Medicina clinica
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Diuretics are widely recommended in patients with acute heart failure (AHF). Unfortunately, despite their widespread use, limited data are available from randomized clinical trials to guide clinicians on the appropriate management of diuretic therapy. Loop diuretics are considered the first-line diuretic therapy, especially intravenous furosemide, but the best mode of administration (high-dose versus low-dose and continuous infusion versus bolus) is unclear. ⋯ Thiazide diuretics can also be helpful as they have synergic effects with loop diuretics by inhibiting sodium reabsorption in distal parts of the nephron. The effect of diuretic therapy in AHF should be monitored with careful observation of clinical signs and symptoms of congestion. Serum electrolytes and kidney function should also be monitored during the use of intravenous diuretics.
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Acute heart failure episodes, whether onset or decompensation of a chronic form, are most often precipitated by a concurrent process or disease, described as precipitating factors of heart failure. In this article, we review these precipitating factors, their proportions and clinical relevance in general and in subgroups of patients, their relationship with prognosis, and their possible prevention.
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The problems involved in caring for individuals in custody, as well as deaths that occur during custody, are relevant aspects of legal and forensic medicine in terms of the possible criminal, civil and administrative responsibility of health professionals and/or public or private institutions that might hold individuals in custody and deprived of freedom. The rule of law should ensure that these cases comply with state law and international agreements and treaties related to human rights and the special treatment of individuals deprived of freedom in hospitals or detention centers. ⋯ In these cases, both the immediate healthcare treatment subsequent to the events and the medical-forensic study should be particularly careful. These situations, which are often high profile, cause social alarm and involve judicial actions that can result in especially severe liabilities.
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Clinical safety and medical professional liability are international major concerns, especially in surgical specialties such as urology. This article analyzes the claims filed at the Council of Medical Colleges of Catalonia between 1990 and 2012, exploring urology procedures. ⋯ Higher frequencies related to scrotal-testicular pathology (34%), especially testicular torsion (7.5%) and vasectomy (19.6%), and prostate pathology (26 %), more specifically the surgical treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (17.9%). Although urology is not among the specialties with the higher frequency of claims, there are special areas of litigation in which it is advisable to implement improvements in clinical safety.