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Singapore Medical Journal Mar 2020One in three community-dwelling elderly aged ≥ 65 years and one in two aged > 80 years will have at least one fall within a year. Many elderly people are 'silent...
One in three community-dwelling elderly aged ≥ 65 years and one in two aged > 80 years will have at least one fall within a year. Many elderly people are 'silent fallers' who do not report the fall nor seek medical assistance unless they are injured. In Singapore, falls account for 40% of injury-related deaths. Unaddressed risk factors for falls lead to recurrent falls and poor quality of life. Elderly people who have experienced falls and near falls can have a fear of falling, post-fall anxiety syndrome, depression and reduction in activities, with a negative impact on their well-being. Primary care doctors can screen and optimise modifiable risk factors such as poor vision, balance, poor gait, motor weakness, joint disorders, psychotropic drugs, sedatives, anti-hypertension medications, choice of footwear and environment factors. Timely referrals for cataract operations, balance and strengthening exercises, and osteoporosis treatment can reduce the risk of falls and injurious outcomes.
Topics: Accidental Falls; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Female; Humans; Independent Living; Male; Primary Health Care; Referral and Consultation; Risk Factors; Singapore
PubMed: 32488276
DOI: 10.11622/smedj.2020029 -
BMC Pediatrics Sep 2021We looked at existing recommendations for preventing unintentional injuries in children under five years of age, and we attempted to identify the main sources used as... (Review)
Review
We looked at existing recommendations for preventing unintentional injuries in children under five years of age, and we attempted to identify the main sources used as evidence for formulating these recommendations.We conducted a literature search up to the 18th October 2019 by using key terms and manual search in selected sources. We summarized the recommendations and source of the evidence in tables for each of five areas of unintentional injuries: road traffic injuries, drowning, poisoning, thermal injuries, falls.In 2008, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a comprehensive report with strategies for child injury prevention for the European region. More recently, the WHO published several guidance documents focused on one area such as drowning, usually with a global focus. The PrevInfad workgroup (Spanish Association of Primary Care Pediatrics) updated their document on road safety in April 2019, providing recommendations and a summary of the existing evidence. Preventive strategies for injuries in childhood are mainly based on surveillance data and the identification of risk factors. The key strategies for preventing unintentional injuries are a combination of environmental and behaviour modification, that can be achieved through engineering, enforcement and education. Consequently, for this kind of strategies, it is important to evaluate the effectiveness of both the intervention itself, and the way the intervention is advised to parents and caretakers so that there is good compliance of the recommendation.
Topics: Accidental Falls; Accidental Injuries; Accidents, Traffic; Burns; Child; Child, Preschool; Drowning; Humans; Infant; Risk Factors; Wounds and Injuries
PubMed: 34496772
DOI: 10.1186/s12887-021-02517-2 -
The Medico-legal Journal Mar 2022Internationally, drowning is a leading cause of accidental death that features in many legal cases. In these cases, possible mitigations and the 'pain and suffering' in...
Internationally, drowning is a leading cause of accidental death that features in many legal cases. In these cases, possible mitigations and the 'pain and suffering' in terms of the duration and subjective experience of drowning are often pivotal in determining levels of compensation and outcome. As a result, there is a requirement to understand the stages of the drowning process, and the duration and physiological and subjective responses associated with each stage. In this short review we focus on these issues.
Topics: Drowning; Humans
PubMed: 34791956
DOI: 10.1177/00258172211053127 -
Pediatrics Apr 2023Although the US infant mortality rate reached a record low in 2020, the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) rate increased from 2019. To understand if the increase was...
OBJECTIVE
Although the US infant mortality rate reached a record low in 2020, the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) rate increased from 2019. To understand if the increase was related to changing death certification practices or the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, we examined sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) rates as a group, by cause, and by race and ethnicity.
METHODS
We estimated SUID rates during 2015 to 2020 using US period-linked birth and death data. SUID included SIDS, unknown cause, and accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed. We examined changes in rates from 2019 to 2020 and assessed linear trends during prepandemic (2015-2019) using weighted least squares regression. We also assessed race and ethnicity trends and quantified COVID-19-related SUID.
