Cat Graham

Previous Coronary Stent Implantation and Cardiac Events in Patients Undergoing Noncardiac Surgery

Background—Noncardiac surgery performed after coronary stent implantation is associated with an increased risk of stent thrombosis, myocardial infarction, and death. The influence of stent type and period of risk still have to be defined. Methods and Results—We linked the Scottish Coronary Revascularisation Register with hospital admission data to undertake a Scotland-wide retrospective cohort study examining cardiac outcomes in all patients who received drug-eluting or bare-metal stents between April 2003 and March 2007 and subsequently underwent noncardiac surgery. Of 1953 patients, 570 (29%) were treated with at least 1 drug-eluting stent and 1383 (71%) with bare-metal stents only. There were no differences between drug-eluting and bare-metal stents in the primary end point of in-hospital mortality or ischemic cardiac events (14.6% versus 13.3%; P=0.3) or the secondary end points of in-hospital mortality (0.7% versus 0.6%; P=0.8) and acute myocardial infarction (1.2% versus 0.7%; P=0.3). Perioperative death and ischemic cardiac events occurred more frequently when surgery was performed within 42 days of stent implantation (42.4% versus 12.8% beyond 42 days; P<0.001), especially in patients revascularized after an acute coronary syndrome (65% versus 32%; P=0.037). There were no temporal differences in outcomes between the drug-eluting and bare-metal stent groups. Conclusions—Patients undergoing noncardiac surgery after recent coronary stent implantation are at increased risk of perioperative myocardial ischemia, myocardial infarction, and death, particularly after an acute coronary syndrome. For at least 2 years after percutaneous coronary intervention, cardiac outcomes after noncardiac surgery are similar for both drug-eluting and bare-metal stents.

Persistent high risk HPV infection associated with development of cervical neoplasia in a prospective population study

Aims: To monitor the association between the course of high risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection and the development of cervical neoplasia over time, from a baseline of normal cervical cytology. Methods: This paper presents the follow up data from a previous cross sectional analysis. Women from a screening population who had normal cytology and who were HR-HPV positive were recalled after two to three years for cytology and HPV genotyping. The development of cervical neoplasia at follow up was related to the course of HPV infection (clearance, persistence, or sequential infection) and the presence of single or multiple HPV infections at baseline. A comparator control group of women who were HPV and cytologically negative at baseline were selected from the same population. Results: Twelve cases of dyskaryosis were found in women who were HPV positive at baseline; four were high grade. Only three cases of low grade dyskaryosis were found in the control group. Women with type specific persistent infections were significantly more likely to develop cervical neoplasia than women who cleared the infection (pu200a=u200a0.0001) or were sequentially infected with different types (pu200a=u200a0.001). Women with multiple HPV infections at baseline were no more likely to develop cervical dyskaryosis than those with a single infection. Conclusions: Type specific persistent HR-HPV infection as monitored by genotyping can identify women at increased risk of cervical neoplasia more accurately than a single or repeated presence/absence HPV test. The cost effectiveness of such an approach should be investigated by an appropriate, large scale cost–benefit analysis.

Mobile phone technology and hospitalized patients: a cross-sectional surveillance study of bacterial colonization, and patient opinions and behaviours

Healthcare workers mobile phones provide a reservoir of bacteria known to cause nosocomial infections. UK National Health Service restrictions on the utilization of mobile phones within hospitals have been relaxed; however, utilization of these devices by inpatients and the risk of cross-contamination are currently unknown. Here, we examine demographics and characteristics of mobile phone utilization by inpatients and phone surface microbial contamination. One hundred and two out of 145 (70.3%) inpatients who completed a questionnaire detailing their opinions and utilization of mobile phones, also provided their mobile phones for bacteriological analysis and comparative bacteriological swabs from their nasal cavities; 92.4% of patients support utilization of mobile phones by inpatients; indeed, 24.5% of patients stated that mobile phones were vital to their inpatient stay. Patients in younger age categories were more likely to possess a mobile phone both inside and outside hospital (p <0.01) but there was no gender association. Eighty-six out of 102 (84.3%) patients mobile phone swabs were positive for microbial contamination. Twelve (11.8%) phones grew bacteria known to cause nosocomial infection. Seven (6.9%) phones and 32 (31.4%) nasal swabs demonstrated Staphylococcus aureus contamination. MSSA/MRSA contamination of phones was associated with concomitant nasal colonization. Patient utilization of mobile phones in the clinical setting is popular and common; however, we recommend that patients are educated by clear guidelines and advice on inpatient mobile phone etiquette, power charging safety, regular cleaning of phones and hand hygiene, and advised not to share phones or related equipment with other inpatients in order to prevent transmission of bacteria.

