Palliative and end-of-life care practices for critically ill patients and their families in a peri-intensive care setting: A protocol for an umbrella review.

OBJECTIVES: This umbrella review will summarize palliative and end-of-life care practices in peri-intensive care settings by reviewing systematic reviews in intensive care unit (ICU) settings. Evidence suggests that integrating palliative care into ICU management, initiating conversations about care goals, and providing psychological and emotional support can significantly enhance patient and family outcomes. METHODS: The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for umbrella reviews will be followed. The search will be carried out from inception until 30 September 2023 in the following databases: Cochrane Library, SCOPUS, Web of Science, CINAHL Complete, Medline, EMBASE, and PsycINFO. Two reviewers will independently conduct screening, data extraction, and quality assessment, and to resolve conflicts, adding a third reviewer will facilitate the consensus-building process. The quality assessment will be carried out using the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist. The review findings will be reported per the guidelines outlined in the Preferred Reporting Items for Overviews of Reviews statement. RESULTS: This umbrella review seeks to inform future research and practice in critical care medicine, helping to ensure that end-of-life care interventions are optimized to meet the needs of critically ill patients and their families.

Delivery Methods in Twin Gestations: Evaluating Outcomes, Risk Factors, and the Paradigm Shift Towards Elective Cesarean Deliveries.

During the past decade, there has been a consistent rise in the number of twin births and the number of overall cesarean sections (CS) worldwide. This is owed to a variety of social, economic, educational, and scientific factors. More women are opting to advance their professional careers and gain financial stability before having children. Although this approach is understandable, a new set of challenges are faced as a result, the most important of which has been infertility due to advanced maternal age and the subsequent use of assisted fertility treatments, which have been noted to cause multiple gestations. Twin gestations are considered high-risk pregnancies and are associated with an amplitude of potential complications. Arguably, the biggest decision an obstetrician must make when dealing with this population is choosing the most appropriate mode of delivery. Given the lack of clear guidance pertaining to twin deliveries, CSs may often be perceived as safer and are often preferred over vaginal deliveries (VD). In this narrative review, we aimed to compare the outcomes of different delivery methods (CS versus VD) to investigate whether CS is truly superior to VD. Data were collected from the past two decades and analyzed based on the neonatal and maternal outcomes for each delivery mode. Our results indicate that planned VD is just as safe as CS, if not superior, in most uncomplicated twin pregnancies. Thus, it is best to advise and encourage healthy expecting twin carriers to undergo VD and explore any hesitations or fears they might have. Furthermore, a detailed guideline regarding twin delivery is essential to establish and better navigate twin deliveries, lower the rate of unnecessary CSs, and reduce overall twin gestation morbidity and mortality.

A morphologic and histologic study of the radial nerve and its branches at potential compression sites.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined variations in the termination level of the radial nerve (RN) and the morphometry of the RN and its branches at potential compression sites. Additionally, we digitally analysed histological sections of the RN, the superficial branch of the radial nerve (SBRN), and the posterior interosseous nerve (PIN). METHODS: We conducted this study on 14 formalin fixed adult cadavers. The lengths of the RN, SBRN, and PIN were measured up to potential compression sites, using appropriate surface skeletal landmarks as reference points. We histologically evaluated the fascicular and non-fascicular areas and the number of axons in each nerve. All parameters were statistically analysed using a paired t-test. RESULTS: We found variations in the bifurcation of the RN with respect to the biepicondylar line (BEL). However, the course of RN terminal branches was constant in the forearm. There was a significant histological difference between the fascicular and non-fascicular areas of the PIN. There was no significant difference in the total number of axons in the SBRN and PIN. Finally, we observed that the intramuscular length of the PIN within the supinator muscle was variable and that the SBRN had more fascicles compared to the RN and PIN. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, the RN and PIN had more variable morphometry compared to that of the SBRN. The histologic evaluation and quantification of these nerves at their potential compression sites could serve as a guide for surgeons planning nerve reconstruction procedures.

Identifying an Optimal Cutoff of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment to Predict Amyloid-PET Positivity in a Referral Memory Clinic.

BACKGROUND: Brain amyloid- positron emission tomography (PET) imaging is highly sensitive for identifying Alzheimer disease. Currently, there is a lack of insight on the association between amyloid-PET status and the widely used Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA). Studying this relationship may optimize the clinical use of amyloid-PET imaging. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the relationship between amyloid-PET status and MoCA scores and to identify a MoCA score cutoff that translates to amyloid-PET positivity. METHODS: Using retrospective chart review, patients from 2010 to 2017 with amyloid-PET scans (positive or negative) and MoCA test scores were included. We studied the relationship between amyloid-PET status and MoCA scores and the influence of age, sex, education, and race. A MoCA score cutoff for amyloid-PET positivity was estimated. RESULTS: Among the 684 clinic patients with dementia, 99 fulfilled inclusion criteria. Amyloid-PET positivity was associated significantly with lower MoCA scores (median=19, U=847, P=0.01). The MoCA score cutoff (25) used for minimal cognitive impairment (MCI) predicted amyloid-PET positivity suboptimally (sensitivity=94.6%, specificity=13.9%). A MoCA score cutoff of 20 patients had optimal sensitivity (64.2%) and specificity (67.4%). CONCLUSIONS: Amyloid-PET positivity is associated with lower MoCA scores. Clinical utility of amyloid-PET scan is likely to be suboptimal at the MoCA score cutoff for minimal cognitive impairment.