Factors Associated With Accidental Decannulation in Tracheostomized Children.

BACKGROUND: Tracheostomy has many benefits for pediatric patients in the ICU, but it is also associated with complications. Accidental decannulation (AD) is a frequent complication and cause of mortality in this population. Our study aimed to determine the factors associated with AD in tracheostomized pediatric subjects. METHODS: This was a case-control study with 1:2 allocation ratio. Participants were tracheostomized children hospitalized in a prolonged mechanical ventilation hospital between 2013-2018. Each child who experienced decannulation during the study period was included as a case at the time of the event. Controls were obtained from the same population and were defined as subjects without an AD event during the same period. RESULTS: One hundred forty patients were hospitalized at Josefina Martinez Hospital at the time, of whom 41 were selected as cases and 82 as controls. Median (interquartile range) age was 20 (12-36) months, being 60% male. The median time from tracheostomy placement to AD event was 364 (167-731) d. Eighty-four percent of subjects were mechanically ventilated. AD mainly occurred by self-decannulation (53.7%). The risk of AD was higher in children who reached the midline in a sitting position (odds ratio 9.5 [95% CI 1.59-53.90]), inner diameter (ID) tracheostomy tube size ≤ 4.0 mm (odds ratio 5.18 [95% CI 1.41-19.06]), and who had been hospitalized in hospital rooms with a low ratio of nursing staff for each subject (1 nurse to 4 subjects) (odds ratio 4.48 [95% CI 1.19-16.80]). CONCLUSIONS: Factors associated with a higher risk of AD in tracheostomized children included the ability to reach the midline in a sitting position, the use of a smaller tracheostomy tube (≤ 4.0 mm ID), and lower supervision from staff.

Eccentric Contractions of the Diaphragm During Mechanical Ventilation.

Diaphragm dysfunction is a highly prevalent phenomenon in patients receiving mechanical ventilation, mainly due to ventilatory over-assistance and the development of diaphragm disuse atrophy. Promoting diaphragm activation whenever possible and facilitating an adequate interaction between the patient and the ventilator is encouraged at the bedside to avoid myotrauma and further lung injury. Eccentric contractions of the diaphragm are defined as muscle activation while muscle fibers are lengthening within the exhalation phase. There is recent evidence that suggests that eccentric activation of the diaphragm is very frequent and may occur during post-inspiratory activity or under different types of patient-ventilator asynchronies, which include ineffective efforts, premature cycling, and reverse triggering. The consequences of this eccentric contraction of the diaphragm may have opposite effects, depending on the level of breathing effort. For instance, during high or excessive effort, eccentric contractions can result in diaphragm dysfunction and injured muscle fibers. Conversely, when eccentric contractions of the diaphragm occur along with low breathing effort, a preserved diaphragm function, better oxygenation, and more aerated lung tissue are observed. Despite this controversial evidence, evaluating the level of breathing effort at the bedside seems crucial and is highly recommended to optimize ventilatory therapy. The impact of eccentric contractions of the diaphragm on the patient's outcome remains to be elucidated.

Prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and its association with lifestyle habits in adults in Chile: a cross-sectional study from the National Health Survey 2016-2017.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) represents an excessive fat accumulation within the liver, usually associated with excess body weight. A liver biopsy is the gold standard for diagnosis, but it is inapplicable in population-based studies. In large populations, non-invasive methods could be used, which may also serve to identify potential protective factors. We aimed to (a) estimate NAFLD prevalence in the adult population in Chile by using non-invasive methods and (b) determine the association between the presence of NAFLD and lifestyle habits. The National Health Survey of Chile 2016­2017 was analysed. We included individuals aged 21­75 years, without infectious diseases nor risky alcohol consumption. NAFLD was detected by either fatty liver index (FLI; considers circulating TAG, circulating γ-glutamyl-transferase, BMI and waist circumference), lipid accumulation product (LAP; considers sex, circulating TAG and waist circumference) or their combination. Lifestyle habits were determined by questionnaires. We included 2774 participants, representative of 10 599 094 (9 831 644, 11 366 544) adults in Chile. NAFLD prevalence (95 % CI) was 39·4 % (36·2, 42·8) by FLI, 27·2 % (24·2, 30·4) by LAP and 23·5 % (20·7, 26·5) by their combination. The prevalence progressively increased with increasing BMI. Of note, less smoking and more moderate-vigorous physical activity and whole-grain consumption were associated with lower odds of having NAFLD, independently of BMI. At least one out of four adults in Chile is afflicted with NAFLD. Health promotion strategies focused on controlling excess body weight and promoting specific lifestyle habits are urgently required.

