[Intravenous thrombolysis for ischemic stroke: Experience in 54 patients]. / Trombolisis intravenosa en accidente cerebro vascular isquémico agudo en un hospital público de Chile: Análisis prospectivo de 54 casos.

BACKGROUND: Intravenous thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) reduces disability in patients with ischemic stroke. However, its implementation in Chilean public general hospitals has been slow and faces some difficulties. AIM: To analyze the results of an intravenous thrombolysis protocol implementation in a public general hospital. MATERIAL AND METHODS: During a lapse of 28 months a standardized protocol for intravenous thrombolysis implemented in the emergency room of a public hospital, was prospectively evaluated. Fifty four patients with ischemic stroke were treated and assessed three months later as outpatients. RESULTS: At three months of follow-up, 66.4% of patients subjected to thrombolysis had a favorable evolution, defined as having 0 to 1 points in the modified Rankin scale. Intracerebral hemorrhage rate was 11.1%, including 5.5% of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage. Four percent of patients had systemic bleeding complications after thrombolysis. The mortality rate was 14.8%. CONCLUSIONS: The success rates, mortality, and complications rate were comparable to the results obtained in international studies, despite of the absence of a stroke unit to manage stroke and its complications.

Trombolisis intravenosa en accidente cerebro vascular isquémico agudo en un hospital público de Chile: análisis prospectivo de 54 casos / Intravenous thrombolysis for ischemic stroke: experience in 54 patients

Background: Intravenous thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) reduces disability in patients with ischemic stroke. However, its implementation in Chilean public general hospitals has been slow and faces some difficulties. Aim: To analyze the results of an intravenous thrombolysis protocol implementation in a public general hospital. Material and Methods: During a lapse of 28 months a standardized protocol for intravenous thrombolysis implemented in the emergency room of a public hospital, was prospectively evaluated. Fifty four patients with ischemic stroke were treated and assessed three months later as outpatients. Results: At three months of follow-up, 66.4% of patients subjected to thrombolysis had a favorable evolution, defined as having 0 to 1 points in the modified Rankin scale. Intracerebral hemorrhage rate was 11.1%, including 5.5% of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage. Four percent of patients had systemic bleeding complications after thrombolysis. The mortality rate was 14.8%. Conclusions: The success rates, mortality, and complications rate were comparable to the results obtained in international studies, despite of the absence of a stroke unit to manage stroke and its complications.

La punción del acceso vascular en hemodiálisis es una necesidad, el método Buttonhole una opción / Vascular access puncture in haemodialysis is a necessity. The buttonhole method is an option

Introducción. La técnica de punción del acceso, además de influir en la supervivencia de éste, es motivo de ansiedad y disconfort para el paciente. Existen tres técnicas de punción: escalera, área de punción y Buttonhole. Estudios realizados sobre esta última la asocian con disminución de dolor y de las complicaciones asociadas a la punción. Objetivo Introducción del método de punción Buttonhole en nuestra Unidad. Metodología Estudio descriptivo observacional, realizado en nuestra unidad de hemodiálisis. Se han incluido en este estudio todos los pacientes de hemodiálisis portadores de fístula arterio-venosa sana y no protésica. La muestra será de 35 pacientes randomizados aleatoriamente con un periodo de seguimiento de 6 meses. Previamente al inicio del estudio enfermería se formó en la técnica y se creó un protocolo de punción específico. Cada hemodiálisis se recogen todas las variables a analizar en una hoja de registro. Se aplica estadística descriptiva para las variables. t de Student para la diferencia entre medias y x2 y prueba exacta de Fisher para la de proporciones, considerando significativo p<0.05. Análisis de la supervivencia Kaplan-Meier. Paquete estadístico SPSS 14.0. Resultados La sensación de dolor durante la punción y el tiempo de hemostasia han disminuido significativamente en todos los pacientes. Durante el periodo del estudio no se ha producido ninguna complicación. Conclusiones La técnica Buttonhole disminuye el dolor percibido por el paciente comportando una mayor satisfacción. El Buttonhole es una buena alternativa para accesos poco desarrollados o con problemas de punción favoreciendo las opciones de auto-punción y hemodiálisis domiciliaria (AU)

