Pitfalls In Management Research Articles

Shedding New Light on Cutaneous Horns: A Comprehensive Review and Pitfall of Management

Shedding New Light on Cutaneous Horns: A Comprehensive Review and Pitfall of Management

Thoracoscopic Repair for Kluth Type Ⅲb3 Esophageal Atresia and Distal TracheoesophagealFistula

IntroductionThis report aims to present our initial miniseries of successful thoracoscopic repair for esophageal atresia (EA) and distal tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) of Kluth type Ⅲb3 in accordance with Kluth's classification. MethodsFrom January 2012 to January 2024, ten patients with Kluth type Ⅲb3 EA-TEF were treated by thoracoscopic surgery. The therapeutic methods and surgical outcomes were retrospectively reviewed. ResultsAll procedures were completed thoracoscopically without conversions. A preoperative bronchoscopy assessment was conducted in four of the cases, revealing that the fistula from the distal segment was located high on the trachea at the level of T2 vertebral. The mean age of the patients at the time of operation was 2.0 ± 0.7 d (range, 1-3 d), and the mean weight at operation was 2.6 ± 0.4 kg (range, 1.8-3.0 kg). The mean operative time (skin to skin) for the entire series was 137.0 ± 8.9 min (range, 120-150 min). Oral feeding was initiated on the postoperative day 8.0 ± 1.9 (range, 6-12 d), and the mean duration for patients after surgery was 14.0 ± 2.4 d (range, 12-20 d). The postoperative period has been uneventful with no occurrences of mortality or morbidity to date. Three cases of formatted anastomotic stricture required at least one esophageal dilation after surgery. ConclusionsPediatric surgeons should be aware of the rare variants of EA-TEF to avoid the diagnostic and management pitfalls. Patients with Kluth type Ⅲb3 EA-TEF were amenable to repair by thoracoscopic surgery.

Challenges and pitfalls in the perioperative management of mediastinal mass syndrome: an up-to-date review.

The perioperative management of patients undergoing mediastinal mass operations presents a persistent challenge across multiple clinical specialties. General anesthesia administration further increases the risk of perioperative cardiorespiratory decompensation. The interdisciplinary team plays a crucial role in ensuring a safe perioperative period. However, due to the rarity and variability of mediastinal mass syndromes, specific management protocols are lacking. This review aims to outline the multitude of challenges and pitfalls encountered during perioperative management in patients with the mediastinal mass syndrome. We describe diagnostic evaluation, preoperative optimization, intraoperative considerations, and postoperative care strategies, emphasizing the paramount significance of a multidisciplinary approach and personalized treatment plans. Preoperative multidisciplinary discussions, meticulous anesthetic management, and well-established protocols for emergency situations are pivotal to ensuring patient safety. Healthcare providers involved in the care of patients with mediastinal mass syndrome must grasp these challenges and pitfalls, enabling them to deliver safe and effective perioperative management.

International scientific communication on COVID-19 data: management pitfalls understanding.

During the pandemic, countries utilized various forms of statistical estimations of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) impact. Differences between databases make direct comparisons and interpretations of data in different countries a challenge. We evaluated country-specific approaches to COVID-19 data and recommended changes that would improve future international collaborations. We compared the COVID-19 reports presented on official UK (National Health System), Israeli (Department of Health), Latvian (Center for Disease Prevention and Control) and USA (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) health authorities' websites. Our analysis demonstrated critical differences in the ways COVID-19 statistics were made available to the general and scientific communities. Specifically, the differences in approaches were found in the presentation of the number of infected cases and tests, and percentage of positive cases, the number of severe cases, the number of vaccinated, and the number and percent of deaths. Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability and Reusability principles could guide the development of essential global standards that provide a basis for communication within and outside of the scientific community.

