Circuito del paciente fallecido en el Hospital Garrahan: Implementación de Gestión por procesos y plan de mejora integral / Circuit of the deceased patient at Garrahan Hospital: implementation of process management and a comprensive plan for improvement

Ante circunstancias que concluyen en el fallecimiento de los pacientes, el Hospital Garrahan (HG) debe facilitar el duelo con medidas adecuadas y apropiadas en un contexto de respeto y contención, acompañando preguntas, dudas e incertidumbres familiares, respetando valores, evitando dificultades administrativas y legales. El objetivo fue trabajar sobre el proceso del paciente fallecido para ordenar la normativa histórica, reglamentarla y documentarla agregando avances tecnológicos. Se estableció un circuito que llamamos circuito del paciente fallecido (CPF). Es un proceso que comienza en la inscripción de la defunción, traslado del paciente a la morgue hasta la entrega a la familia. Involucra al hospital de forma transversal. A través del trabajo interdisciplinario, aplicando conceptos y herramientas de gestión, se trabajó un plan de mejora en la gestión del CPF, partiendo de la disposi- ción hospitalaria vigente, adecuando el Protocolo respectivo del Ministerio de Salud del Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, estableciendo registros adecuados en todo el circuito. El diseño metodológico propuesto fue la planificación, desarrollo implementación de un plan de mejora en el CPF de acuerdo a gestión por procesos. Se desarrollaron las siguientes etapas: análisis de la situación de salud que generó la intervención, identificación del proceso en un mapa, identificación de problemas del CPF, revisión y análisis del proceso e implementación del plan de mejora. Este plan de mejora está sustentado en la Disposición N°238/ DME/17

When a patient dies in hospital, Garrahan Hospital should facilitate the process of mourning with adequate and appropriate measures in a context of respect and contention, providing support in case of questions, doubts, and uncertainties of the family, respecting values and avoiding administrative and legal difficulties. The aim of this project was to improve the processes related to the deceased patients organizing historical norms by establishing guidelines and documentation using new technological means. A circuit called circuit of the deceased patient (CDP) was established, consisting of a process that starts at the moment of the registration of death, followed by the transfer of the patient to the morgue, and finishing with the handing over to the family. The process involves the hospital transversally. In an interdisciplinary manner and using different management concepts and tools, a plan of improvement of the management of the CDP was developed, based on the current regulations of the hospital, adapting the protocol of the Ministry of Health of the Government of the City of Buenos Aires, establishing adequate records for the entire circuit. The proposed methodological design consisted of the planning, development, and implementation of a plan for the improvement of the CDP according to process management. The following stages were developed: analysis of the situation that led to the intervention, identification of the process on a map, identification of difficulties in the CDP, process revision and analysis and implementation of the improvement plan. The improvement plan is supported by Disposition N°238/DME/17

Electrocardiographic evidence of ischemia during ventricular paced rhythms.

Exercise-induced electrocardiographic (ECG) changes are the most widely recognized noninvasive means for detecting myocardial ischemia. The specificity of these changes depends on the normalcy of the resting ECG. Right ventricular pacing produces major QRS and ST-T changes very similar to those of complete left bundle-branch block. They alter the resting ECG such that ischemic changes are considerably difficult to detect. Because of these resting abnormalities, ECG changes during treadmill exercise testing usually do not facilitate the diagnosis of ischemia or coronary artery disease. The following are two cases of ischemic ECG changes that occurred during right ventricular pacing. To our knowledge, there have been no reports of the classic ECG changes of ST-segment depression suggestive of ischemia which occurred during right ventricular pacing and which were discernible from the resting ECG changes.