epidemiologie von Mumps in Deutschland.

Mumps is an acute viral infectious disease characterized by fever and swelling and tenderness of one or more salivary glands, usually the parotid gland. Since 1976, the German Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) has recommended a mumps vaccination as part of the routine immunization schedule in former West Germany. In East Germany, the vaccination was only introduced in 1991 after reunification. In the preceding decades, no comprehensive surveillance system existed in Germany. However, for East Germany and the successional federal states of former East Germany, data on mumps incidence are available from different Eastern surveillance systems for the time period 1968-2012. According to these data, the incidence of mumps has dropped from > 200 cases/100,000 annually in the pre-vaccine era to currently <1/100,000. Recently, an age shift has been noted predominantly in the Western federal states. Based on data from school entry examinations and seroprevalence studies, the age shift is likely due to insufficient vaccination coverage and secondary vaccine failure ("waning immunity"). In view of the changes in mumps epidemiology and the increase of outbreaks among adolescents and young adults, the implementation of a nationwide mandatory notification was initiated and came into effect in March 2013. Mandatory notification enables the early detection of outbreaks and obtainment of comprehensive data for evaluation of the immunization program in place. Regarding the long-term prevention of mumps in Germany, it is hoped that--as part of the measles and rubella elimination effort--coverage rates for the second MMR dose among children will increase nationwide above 95% and existing vaccination gaps among adults will be closed.

Measles outbreak in an asylum-seekers' shelter in Germany: comparison of the implemented with a hypothetical containment strategy.

In order to contain a measles outbreak in a German asylum-seekers' shelter, serological testing of all residents was performed, followed by selective vaccination of those with negative test results/not tested. In this paper we describe the outbreak epidemiologically and then compare the implemented strategy with a hypothetical mass vaccination of all individuals unvaccinated or with unknown vaccination status born after 1970 as recommended by the German Standing Committee on Vaccination in terms of potentially avoided cases, logistics, and costs. Three hundred (70%) residents participated in the serological testing, of which 39 (13%) were seronegative. In total, 144 individuals were eligible for vaccination, while a mass vaccination would have targeted 359 persons. However, serological testing was time- and personnel consuming and revealed several logistical problems. Its costs amounted to €90 000, double that of mass vaccination that additionally might have avoided three of the eight cases. Mass vaccination seems the preferred measure for measles outbreak control in such settings.

Ligamentum teres reconstruction: indications, technique and minimum 1-year results in nine patients.

Ligamentum teres (LT) tear is a recognized cause of hip pain. Debridement of tears and capsule plication has shown satisfactory results. However, a group of patients with complete tears do not improve after debridement and physiotherapy. The purpose of this work was to describe the senior author's technique and clinical results for the early series of LT reconstructions. Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data. Patients who underwent isolated LT reconstruction between 2013 and 2018. All the patients had previous debridement of a completely torn LT, capsule plication and rehabilitation. Patients who had any other associated procedure during LT reconstruction surgery and dysplastic acetabular features were excluded. Demographic and clinical data was reviewed. Complications, type of graft and modified Harris hip scores (mHHSs) were recorded preoperatively and at 1-year follow-up. Fifteen LT reconstructions were performed during the study period. Six were excluded (as they had additional procedures performed during surgery) and nine patients aged a mean 30 (range: 22-48) years old were included. The patients had a mean of 2 (range: 1-4) prior surgeries. At minimum 12 months (range: 12-24) 9/9 patients reported reduction of pain and instability symptoms with mHHSs of 84.2 (73.7-100) versus 51.7 (36.3-70.4) preoperatively (P = 0.00094). Three patients (of the total cohort of 15) underwent second-look arthroscopy (11-22 months after reconstruction). None of these patients underwent total hip replacement at a mean of 4 (range: 1-6) years. Arthroscopic LT reconstruction improved function and pain in patients with persistent pain and instability after resection of the LT.

Arthroscopic femoral osteochondroplasty for cam lesions with isolated acetabular chondral damage.

This study evaluates the outcome of arthroscopic femoral osteochondroplasty for cam lesions of the hip in the absence of additional pathology other than acetabular chondral lesions. We retrospectively reviewed 166 patients (170 hips) who were categorised according to three different grades of chondral damage. The outcome was assessed in each grade using the modified Harris Hip Score (MHHS) and the Non-Arthritic Hip Score (NAHS). Overall, at the last follow-up (mean 22 months, 12 to 72), the mean MHHS had improved by 15.3 points (95% confidence interval (CI), 8.9 to 21.7) and the mean NAHS by 15 points (95% CI, 9.4 to 20.5). Significantly better results were observed in hips with less severe chondral damage. Microfracture in limited chondral lesions showed superior results. Arthroscopic femoral osteochondroplasty for cam impingement with microfracture in selected cases is beneficial. The outcome correlates with the severity of acetabular chondral damage.