Extreme hypernatraemia and rhabdomyolysis in a child with hyperosmolar hyperglycaemic state mixed with diabetic ketoacidosis

Abstract Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is present at diagnosis for about 40% of children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM).1 Hyperosmolar hyperglycaemic state (HHS) is another acute complication of DM more typically associated with type 2 DM in adults or adolescents. Recent evidence indicates that a mixed picture of HHS and DKA also occurs in children with type 1 DM2 but it is not frequently reported and therefore at risk of under‐recognition.Here, we report a rare case of HHS mixed with DKA as the first presentation for type 1 DM in a five‐year‐old child with underlying neurodevelopmental problems. Failure to recognise the HHS aspects led to severe hypernatraemia, hyperosmolarity, acute renal impairment and rhabdomyolysis but ultimately the child made a full recovery. This case highlights the importance of early recognition and potential pitfalls in management of mixed HHS with type 1 DM. Copyright © 2023 John Wiley & Sons.

Transcatheter Mitral Edge-to-Edge Repair for Treatment of Acute Mitral Regurgitation.

Acute mitral regurgitation (AMR) is a medical emergency which may lead to rapid clinical deterioration and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. The severity of the clinical presentation varies according to several factors, ranging from cardiogenic shock to a milder presentation. The medical management of AMR includes intravenous diuretics, vasodilators, inotropic support, and potentially mechanical support to stabilise patients. Patients persisting with refractory symptoms despite optimal medical therapy are considered for surgical intervention, but high-risk patients deemed to be inoperable frequently experience poor outcomes. This review highlights the variety of clinical presentations of AMR and the pitfalls in diagnosis and management. The emerging role of transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER), particularly in high-risk patients early after myocardial infarction requiring urgent intervention, has demonstrated feasibility and promising efficacy. TEER is well tolerated and improves hemodynamic parameters in AMR. In a recent analysis, the in-hospital and 1-year mortality rates were significantly higher with surgical mitral interventions compared with TEER. The global TEER experience for treating AMR is encouraging, with reports indicating improved clinical outcomes in high-risk patients and its potential as a bridge to recovery. Early recognition of AMR, validated criteria for patient selection, optimal timing of the intervention as well as long-term outcomes and additional prospective data should be addressed in future studies.

Pearls and pitfalls in contemporary management of marginal velopharyngeal inadequacy among children with cleft palate.

Marginal velopharyngeal inadequacy (MVPI) is a particular status of velopharyngeal closure after cleft palate repair. The physiological and phonological characteristics of patients with MVPI are significantly different from those with typical velopharyngeal insufficiency. The pathological mechanisms and diagnostic criteria of MVPI are still controversial, and there is limited evidence to guide the selection of surgical and non- surgical management options and a lack of recognized standards for treatment protocols. Based on a systematic study of the relevant literatures, this review identifies specific problems that are currently under-recognized in the diagnosis and treatment of MVPI and provides guidelines for further exploration of standardized and reasonable intervention protocols for MVPI.

Predictors of fluid responsiveness in the operating room: a narrative review.

Prediction of fluid responsiveness has been considered an essential tool for modern fluid management. However, most studies in this field have focused on patients in intensive care unit despite numerous research throughout several decades. Therefore, the present narrative review aims to show the representative method's feasibility, advantages, and limitations in predicting fluid responsiveness, focusing on the operating room environments. Firstly, we described the predictors of fluid responsiveness based on heart-lung interaction, including pulse pressure and stroke volume variations, the measurement of respiratory variations of inferior vena cava diameter, and the end-expiratory occlusion test and addressed their limitations. Subsequently, the passive leg raising test and mini-fluid challenge tests were also mentioned, which assess fluid responsiveness by mimicking a classic fluid challenge. In the last part of this review, we pointed out the pitfalls of fluid management based on fluid responsiveness prediction, which emphasized the importance of individualized decision-making. Understanding the available representative methods to predict fluid responsiveness and their associated benefits and drawbacks through this review will aid anesthesiologists in choosing the most reliable methods for optimal fluid administration in each patient during anesthesia in the operating room.