RESULTS
Although the SIDS rate increased significantly from 2019 to 2020 (P < .001), the overall SUID rate did not (P = .24). The increased SIDS rate followed a declining linear trend in SIDS during 2015 to 2019 (P < .001). Other SUID causes did not change significantly. Our race and ethnicity analysis showed SUID rates increased significantly for non-Hispanic Black infants from 2019 to 2020, widening the disparities between these two groups during 2017 to 2019. In 2020, <10 of the 3328 SUID had a COVID-19 code.
CONCLUSIONS
Diagnositic shifting likely explained the increased SIDS rate in 2020. Why the SUID rate increased for non-Hispanic Black infants is unknown, but warrants continued monitoring. Interventions are needed to address persistent racial and ethnic disparities in SUID.
Topics: Humans; Infant; Asphyxia; Cause of Death; COVID-19; Infant Mortality; Risk Factors; Sudden Infant Death; Black or African American
PubMed: 36911916
DOI: 10.1542/peds.2022-058820 -
Andes Pediatrica : Revista Chilena de... Oct 2022Injuries and deaths in traffic accidents are a significant public health problem, and the correct use of child restraint systems (CRS) is an effective way to prevent... (Review)
Review
Injuries and deaths in traffic accidents are a significant public health problem, and the correct use of child restraint systems (CRS) is an effective way to prevent injuries and deaths in minors. Unfor tunately, despite a legal regulatory framework, the use of these devices is low and, most of the time, inappropriate, which puts the integrity of children at risk during transportation in a motorized vehi cle. The goal of this review is to enable clinicians caring for children to understand the complexity of the subject, to obtain an adequate knowledge regarding CRS, current regulations, and international practices, and a comprehensive view of the existing options for transporting children and youth with special needs.
Topics: Adolescent; Humans; Child; Accidents, Traffic; Child Restraint Systems
PubMed: 37906897
DOI: 10.32641/andespediatr.v93i5.4262 -
Current Biology : CB Jun 2021Interview with Dori Derdikman, who studies spatial memory and navigation at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology.
Interview with Dori Derdikman, who studies spatial memory and navigation at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology.
Topics: Animals; Drowning; History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; Humans; Israel; Male; Neurosciences; Research Personnel; Spatial Memory; Spatial Navigation
PubMed: 34102112
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.04.058 -
Ugeskrift For Laeger Oct 2023According to the International Life Saving Federation (ILS), integrating lifeguards in the local or regional emergency medical service (EMS) is a necessity to prevent... (Review)
Review
According to the International Life Saving Federation (ILS), integrating lifeguards in the local or regional emergency medical service (EMS) is a necessity to prevent drowning and improve prehospital treatment in selected situations. This review describes the organisation of lifeguards in Denmark, focusing on essential skills and equipment to assist prehospital EMS in drowning, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, and search and rescue operations. Standardised requirements for the medical education of lifeguards are warranted to improve prehospital treatment and integration in the EMS.
Topics: Humans; Drowning; Emergency Medical Services; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation; Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest; Denmark
PubMed: 37873984
DOI: No ID Found -
Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons... Sep 2022The National Confidential Enquiry into Perioperative Deaths (NCEPOD) report recommended that 'fluid prescribing be given the same value as drug prescribing', yet fluid...
INTRODUCTION
The National Confidential Enquiry into Perioperative Deaths (NCEPOD) report recommended that 'fluid prescribing be given the same value as drug prescribing', yet fluid prescription is commonly delegated to junior doctors despite being a notoriously challenging topic. When antibiotics are given as an infusion they are diluted in 100ml of fluid, which is often unaccounted for when thinking about a patient's fluid requirements. This closed-loop audit aimed to assess first, intravenous (IV) fluid therapy and second, electrolyte prescribing compliance with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, with and without the additional fluid given with antibiotic administration.
METHODS
Two retrospective audits were performed. Total fluid and electrolyte volume received with and without antibiotic fluids was correlated with recommendations in the NICE guidelines. Between cycles 1 and 2, potassium chloride with sodium chloride and glucose (PSG) was introduced as an alternative to IV maintenance fluid, and bolusing of antibiotics was mandatory.
RESULTS
When analysing total fluid volume input per day, 10.4% and 7.45% of patients met their fluid requirement accurately in the first and second cycles, respectively. Within cycle 1, the mean total additional fluid that was given over 3 days with antibiotics was 1,572.73ml. In cycle 2, this decreased to 469.44ml when antibiotics were given as a bolus.