Evaluation of commercial HPV assays in the context of post-treatment follow-up: Scottish Test of Cure Study (STOCS-H)

Aims Human papillomavirus (HPV) testing is more sensitive than cytology for detection of residual/recurrent cervical disease after lesion treatment. Several HPV test comparison studies have been performed within triage and screening populations, but data on their comparative performance in a test of cure context is lacking. This study aims to address this gap. Methods We compared the technical and clinical performance of Abbott RealTime High risk (HR)-HPV, Genprobe Aptima PV, Hologic Cervista HPV-HR, Qiagen Hybrid Capture 2 and Roche cobas HPV in the Early Implementation phase of a ‘test of cure’ service within the Scottish Cervical Screening Programme. Results Valid results with all five HPV Tests from 1020 first samples taken ∼6u2005months post-treatment showed HPV positivity ranging from 17.84% to 26.96%. There was perfect agreement in 74%, and greatest variation between assays was observed in cytologically negative samples. Clinical performance was judged on cumulative incidence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2+ (CIN2+) during follow-up (mean: 13.2u2005months). There were 23 cases of CIN2+ of which 14 were CIN3+. All assays, including cytology, were 100% sensitive for detection of CIN3+. Of the nine cases of residual CIN2, three assays detected all, one assay missed one and one assay missed two cases. Specificity ranged from 75% to 84% according to assay. Conclusions All assays were sensitive for detection of CIN2+ at 6u2005months post-treatment. The range of positivity equated to a 50% increase between assays with the lowest and highest positivity rates. The relevance of HPV positivity in the absence of cytological abnormalities requires longer follow-up to determine whether additional tools for risk stratification are required.

Mental incapacity in patients undergoing neuro-oncologic treatment A cross-sectional study

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of mental incapacity to make neuro-oncologic treatment decisions and to identify patients likely to experience difficulty with medical decision-making to enable a more rigorous and focused assessment. Methods: The preoperative mental capacity to give valid consent to neurosurgery of 100 patients with radiologically suspected intracranial tumors was assessed. Mental capacity was formally assessed using the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Treatment (MACCAT-T) conducted by a dual-qualified physician and lawyer. To assess the relationship between cognition and mental capacity, cognitive function was assessed after the MACCAT-T interview using the Addenbrookes Cognitive Examination–revised (ACE-R). Decisions about capacity made by the assessor were compared with the informal assessment of capacity of the neurosurgical team. Results: Of 100 patients, 25 were identified by the assessor as lacking the necessary mental capacity to give valid consent to neurosurgery. Mental incapacity was most common among patients with World Health Organization grade IV tumors (38%) and was more common in men than women (36% of men lacked capacity vs 14% of women). Patients lacking mental capacity were significantly more cognitively impaired than those with capacity (median [interquartile range (IQR)] total ACE-R of 44 [0, 65.5] for incapable patients compared with a median [IQR] total ACE-R score of 88 [82, 95] for patients with capacity). Of 25 patients found to lack capacity by the assessor, 13 (52%) were identified as lacking capacity by the neurosurgical team and were treated under the provisions of the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000. A score of <4/7 in the semantic verbal fluency subset of the ACE-R (naming up to 10 animals in 1 minute) was predictive of incapacity (96% sensitivity, 63% specificity). Conclusions: Mental incapacity in patients with intracranial tumors is common and is underestimated by clinicians seeking consent for neuro-oncologic treatment. Cognitive impairment is associated with incapacity. We propose a simple, brief cognitive screening test to identify patients who warrant a more rigorous interrogation of their mental capacity as part of the process of seeking consent for neuro-oncologic treatment.

High-risk HPV detection in specimens collected in SurePath preservative fluid: comparison of ambient and refrigerated storage

Objective:u2002 With moves to introduce human papillomavirus (HPV) triage at sentinel sites in England, it is essential that optimal storage and transport conditions are determined for efficient HPV detection using residual liquid‐based cytology specimens.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 8 in Scotland: frequency, neurological, neuropsychological and neuropsychiatric findings

Objectivesu2002–u2002 The objectives of this study were to: (i) establish whether the spinocerebellar ataxia type 8 (SCA 8) expansion is associated with ataxia in Scotland; (ii) test the hypothesis that SCA 8 is associated with neuropsychological impairment; and (iii) review neuroradiological findings in SCA 8.

Response to the Letter Regarding Article, “Previous Coronary Stent Implantation and Cardiac Events in Patients Undergoing Noncardiac Surgery”

To the Editor:nnDr Lozano and colleagues highlight 2 important points that were not directly examined in our study. First, premature discontinuation of antiplatelet therapy in patients with coronary stents undergoing noncardiac surgery should be avoided. Aspirin and clopidogrel are irreversible inhibitors of platelet activation, yet with the exception of neurosurgery, dual antiplatelet therapy appears to increase surgical bleeding rates by no more than ≈50% without affecting morbidity or mortality.1 Careful consideration, therefore, should be given …