A memory footprint optimization framework for Python applications targeting edge devices

The advantages of processing data at the source motivate developers to offload computations at the edges of IoT networks. However, the computational resource constraints of edge computing devices limit the opportunities for deploying applications developed in high-level languages at the edge. In contrast to C/C++, applications developed in Python and other dynamic high-level languages, often require an increased amount of memory size, due to their inherent static memory management approach. Therefore, developers targeting the deployment of applications in dynamic high-level languages at the edge need support by methodologies and tools, which will allow these applications to exploit the limited memory resources efficiently. This work presents a memory optimization framework for applications developed in the Python programming language targeting edge devices. Aiming to avoid the inherent pitfalls of static memory management that Python’s integrated memory manager imposes, the framework targets the reduction of the required memory footprint, by integrating a set of static and dynamic optimizations. The evaluation results, based on a set of representative real-life benchmark suites and applications, show 64% average memory footprint reduction, over the CPython’s minimum baseline of 24 MB. Additionally, we investigate the impact of memory size reduction on execution time and energy consumption. The results show 51% lower execution time and 47.3% reduction in the energy consumed.

Retroperitoneal Liposarcoma Presenting as Right Inguinal Hernia - A Rare Entity

Background: The purpose of this case report is to highlight a rare entity of retroperitoneal liposarcoma presenting as inguinal hernia. Difficulty in preoperative diagnosis, surgical management & outcome are discussed. Pitfalls in diagnosis and management are also highlighted. Introduction: Inguinal hernia is a common condition with the majority of patients presenting in the surgical outpatient department. Retroperitoneal sarcoma projecting through the groin is very rare. In literature only 10 cases have been published over the last 30 years. Case Presentation: Middle age person presented in OPD with complaint of right Inguinal swelling for 1 & ½ years. He was diagnosed with right inguinal hernia. On exploration there was a huge mass communicating to retroperitoneum. Laparotomy was done & mass excised. On histopathology it was revealed to be liposarcoma. Conclusion: Sometime history, clinical examination and even investigations can be misleading but if inguinal hernia is large, growing slowly, non-reducible then retroperitoneal tumor must be ruled out carefully in differential diagnosis of hernia by extended preoperative workup.

Correlation Pitfalls with ChatGPT: Would You Fall for Them?

This paper presents an intellectual exchange with ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot, about correlation pitfalls in risk management. The exchange takes place in the form of a conversation that provides ChatGPT with context. The purpose of this conversation is to evaluate ChatGPT’s understanding of correlation pitfalls, to offer readers an engaging alternative for learning about them, but also to identify related risks. Our findings indicate that ChatGPT possesses solid knowledge of basic and mostly non-technical aspects of the topic, but falls short in terms of the mathematical rigor needed to avoid certain pitfalls or completely comprehend the underlying concepts. Nonetheless, we suggest ways in which ChatGPT can be utilized to enhance one’s own learning process.

Endocrine Dysfunction From Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: Pearls and Pitfalls in Evaluation and Management.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICPis) have proven extremely efficacious in cancer therapy but also lead to a plethora of immune-related adverse events (irAEs). The endocrine irAEs are not only quite common but also may pose a challenge to the clinician while managing a patient with cancer treated with ICPis. The clinical features of endocrine dysfunction are usually nonspecific and may overlap with concurrent illnesses, underlying the importance of accurate hormone testing and efforts toward case-finding. The management of endocrine irAEs is unique in the focus being on hormone replacement rather than curtailing the autoimmune process. Although the management of thyroid irAEs appears straightforward, adrenal insufficiency and insulin-dependent diabetes can be life-threatening if not promptly recognized and treated. This clinical review synthesizes the studies to provide pearls and pitfalls in the evaluation and management of endocrine irAEs with specific reference to guidelines from oncologic societies.

Cerebral Toxoplasmosis in a Previously Fit Individual – Pitfalls in Management – A Case Report.