CONCLUSIONS
In this closed-loop audit we noted that patients receiving IV fluids and IV antibiotics received too much additional fluid when the antibiotic dilution fluid was taken into account. Additional fluid was reduced alongside the proportion of electrolyte complications when bolusing of antibiotics was introduced. We recommend that that all nurses are trained to give antibiotics as a bolus because it can help to reduce fluid-related complications.
Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Drowning; Electrolytes; Fluid Therapy; Humans; Retrospective Studies
PubMed: 35639453
DOI: 10.1308/rcsann.2022.0043 -
National Vital Statistics Reports :... Dec 2023Objectives-This report presents final 2020 data on the 10 leading causes of death in the United States by age, race and Hispanic origin, and sex. Leading causes of...
Objectives-This report presents final 2020 data on the 10 leading causes of death in the United States by age, race and Hispanic origin, and sex. Leading causes of infant, neonatal, and postneonatal death are also presented. This report supplements "Deaths: Final Data for 2020," the National Center for Health Statistics' annual report of final mortality statistics. Methods-Data in this report are based on information from all death certificates filed in the 50 states and the District of Columbia in 2020. Causes of death classified by the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) are ranked according to the number of deaths. Cause-of-death statistics are based on the underlying cause of death. Race and Hispanicorigin data are based on the Office of Management and Budget's 1997 standards for reporting race and Hispanic origin. Results-In 2020, many of the 10 leading causes of death changed rank order due to the emergence of COVID-19 as a leading cause of death in the United States. The 10 leading causes of death in 2020 were, in rank order: Diseases of heart; Malignant neoplasms; COVID-19; Accidents (unintentional injuries); Cerebrovascular diseases; Chronic lower respiratory diseases; Alzheimer disease; Diabetes mellitus; Influenza and pneumonia; and Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis. They accounted for 74.1% of all deaths occurring in the United States. Differences in the rankings are evident by age, race and Hispanic origin, and sex. Leading causes of infant death for 2020 were, in rank order: Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities; Disorders related to short gestation and low birth weight, not elsewhere classified; Sudden infant death syndrome; Accidents (unintentional injuries); Newborn affected by maternal complications of pregnancy; Newborn affected by complications of placenta, cord and membranes; Bacterial sepsis of newborn; Respiratory distress of newborn; Diseases of the circulatory system; and Neonatal hemorrhage.
Topics: Infant; Infant, Newborn; Pregnancy; Female; Humans; United States; Cause of Death; Death Certificates; Infant Mortality; Accidental Injuries; Sudden Infant Death; Nephrotic Syndrome; COVID-19
PubMed: 38085308
DOI: No ID Found -
Forensic Science, Medicine, and... Dec 2022This study was undertaken to review fatal cases of insulin overdose in South Australia (SA) over a 20-year period to assess rates and characteristics of insulin-related...
This study was undertaken to review fatal cases of insulin overdose in South Australia (SA) over a 20-year period to assess rates and characteristics of insulin-related deaths among insulin-dependent diabetics and non-diabetics for all manners of death. Records from the National Coronial Information System (NCIS) and Forensic Science SA (FSSA) were searched for all cases of fatal insulin overdose in South Australia (SA) between 2000 and 2019. Collected variables included age, sex, cause of death, scene findings, manner of death, decedent medical and personal histories, biochemistry, toxicology, histopathology, and autopsy findings. Statistical analyses were performed using R (version 4.1.2). Forty cases of insulin overdose were identified in SA between 2000 and 2019. Twenty-nine cases (72.5%) were suicides, with the remaining cases classified as accidental or undetermined intent. Thirteen of the 22 insulin-dependent diabetics (59%) had a history of depression, 10 of whom had previously demonstrated suicidal ideation. The current study has shown that suicides using insulin among insulin-dependent diabetics are equally as prevalent, if not more so than fatal accidental insulin overdoses. This can largely be attributed to insulin-dependent diabetic access to a potentially lethal substance. Suicide prevention strategies should focus on insulin-dependent diabetics with a history of depression, particularly for those with access to rapid-acting insulin.
Topics: Humans; Suicide; Accidents; Substance-Related Disorders; Suicidal Ideation; Insulins; Drug Overdose
PubMed: 35943711
DOI: 10.1007/s12024-022-00511-3