Introduction. The access puncture technique, as well as affecting survival, is a cause for anxiety and discomfort for the patient. There are three puncture techniques: rope-ladder, area and buttonhole. Studies carried out on this last method associate it to a reduction in pain and the complications associated to puncture. Aim To introduce the buttonhole puncture method in our Unit. Methodology Observational descriptive study, carried out at our haemodialysis unit. All the patients on haemodialysis with a healthy and non-prosthetic arteriovenous fistula were included in this study. The sample will be 35 randomized patients with a monitoring period of 6 months. Prior to commencing the study, nursing staff were trained in the technique and a specific puncture protocol was created. All the variables to be analysed are recorded at each haemodialysis session. Descriptive statistics is applied for the Student t variable for the difference between means and x2 and Fisher’s exact test for the proportions, where p<0.05 is considered significant. Kaplan- Meier survival analysis. SPSS 14.0. statistical package. Results The sensation of pain during puncture and bleeding time were reduced significantly in all patients. No complications occurred during the study period. Conclusions The buttonhole puncture technique reduces the pain perceived by the patient, giving greater satisfaction. The buttonhole puncture technique is a good alternative for accesses that are not well developed or have puncture problems, favouring self-puncture and home haemodialysis options (AU)

[Health-related quality of life in elderly in a primary care unit]. / Calidad de vida relacionada con la salud en adultos mayores de una clínica de medicina familiar.

OBJECTIVE: To know the self-perceived quality of life by elderly patients through two evaluation instruments. METHODS: A prospective, observational, cross-sectional, and descriptive study. Successful information of 178 elder adults attending medical consultation was obtained with the purpose of evaluating the quality of life, through two validated questionnaires: Nottingham Health Profile and Coop/Wonca charts. The U Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis test were used, with a significant level of 0.05. RESULTS: The worst statistical quality of life variables in both tests were: women, widow, low studies level and no working. In relation with the coexisting chronic medical conditions for the health profile: diabetes mellitus patients showed a worse quality in all dimensions with statistical significance. As for the charts, cardiac disease patients showed the same situation. CONCLUSIONS: In both tests, similar data in relation with the factors that condition a poor quality of life were found.

Una actuación de enfermería: intentar aliviar el dolor en las punciones de hemodiálisis / A nursing action: trying to alleviate pain in haemodialysis punctures

La teoría de control de la compuerta, propuesta originalmente en 1965 (Melzack y Wall), sugiere que la estimulación cutánea puede aliviar el dolor mediante la activación de las fibras nerviosas nociceptivas de diámetro grande. Nuestro objetivo consiste en averiguar si, en la práctica clínica, un dolor breve- moderado puede aliviar un dolor más intenso en una zona cercana, en este caso la punción en hemodiálisis. La técnica consiste en realizar una hiperestimulación sensorial mediante la mayor compresión de smarch utilizado para la punción, para posteriormente recoger la valoración del grado de dolor por parte del paciente. Podemos concluir que la compresión extra del miembro portador del acceso vascular reduce significativamente el grado de dolor en las punciones venosas. La compression extra en las punciones arteriales también reduce el grado de dolor, aunque no hemos encontrado diferencias significativas

The gate control theory, originally proposed in 1965 (Melzackand Wall), suggests that cutaneous stimulation can alleviate Pain by activating large-diameter nociceptive nerve fibres. Our aim is to verify whether, in clinical practice, a brief-moderate pain can alleviate more intense pain in a nearby area, in this case the haemodialysis puncture. The technique consists of creating sensorial hyperstimulation by greater compression of the Es march used for the puncture, and then examining the evaluation of the level of pain by the patient. We can conclude that the extra compression of the member bearing the vascular access significantly reduces the level of pain in venous punctures. The extra compression in arterial punctures also reduces the level of pain, although we have not found significant differences