Pronóstico kinesiológico cardiorrespiratorio: un enfoque biopsicosocial / Cardiorespiratory Kinesiological Prognosis: a biopsychosocial approach

La kinesiología, fisioterapia o terapia física, se ha desarrollado de manera permanente a través de una perspectiva biopsicosocial, en la que identificar el contexto biomédico del usuario, junto con sus limitaciones en la actividad y restricciones en la participación es esencial para una atención individualizada del usuario en su contexto. Entidades como la Asociación Americana de Terapia Física (American Physical Therapist Association, APTA) y la Conferencia Mundial de Terapia Física (World Confederation for Physical Therapy, WCPT) o actualmente conocida como Fisioterapia Mundial (World Physiotherapy, WP), conceden como aspecto propio del kinesiólogo o fisioterapeuta la acción de diagnosticar, evaluar, tratar y pronosticar las disfunciones de usuarios con necesidades de atención en salud. Sin embargo, algunas de estas competencias profesionales no están del todo definidas para su aplicación en la práctica clínica. El presente artículo de comunicación profesional entrega las bases conceptuales en la que se sostienen los hitos necesarios para esta-blecer una propuesta metodológica de elaboración del pronóstico kinesiológico funcional basado en el área cardiorrespiratoria con un enfoque biopsicosocial según la Clasificación Internacional del Funcionamiento, de la Discapacidad y de la Salud (CIF). Esto, con la finalidad de que el pronóstico funcional sea incorporado como parte de la formación curricular en la profesión, así como dentro de un proceso continuo en la práctica kinesiológica

Kinesiology, Physiotherapy or Physical Therapy has been permanently developed on a biopsychosocial perspective. Identifying the user's biomedical context, along with his or her activity limitations and participation restrictions, is essential for individualized attention to the user in his or her context. Entities such as the American Physical Therapy Association and the World Confederation for Physical Therapy, or currently known as World Physiotherapy, give the kinesiologist or physical therapist the task of diagnosing, evaluating, treating, and predicting the dysfunctions of users with health care needs. However, some of these professional compe-tencies are not wholly defined for application in clinical practice, and less, in the curricular formation of the physiotherapy students. This article gives helpful concepts to elaborate a biopsychosocial cardiorespiratory functional prognosis for Kinesiology, based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF), to incorporate as part of the curricular formation in the profession and within a continuous process in kinesiological practice

La mujer en las publicaciones científicas en Chile / Presence of women in medical publications in Chile

BACKGROUND: Despite recent initiatives and efforts, gender inequality still exists in medicine and academia. There is a higher proportion of male authors in international scientific publications. AIM: To compare the proportion of female and male authors in the scientific publications of the main medical journals in Chile. Material and Methods: We reviewed 1,643 Scientific articles published between 2015 and 2020 in two medical journals from Chile. Three authors analyzed the title, abstract, and authors of all published articles, recording the sex of the first author, co-authors, and corresponding author. RESULTS: The reviewed articles had a mean of 5.3 authors and there was a significant difference between men and women (a mean of 2.8 men and 2.4 women; p < 0.001). Forty-six percent (n = 761) of the articles had a female first author. In a higher proportion of papers, men completed both positions (1st and corresponding author) simultaneously. CONCLUSIONS: There are fewer female authors in scientific publications. Chile is one of the countries with a high rate of gender gap in the world. The underrepresentation of women in academia is an example of this.

Lifestyle changes in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a liver condition that is increasing worldwide and expected to become the number one cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma in the next 5 years. Currently there are no successful or approved pharmacological treatments. Weight loss is the first-line therapy as a 7 to 10% reduction improves steatosis, inflammation, hepatocyte ballooning, and fibrosis. To achieve this, lifestyle interventions including daily exercise and diet must be encouraged. We aimed to assess the effects of diet, exercise, or a combination of both compared to conventional treatment in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. METHODS AND FINDING: A literature search was performed in CENTRAL, EMBASE, and PubMed. Randomized controlled trials comparing lifestyle changes with conventional treatment were included, without date restriction. Two authors searched studies according to eligibility criteria, extracted data, and assessed study quality. Subgroup analysis was made by type of intervention, duration of intervention and supervision. We calculated mean differences between the intervention and the control group with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals. Quality of the evidence was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of bias tool. This study is registered in PROSPERO, number CRD42020184241, and checked with the PRISMA checklist. 30 RCTs met the inclusion criteria. Compared to conventional treatment, combined exercise with diet seems to elicit greater reductions in ALT (MD: -13.27 CI 95% -21.39, -5.16), AST (MD: -7.02 CI 95% -11.26, -2.78) and HOMA-IR (MD: -2.07 CI 95% -2.61, -1.46) than diet (ALT MD: -4.48 CI 95% -1.01, -0.21; HOMA-IR MD: -0.61 CI 95% -1.01, -0.21) and exercise (ALT and AST non-significant; HOMA-IR MD = -0.46 CI 95% -0.8, -0.12) alone. Additionally, exercise improved quality of life, cardiorespiratory fitness, and weight (MD: -2.64 CI 95% -5.18, -0.09). CONCLUSION: Lifestyle changes are effective in the treatment of NAFLD. Diet and exercise combined are superior to these interventions alone in improving liver enzymes and HOMA-IR.

