[Optimising postoperative recovery at home; individualised discharge policy and task division between GP and medical specialist]. / Optimaliseren van postoperatief herstel thuis.

In the last decennia, the length of hospital stay of admitted patients has significantly decreased in all medical fields. As a result, postoperative recovery mainly takes place at home, inherently leading to new challenges. Here, two patients are being discussed for whom the postoperative period was substandard. To guarantee optimal quality of care in the home situation, the medical specialist and the general practitioner need to make the necessary arrangements. We would first of all recommend providing each discharged patient with specific, structured and individualised advices regarding postoperative recovery but also regarding alarm symptoms and logistics (e.g. who to call in case of emergency). Finally, we believe that, as (serious) complications are rare, it should be agreed on the fact that the responsible medical specialist is the coordinator of the postoperative period and the first contact point for postoperative patients.

[The lower lipbumper]. / De lipbumber in de onderkaak.

This article describes the application and efficacy of the lipbumper used in the lower arch.

Frequency of infection among patients with rheumatoid arthritis versus patients with osteoarthritis or soft tissue rheumatism.

We compared the frequencies and types of infections that occurred in 448 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) versus those occurring in 185 control patients who had osteoarthritis or soft tissue rheumatism. At least 1 infection developed in 23% of the RA patients and in 27% of the control patients. Using a series of risk factors, we found no substantial difference in the risk of infection in RA patients compared with that in control patients. Some of these factors, such as being female, having poor functional capacity, and receiving glucocorticoid treatment, were associated with different levels of risk for infection, but the levels were similar in RA patients and control patients.