[Professional versus public attitudes towards criminal charges in healthcare - registered nurses and a random national panel compared: Dark clouds on the horizon?]

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study is to encourage a discussion on patient safety and public responses to serious incidents in healthcare. Triggered by the first of its kind in Iceland, it addresses the question what characterizes attitudes towards criminal charges for a serious incident in healthcare. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this comparative study we examined whether attitudes towards culpability of healthcare professionals differed between cohorts from a random national panel and registered Icelandic nurses. Both groups were asked whether a healthcare professional should face criminal charges if causing serious harm or death due to human error, accident, neglect or intent. Answers were given on a Likert scale. RESULTS: When asked if a healthcare professional causing serious harm or death due to human error or by accident should face criminal charges, nurses were significantly more likely to somewhat or strongly disagree, while the panel was significantly more likely to somewhat or strongly agree. The difference was inversely proportional to educational levels among the panel members. When asked whether a healthcare professional should be charged for causing serious harm or death due to neglect or intent, there was no significant difference between the groups. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that healthcare professionals, as represented by Icelandic nurses, do not seek to avoid accountability in serious patient incidents, but implicate the importance of distinguishing between the different nature of incidents. The results show that a more informed public debate on serious health-care incidents is needed in which appropriate measures protecting patient safety as well as professional safety are ensured.

[Non-cardiac chest pain and its association with persistent chest pain and poor mental well-being].

INTRODUCTION: An estimated 50-75% of visits to cardiac emergency departments are due to chest pain which is non-cardiac in nature (non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP). This study evaluates the prevalence of NCCP in the emergency departments at Landspitali, and assesses its association with continued chest-pain post discharge, mental well--being and the information-provision provided to NCCP patients during hospitalization. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Participants were 390 patients (18-65 years) presenting with chest pain to the cardiac emergency or the general emergency department at Landspitali from October 2015-May 2016. Measurements included questionnaires assessing somatic symptoms, mental well-being and quality of life, and questions regarding continued chest-pain and information-provision during hospitalization. RESULTS: In total 72% of participants (282) were considered having NCCP while 24% (92) had cardiac disease. NCCP patients experienced a similar burden of somatic and depressive symptoms, but slightly more anxiety and mental distress than cardiac patients. Equal proportions (60%) of NCCP and cardiac patients reported having experienced chestpain post discharge. Continued chest-pain was, however, associated with greater anxiety (ß=0.18, p<0.001) and depression (ß=0.18, p<0.003) among NCCP patients. Thirty percent of NCCP patients lacked instructions of how to respond to continued chest-pain and only 40% received information regarding other possible causes of chest pain. CONCLUSION: NCCP was prevalent among patients presenting to emergency departments at Landspitali. The majority of NCCP patients experienced continued chest-pain after discharge, and such pain experience was associated with mental distress. A third of NCCP patients lacked information about possible causes for the pain and advice about coping with symptoms.

[Do opioids, sedatives and proton-pump inhibitors increase the risk of fractures?]

INTRODUCTION: A pharmacoepidemiological study was conducted to analyse the relationship between bone fracture and the use of certain drugs. MATERIAL/METHODS: The study includes patients 40 years and older, diagnosed with bone fractures in the Emergency Department of Landspitali University Hospital in Reykjavik, Iceland, during a 10-year period (2002-2011). Also were included those who picked up from a pharmacy 90 DDD or more per year of the drugs included in the study in the capital region of Iceland during same period. Opiates, benzodiazepines/hypnotics (sedatives) were compared with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins), non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) and beta blockers. Proton-pump inhibitors (PPI) and histamine H2-antagonists were also examined. To examine the association between above drugs and fractures the data from electronic hospital database were matched to the prescription database run by the Directorate of Health. RESULTS: A total of 29,056 fractures in 22,891 individuals were identified. The females with fractures were significantly older and twice as many, compared to males. The odds ratio (OR) for fractures was not significantly different between the NSAID, statins and beta blockers. OR for opiates showed almost double increased risk of fractures, 40% increased risk for sedatives and 30% increased risk for PPIs compared to beta blockers. No increased fracture-risk was noted in patients taking H2 antagonists. CONCLUSION: This study shows a relationship between the use of opiates, sedatives and bone fractures. The incidence of fractures was also increased in patients taking PPIs which is interesting in the light of the wide-spread use of PPIs in the community. Key words: Opiates, sedatives, proton- pump inhibitors, fractures. Correspondence: Magnus Johannsson, magjoh@hi.is.

[Visits of patients with exertional rhabdomyolysis to the Emergency Department at Landspítali, The National University Hospital of Iceland in the years 2008-2012]. / Komur á bráðamóttöku Landspítala vegna áreynslurákvöðvarofs árin 2008-2012

INTRODUCTION: Overexertion and too much training are among the -multiple etiologies of rhabdomyolysis. Creatine kinase (CK) and myo-globine, released from skeletal muscle cells, are useful for diagnosis and follow-up. Acute kidney injury is a serious complication of myoglobinemia. Literature on exertional rhabdomyolysis in the general population is scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiology of exertional rhabdomyolysis among patients diagnosed at Landspítali The National University Hospital of Iceland in 2008-2012. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was retrospective and observational. All patients presenting with muscle pain after exertion and elevated creatine kinase >1000 IU/L, during the period from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2012, were included. Patients with CK elevations secondary to causes other than exertion were excluded. Variables included: patient number and gender, CK-levels, date of hospital admission, cause of rhabdomyolysis, location of injured muscle groups, length of hospital stay, complications and means of fluid replacement. Population figures of the capital region were gathered from Statistics Iceland and information on sport practice in the capital region from The National Olympic and Sports Association of Iceland. RESULTS: Exertional rhabdomyolysis was diagnosed in 54 patients, 18 females (33,3%) and 36 males (66,7%), or 8,3% of rhabdomyolysis cases from all causes in the study period (648 cases). Incidence in the capital region was 5,0/100.000 inhabitants per year in the study period. Median age was 28 years and median CK-level was 24.132 IU/L. CK-levels were higher among females but the difference between genders was not significant. Muscle groups of the upper and lower extremities were most frequently affected (89%). Thirty patients received intravenous fluids. They had significantly higher CK values than other patients. One patient developed acute kidney injury. Information on sport practice and physical training in the capital region was not available. CONCLUSION: Exertional rhabdomyolysis is uncommon but mostly affects younger people. Information on the practice of exertion among males and females is not available but CK-levels were not significantly different between genders, age groups or different muscle groups. CK-levels were high but complications uncommon. Studies of exertional rhabdomyolysis in the general population are lacking. KEY WORDS: Rhabdomyolysis, exertion, sports, physical training, CK elevation. Correspondence: Brynjolfur Mogensen, brynmog@landspitali.is.

[Cervicofascial subcutaneous emphysema and pneumomediastinum following routine restorative dentistry--two case reports]. / Skyndilegur broti í andliti og þyngslaverkur yfir brjóstkassa eftir tannvidgerd--tvö sjúkratilfelli.

Although a well-known complication of dental treatment, cervicofacial subcutaneous emphysema is uncommon, especially with co-existing pneumomediastinum. This complication is usually attributed to high-speed air-driven handpieces or air-water syringes. Pneumomediastinum is usually self-limiting but potentially life threatening. We present two cases where both patients suffered from cervicofacial subcutaneous emphysema, one additionally having pneumomediastinum following routine restorative dentistry.