Clinical medicine (London, England)
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The secondary care work stream of the National COPD Audit Programme aims to improve care and outcomes for patients with exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) wherever and whenever they are admitted to hospital. To achieve this, prospective audit is combined with real-time feedback of data to individual units, together with support for quality improvement and high-level change levers. ⋯ Only by working collaboratively across emergency, acute and general medicine, respiratory, geriatric and other teams can individual trusts deliver optimal care. This review provides background to the national COPD audit programme, relevant to all those caring for people with COPD exacerbations in secondary care.
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The perioperative period extends from the moment of contemplation of surgery through to recovery at home. Patients on a surgical pathway will experience multiple transition points in their care. ⋯ This article reviews best practice and guidance on handover of care throughout the perioperative period. We will look at models of transition of care beyond the hospital environment and how better use of community resources can smooth the transition of care out of hospital for ongoing rehabilitation.
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In this article, we review the evidence underpinning the broader prehabilitation concept and the target behavioural and lifestyle risk factors including their perioperative impact and evidence for prehabilitation intervention. We also identify principles for delivering prehabilitation in practice, alongside lessons for the perioperative setting from well-established allied interventions; cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation.
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A 34-year-old man presented to the emergency department with acute painless loss of vision of the left eye. Past medical history included painful lumps in the legs and frequent mouth ulcers, which were undiagnosed. The patient's visual acuity was 6/5 and counting fingers in the right and left eye, respectively. ⋯ Behçet's disease is a complex vasculitis involving multiple organ systems. Ocular manifestations can occur in 70% of patients, comprising retinal vasculitis, anterior uveitis, iridocyclitis, chorioretinitis, scleritis, keratitis, vitreous haemorrhage, optic neuritis, conjunctivitis, retinal vein occlusion and retinal neovascularisation. A tailored multidisciplinary approach is required, with corticosteroids being the mainstay of treatment.