Articles: mortality.
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Public health reports · Sep 2001
Comparative StudyBlack-white inequalities in mortality and life expectancy, 1933-1999: implications for healthy people 2010.
Optimistic predictions for the Healthy People 2010 goals of eliminating racial/ethnic disparities in health have been made based on absolute improvements in life expectancy and mortality. This study sought to determine whether there is evidence of relative improvement (a more valid measure of inequality) in life expectancy and mortality, and whether such improvement, if demonstrated, predicts future success in eliminating disparities. ⋯ The rationale that underlies the optimistic Healthy People 2010 forecasts, that future success can be built on a foundation of past success, is not supported when relative measures of inequality are used. There has been no sustained decrease in black-white inequalities in age-adjusted mortality or life expectancy at birth at the national level since 1945. Without fundamental changes, most probably related to the ways medical and public health practitioners are trained, evaluated, and compensated for prevention-related activities, as well as further research on translating the findings of prevention studies into clinical practice, it is likely that simply reducing disparities in access to care and/or medical treatment will be insufficient. Millions of premature deaths will continue to occur among African Americans.
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Patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) have a high mortality and morbidity. This pilot study was undertaken to identify contributors to outcome in the early management of patients with TBI and to investigate the feasibility of a larger study. ⋯ Both initial GCS and severity of brain injury should be used to match TBI patients for injury severity in future studies. Lower initial GCS in deceased patients was likely due to greater severity of brain injury, although it is also possible that the lower GCS was due to decreased brain perfusion (perhaps reflecting inadequate resuscitation) in these patients. Volume of early fluid resuscitation, time to definitive therapy, and time of presentation to hospital may also be important determinants of patient outcome. A large case control outcome study is required to extend these observations.
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1) To describe injuries experienced by the male prisoner population in the Kingston, Ontario area, and to compare them with those observed in the general population; and 2) to compare the incidence and patterns of prisoner injuries seen in emergency departments (EDs) before and after the introduction of a prison injury triage system. ⋯ The introduction of the new triage system appeared to be associated with a decrease in the total number of ED visits by prisoners. The relative acuity of prisoner injuries seen in the EDs appeared to increase following introduction of the triage system.
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To review the medical literature, emphasizing the new scientific advances in the treatment of persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn. SOURCES: Literature review using Medline and Cochrane library. SUMMARY OF THE ⋯ The mortality due to PPHN has significantly decreased with the use of new therapies, and the major concern today is the quality of life of these patients, especially in terms of neuropsychomotor development.