Most people with toxoplasmosis infection are asymptomatic. Cerebral toxoplasmosis in HIV patient represents poor prognostic determinant, but treatable if early treatment is initiated. A case of delayed diagnosis of cerebral toxoplasmosis is presented. A 27-year-old man presented with one-sided facial numbness and treated as Bell’s Palsy. Later he developed slurred speech. Contrast enhanced CT brain showed left frontal temporal hypodense lesion, leptomeningeal enhancement and perilesional oedema. Steroid was started. Four days later, he presented with decreased responsiveness. Retroviral was detected and diagnosis changed to opportunistic brain infection. He died after 3 days. Toxoplasmosis IgG antibodies turned out positive. In diagnosing cerebral toxoplasmosis, clinical presentation and examination are as important as laboratory testing and radiological imaging.

So You Think You Are Not Losing Money in Your Practice

This is a summary article for physicans, provider, and staff to summarize basic pitfalls in revenue cycle management. Its intent is to increase utilization of current systems such as EMR while increasing efficieny through the creation of standardized operating procedures.

The Pitfall of VA ECMO management in the Impella era

Abstract Introduction VA ECMO is effective in cardiogenic shock, but complications of cardiogenic pulmonary edema due to increased afterload are problematic. The advent of percutaneous left ventricular assist devices (Impella) has enabled effective reduction of left ventricular intraventricular pressure and has avoided these complications, but differential hypoxia can still occur during VA ECMO + Impella (Ecpella) management, requiring conversion to V-AV ECMO. Cases may be experienced. Purpose Elucidate the frequency of differential hypoxia and its pathogenesis, which requires the transition from VA ECMO to V-AV ECMO. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 52 consecutive patients who underwent E-CPR from January 2017 through November 2021 in our institute. 8 patients who received ECMO alone were excluded, and 44 patients were recruited. 22 patients underwent VA ECMO with IABP (VA ECMO + IABP group) and 22 patients underwent VA ECMO with Impella (VA ECMO + Impella group). The 30-day survival rate and the rate of transition VA ECMO to VA-V ECMO, The date just before VA ECMO to V-AV ECMO were assessed. Results The 30-day all-cause mortality was no significant difference between the two groups. 2 patients (9%) in the VA ECMO + IABP group and 8 patients (36%) in the VA ECMO + Impella group were transferred to V-AV ECMO (P=0.025). At the time of addition of V-AV ECMO, SaO2 (right radial artery) was 87±7.1% and 91.3±1.9% (p=0.112) in the VA ECMO + IABP and VA ECMO + Impella groups, respectively, and the P/F ratio was 86±37.1 and 95±24.6 (p=0.685). Mean pulmonary artery wedge pressure was 23±1.4 mmHg in the VA ECMO + IABP group and 16.3±3 mmHg in the VA ECMO + Impella group (p=0.0193), significantly lower in the Impella group. Conclusion The Impella group was more likely to have hypoxia due to factors other than cardiogenic pulmonary edema. In cases of cardiopulmonary arrest requiring V-AV ECMO management, differential hypoxia due to causes other than cardiogenic pulmonary edema may become apparent earlier in the Impella group, suggesting that careful management, including the addition of V-AV ECMO, is required. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.

3.4 Psychopharmacological Treatment of Sleep Disorders

The objectives are to: 1) provide an update on the relative pros and cons of current prescription pharmacologic options available for the treatment of pediatric insomnia; 2) review the data supporting safety and efficacy of over-the-counter (OTC) medications, particularly melatonin; and 3) present an outline to assist child and adolescent mental health professionals in developing a practical and rational approach to using sedative hypnotic drugs in clinical practice, including patient and medication selection and potential pitfalls in management.

Reassessment of a Decade of Experience on Testicular Torsion: Are We Making a Mistake?

