Generalized loss of muscle mass is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in patients with cancer. The gold standard to measure muscle mass is by using computed tomography (CT). However, the aim of this prospective observational cohort study was to determine whether point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) could be an easy-to-use, bedside measurement alternative to evaluate muscle status. Patients scheduled for major abdominal cancer surgery with a recent preoperative CT scan available were included. POCUS was used to measure the muscle thickness of mm. biceps brachii, mm. recti femoris, and mm. vasti intermedius 1 day prior to surgery. The total skeletal muscle index (SMI) was derived from patients’ abdominal CT scan at the third lumbar level. Muscle force of the upper and lower extremities was measured using a handheld dynamometer. A total of 165 patients were included (55% male; 65 ± 12 years). All POCUS measurements of muscle thickness had a statistically significant correlation with CT-derived SMI (r ≥ 0.48; p < 0.001). The strongest correlation between POCUS muscle measurements and SMI was observed when all POCUS muscle groups were added together (r = 0.73; p < 0.001). Muscle strength had a stronger correlation with POCUS-measured muscle thickness than with CT-derived SMI. To conclude, this study indicated a strong correlation between combined muscle thickness measurements performed by POCUS- and CT-derived SMI and measurements of muscle strength. These results suggest that handheld ultrasound is a valid tool for the assessment of skeletal muscle status.
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Reflectie op de vraag hoe professioneel, of methodisch het handelen in de praktijk van professionele begeleiding in feite is. In dit artikel verkennen we drie voorbeelden uit onze begeleidingspraktijk waarin we ons verbazen over de wending die het gesprek krijgt, of kan krijgen. We onderzoeken daarbij zowel het methodische als het magische. Ook al is het niet goed (be) grijpbaar wat een begeleider daarin doet, we doen toch een poging om te expliciteren wat er gebeurt. En wel hoe we als begeleider ervaren, dat in de begeleiding inderdaad iets magisch lijkt te gebeuren.
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Het North Hawaii Community Hospital is een privaat, regionaal ziekenhuis zonder winstoogmerk, dat meer dan 30.000 inwoners op het noordelijk deel van het eiland Hawaï bedient. Het NHCH opende in mei 1996 zijn deuren voor het publiek. Het heeft de ambitie om het meest helende ziekenhuis ter wereld te zijn.
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Abstract Aims: To lower the threshold for applying ultrasound (US) guidance during peripheral intravenous cannulation, nurses need to be trained and gain experience in using this technique. The primary outcome was to quantify the number of procedures novices require to perform before competency in US-guided peripheral intravenous cannulation was achieved. Materials and methods: A multicenter prospective observational study, divided into two phases after a theoretical training session: a handson training session and a supervised life-case training session. The number of US-guided peripheral intravenous cannulations a participant needed to perform in the life-case setting to become competent was the outcome of interest. Cusum analysis was used to determine the learning curve of each individual participant. Results: Forty-nine practitioners participated and performed 1855 procedures. First attempt cannulation success was 73% during the first procedure, but increased to 98% on the fortieth attempt (p<0.001). The overall first attempt success rate during this study was 93%. The cusum learning curve for each practitioner showed that a mean number of 34 procedures was required to achieve competency. Time needed to perform a procedure successfully decreased when more experience was achieved by the practitioner, from 14±3 minutes on first procedure to 3±1 minutes during the fortieth procedure (p<0.001). Conclusions: Competency in US-guided peripheral intravenous cannulation can be gained after following a fixed educational curriculum, resulting in an increased first attempt cannulation success as the number of performed procedures increased.
MULTIFILE
Dat technologie goed is voor de economie, dat is al eerder gesuggereerd. Maar is technologie ook goed voor het sociale van onze samenleving? We zijn digitaal en worden steeds digitaler, worden we er nu ook sociaal beter van? En hoe kun je technologie gebruiken om de sociale kwaliteit te verhogen? Met deze vragen worstelde Digistein de afgelopen jaren. In deze publicatie wordt verslag gedaan van dat experiment. Digistein is een van de vier landelijke pilotprojecten geweest waarin gekxperimenteerd werd met ICT als drager van sociale interventies, van maatschappelijke ontwikkeling.
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