The Mount Sinai journal of medicine, New York
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The surgical outcome of percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD) for adolescent lumbar disc herniation has rarely been reported on. We performed this study to evaluate the surgical outcome of PELD for adolescent lumbar disc herniation. ⋯ Adolescents who underwent PELD for single level soft lumbar disc herniation showed favorable results that were comparable to the results of open discectomy.
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Moderate-to-severe functional tricuspid regurgitation (TR) should be corrected in patients undergoing surgery for left-sided valvular diseases, to improve long-term outcomes. Several techniques of surgical repair (suture annuloplasty or prosthetic annuloplasty) to correct this condition have been described. Multiple clinical studies have shown the superiority of prosthetic remodeling annuloplasty over the other surgical approaches. Despite this, suture-based annuloplasty remains the most commonly used technique for tricuspid valve repair. A new 3-dimensional remodeling prosthesis has been developed to address the issue of residual TR. We report our early experience with this new 3-dimensional prosthetic remodeling ring, the Edwards MC 3 system. ⋯ Concomitant tricuspid valve repair for functional TR with left-sided valve surgery carries a low operative mortality. The Edwards MC 3 annuloplasty system is relatively simple to implant and corrects TR effectively (without significant residual TR), while providing excellent short-term clinical results. The 3-dimensional saddle shape of this ring may further optimize the fixation of the annulus in systolic position, and improve long-term results. Larger clinical series with longer-term follow-up are necessary to confirm these early promising results.
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Olanzapine is an atypical antipsychotic drug approved for acute and long-term treatment of bipolar disorder. Although relatively safe as compared to other classical antipsychotic medications, there are a number of uncommon adverse effects of olanzapine such as oral cavity lesions. In addition to the relatively common side effect of dry mouth, several articles have reported an association between olanzapine treatment and the development of oral lesions such as apthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, glossitis and oral ulceration. ⋯ In the present case, xerostomia (dry mouth), which is an adverse reaction of both olanzapine and lithium, may have played a role in the development of black hairy tongue. All agents with a possible side effect of xerostomia may predispose patients to black hairy tongue, especially when they are administered in combination. To preclude the development of this complication with such drugs, extra time and effort should be given to improving oral hygiene.
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Patients presenting with chest pain and nondiagnostic electrocardiograms (ECG) in the emergency department (ED) often pose a challenge to physicians. QT dispersion (QTD) is an electrocardiographic marker of myocardial ischemia due to nonhomogenous ventricular repolarization. We hypothesized that QTD could accurately identify patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who presented with chest pain and nondiagnostic initial ECGs. ⋯ For patients with chest pain and nondiagnostic initial ECG, ACS risk is high if QTD and QTcD values are greater than 40 ms. Therefore, QTD and QTcD can help identify patients with acute coronary syndrome who present with chest pain and a nondiagnostic initial ECG. However, poor operator characteristics of QT dispersion could limit its value as a diagnostic test in the clinical setting.
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Laboratory tests comprise a significant portion of hospital expenditure. Attempts to reduce their use have had mixed results. ⋯ The intervention developed here produced significant and sustained reduction of financial savings in the number of laboratory tests ordered, without negatively impacting diagnostic capability or patient care.