Introduction: Testicular torsion is a serious surgical emergency of children. Prompt recognition and exclusion of other acute scrotal causes are essential for avoiding testicular loss. The aim of this study was to evaluate 10 years of experience with testicular torsion, point out our pitfalls in diagnosis and management, determine our likelihood of performing orchiectomy for potentially reversible injury. Material and Method: Records of patients operated for testicular torsion in the last decade were reviewed retrospectively. Clinical findings, symptoms, type of surgery, accuracy of radiological evaluation, and the outcome were analyzed. Orchiectomy specimens were reevaluated and histologically graded to determine the existence of previously undetermined low-grade injury. Results: In total, 107 children were operated for testicular torsion. Presentation included pain 96 (89.7%), scrotal swelling 48 (44.8%). Doppler ultrasonography was performed in 96 patients with false-negative results in 26 (27%). Testicular salvage occurred in 65 (60.7%) patients of which 6 (9.2%) developed subsequent testicular atrophy. Forty-two (33.9%) patients were treated with orchiectomy and histologic reevaluation, and grading of the specimens revealed 4 (9.7%) low-grade injury which indicates a potential of reversible injury. Seventeen (13.7%) patients had normal testicular anatomy in surgery. Conclusion: Surgical exploration is mandated in case of clinical suspicion for testicular torsion even with a normal flow Doppler ultrasound. Macroscopic evaluation does not always correlate with microscopic findings, and a decision according to it may result in excision of potentially viable testis. Further studies are required to determine the actual risk of contralateral autoimmune damage and increase the rate testicular salvageability after testicular torsion.

Chronic musculoskeletal pain: traps and pitfalls in classification and management of a major global disease burden.

Mary-Ann Fitzcharles et al. propose to introduce “regional fibromyalgia” as a new diagnosis. This commentary summarizes why this term is misleading but nonetheless the article may pave the way towards useful concepts for myofascial pains.

Prevention of Infective Endocarditis of Oral Origin in Children: A Call for Pediatric Dentists–Pediatric Cardiologists’ Collaboration in Egypt

To assess knowledge and practices of some Egyptian pediatric dentists and pediatric cardiologists/cardiac surgeons regarding prevention of infective endocarditis (IE) from oral origin in children. Pediatric dentists or pediatric cardiologists/cardiac surgeons having their practice in Egypt were conveniently selected. An online questionnaire was constructed for each specialty practitioner in English using a web-based platform. Each survey tool collected data about demographics, knowledge, and practices concerning the prevention of IE of oral origin. Surveys were disseminated to potential respondents using direct messaging or posting surveys' links on high-traffic areas (blogs, groups, or pages) of commonly known social media platforms. Two-hundred and thirty-nine pediatric dentists and 71 pediatric cardiologists/cardiac surgeons' responses were included in analysis. Some shortage in oral health knowledge and deviations in management protocol from known guidelines were evident in cardiologists' responses, whereas 66.2 and 64.8% reported encountering IE of oral origin or canceling a cardiac surgery due to oral infection, respectively. Most pediatric dentists (65.7%) rely on physician referral before managing children at risk of IE despite following recognized guidelines for IE prevention which may reflect difficulty in understanding such guidelines. Ninety percent of children with heart diseases visit a dentist due to oral complaint and not for checkup. Identification of disparities and pitfalls in management of children with heart diseases, if appropriately addressed by pediatric dentists and cardiologists, may reduce the risk of IE from an oral origin. Health education of both specialists and development of national guidelines based on national epidemiology and clinical experience of cardiologists are strongly needed to decrease oral disease burden, allow for a consensus of patient management, and minimize the need for cross-referral, thus facilitating dental management without undue delays.

Pitfalls in the hemostatic management of a liver transplantation

Liver Transplantation is fraught with thrombo-hemorrhagic complications, due to the precarious hemostasis of the recipient, anhepatic conditions, and the release of hemostatic factors from the allograft. Disseminated intravascular coagulation and its “flat-line” variant are common causes of hemorrhage and thrombosis, and frequently force the clinician along with a delicate balance between hemorrhage and thrombosis. We present a case that highlights some of the more challenging diagnostic and management decisions in liver transplantation and presents a safe and carefully structured approach to hyperfibrinolysis in liver transplantation.