Irish journal of medical science
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The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Ireland was on February 29th 2020. From March until late April, the number of cases increased exponentially. The delivery of anti-cancer therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic was extremely challenging. In order to balance the benefits of continuing anti-cancer therapy with the associated increased hospital visits, combined with the risk of COVID-19 infection, we undertook a series of system changes in the delivery of cancer care. ⋯ With careful systematic changes, safe and continued delivery of systemic anti-cancer therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic is possible.
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The vast majority of sudden and unexpected natural deaths are related to cardiovascular diseases, especially coronary artery diseases. ⋯ In our study, it was found that deaths due to coronary artery disease are seen at an older age than cardiac deaths other than coronary artery disease. In addition, in line with current knowledge, it has been confirmed that the mortality rate of coronary artery disease is higher in men than in women.
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The coronavirus pandemic resulted in dramatic changes and challenges to healthcare practices. We endeavoured to establish the experiences of families of children attending a neurodevelopmental service after a transition to virtual consultations. ⋯ This study highlights the high level of parental satisfaction with the service, but especially satisfaction with the unplanned transition to virtual clinics. Virtual clinics cannot replace the holistic approach gained from face-to-face consultations; however, we identified their benefits of convenience and accessibility for our vulnerable population. In response, we have developed an integrated outpatient service involving both forms of consultation to potentiate satisfaction and adapt to meet the needs of our patients. The suggested proforma that has been developed offers a simple structure for undertaking a virtual consultation that can be adapted to different specialities, integrating the suggestions provided by our service users.
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Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is a chronic autoimmune condition characterised by autoimmune destruction of the pancreatic beta cell. It is associated with macrovascular and microvascular complications. Tight glycaemic control has been shown to ameliorate the long-term complications of T1DM, but this benefit has to be balanced with the risk and fear of hypoglycaemia. ⋯ More recently, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems, which measure interstitial glucose, have become available. CGM systems remove or significantly reduce the need for blood glucose testing and have been shown in real world and clinical trial settings to improve glycaemic control, reduce frequency of hypoglycaemia, improve recognition of hypoglycaemia and improve quality of life. The question now is whether CGM should replace capillary blood glucose measurements and be offered to all patients with T1DM.