South African medical journal = Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir geneeskunde
-
Procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) is often required to perform dental procedures in children. Serious adverse outcomes, while rare, are usually preventable. ⋯ Paediatric dental chair PSA was offered by 44.1% of dental practitioners interviewed in Gauteng. Modalities of PSA provided varied between practices, with a number of safety concerns being raised.
-
Early cooling with 10 - 20 minutes of cool running water up to 3 hours after a burn has a direct impact on the depth of the burn and therefore on the clinical outcome of the injury. An assessment of the early cooling of burns is essential to improve this aspect of burns management. ⋯ Appropriate cooling of severe burns presenting to Edendale Hospital is inadequate. Education of the community and prehospital healthcare workers about the iiportance of early appropriate cooling of severe burns is required. Many patients would benefit from cooling of their burns in the ED, and facilities should be provided for this vital function.
-
Observational Study
A prospective observational study of bacteraemia in adults admitted to an urban Mozambican hospital.
Bacteraemia is a common cause of fever among patients presenting to hospitals in sub-Saharan Africa. The worldwide rise of antibiotic resistance makes empirical therapy increasingly difficult, especially in resource-limited settings. ⋯ This study highlights several opportunities for quality improvement, including educating doctors to have a higher index of suspicion for bacteraemia, improving local antibiotic guidelines, improving communication between laboratory and doctors, and increasing the supply of some key antibiotics.
-
Bloodstream infections (BSIs) cause considerable morbidity and mortality. The epidemiology of bacterial infections differs in community and hospital settings. Regular surveillance and reporting of pathogens and antimicrobial susceptibility can assist in appropriate management of BSIs. ⋯ The distinction between community- and healthcare-acquired infections is critical in antibiotic selection because narrow-spectrum agents can be utilised for community-acquired infections. The considerable antibiotic resistance of healthcare-acquired pathogens highlights the importance of infection prevention and control. This type of surveillance could be incorporated into routine laboratory practice.