[Presence of women in medical publications in Chile]. / La mujer en las publicaciones científicas en Chile.

BACKGROUND: Despite recent initiatives and efforts, gender inequality still exists in medicine and academia. There is a higher proportion of male authors in international scientific publications. AIM: To compare the proportion of female and male authors in the scientific publications of the main medical journals in Chile. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We reviewed 1,643 Scientific articles published between 2015 and 2020 in two medical journals from Chile. Three authors analyzed the title, abstract, and authors of all published articles, recording the sex of the first author, co-authors, and corresponding author. RESULTS: The reviewed articles had a mean of 5.3 authors and there was a significant difference between men and women (a mean of 2.8 men and 2.4 women; p < 0.001). Forty-six percent (n = 761) of the articles had a female first author. In a higher proportion of papers, men completed both positions (1st and corresponding author) simultaneously. CONCLUSIONS: There are fewer female authors in scientific publications. Chile is one of the countries with a high rate of gender gap in the world. The underrepresentation of women in academia is an example of this.

Razonamiento clínico en kinesiología mediante aprendizaje basado en casos / Clinical reasoning in kinesiology by case-based learning

Introducción: En cursos clínicos con gran número de estudiantes, las experiencias clínicas con pacientes reales son limitadas, dificul-tando el logro de objetivos de aprendizaje. La didáctica aprendizaje basado en casos (ABC) promueve el pensamiento crítico y trabajo coolaborativo, aspectos esenciales para desarrollar competencias profesionales. El objetivo de este estudio fue reportar si la incorpo-ración de la metodología ABC en una asignatura clínica curricular promueve el razonamiento clínico en la formación en kinesiología. Metodología: En la asignatura curricular "evaluación cardiorrespiratoria en kinesiología", 10 grupos de 7 estudiantes desarrollaron casos clínicos de temas disciplinares seleccionados bajo criterio de jueces por expertos del área, y lo presentaron al resto de sus compañeros. Un académico guió la reflexión del tema tratado en el ABC, fomentando la discusión entre los estudiantes. Al finalizar la asignatura se evaluó la percepción de la didáctica educativa mediante encuesta y logro de objetivos de aprendizaje con indicadores académicos. Resultados: Los estudiantes reportaron gran satisfacción con la metodología, mayor preparación para actividades de campo clínico y mejoras en sus habilidades comunicacionales. El promedio obtenido en las interrogaciones y en las actividades clínicas fue superior a versiones previas de la asignatura, aumentando el porcentaje de aprobación y satisfacción con el curso. Conclusión: La incorporación de la didáctica de ABC fomentó el razonamiento clínico, reflexión y habilidades comunicacionales mejorando el rendimiento académico y promoviendo competencias profesionales. Como producto final se elaboró un libro de descarga libre con los temas tratados en los ABC, titulado: "Identificando problemas kinesiológicos: aprendizaje basado en casos".

Introduction: In clinical courses with a large number of students, clinical experiences with real patients are limited, difficult to achieve the learning objectives. The 'Case-Based Learning' (CBL), like educational methodology, promotes critical thinking and improve collaborative work, which are essential aspects of the development of professional skills. The objective of this study was to report how the incorporation of the CBL methodology in a clinical course promoted the clinical reasoning in kinesiology students. Methodology: In the curriculum subject ten groups of seven students analyzed different clinical cases and presented them to their classmates. The CBL topics were selected by academic experts, who also guided and encouraged the discussion among the students. An online survey at the end of the course assessed perceptions students participated in this methodology. The final academic indicators assessed the learning objectives of the course achieved by students that participated with this methodology. Results: The students reported high satisfaction with the CBL methodology. They showed better preparation for clinical experiences and an improvement in their communication skills. The final marks obtained in the interrogations and the clinical practice activities were higher than in previous years. There was an increase in academic approval and student satisfaction with the course. Conclusion: The incorporation of the CBL methodology enhanced clinical reasoning, reflection, and communication skills, improving academic performance, and promoting professional skills. The topics covered in the CBLs conformed a free download book, entitled: «Identifying kinesiology problems: case-based learning.