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BACKGROUND: Persistent wound drainage (PWD) is one of the major risk factors for periprosthetic joint infections (PJI), arguably the most dreaded complications after a total hip and knee arthroplasty (THA and TKA). The aim of this study is to identify the rates of PWD among THA and TKA patients who received aspirin (ASA) or Coumadin for postoperative venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis. METHODS: Retrospective review of 5516 primary THA and TKA was performed. Patients with PWD were identified. Chi-square test was used to compare the incidences of PWD, 30-day VTE, and PJI at 6 months between the ASA and Coumadin groups. Multivariate regression model was used to identify independent risk factors for PWD using Charlson and Elixhauser comorbidity indexes. RESULTS: The prevalence of PWD was 6.4% (353/5516). Patients receiving ASA had lower incidence of PWD (3.2% vs 8.5%, P < .0001) while having comparable rates of 30-day VTE (1.3% vs 1.4%, P = .722) and PJI at 6 months (1.8% vs 1.4%, P = .233) compared to those receiving Coumadin. Risk factors for PWD were diabetes (odds ratio [OR], 19.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 11.8-23.2), rheumatoid arthritis (OR, 15.3; 95% CI, 10.8-17.2), morbid obesity (OR, 13.2; 95% CI, 9.7-17.5), chronic alcohol use (OR, 3.5; 95% CI, 1.8-5.5), hypothyroidism (OR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.1-3.2), and Coumadin (OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.2-2.2). CONCLUSION: Use of ASA is associated with significantly lower rates of PWD after THA and TKA when compared to Coumadin while being equally efficacious at preventing VTE. Coumadin was found to be an independent risk factor for PWD.

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BACKGROUND: Pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis, together referred to as venous thromboembolism (VTE), are serious and potentially preventable complications after total hip arthroplasty and total knee arthroplasty. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of mortality after VTE events and assess the risk factors that are associated with it. METHODS: The Nationwide Inpatient Sample was used to estimate the total number of total hip arthroplasty, total knee arthroplasty, VTE events, and mortality using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision procedure codes from 2003 to 2012. Patients' demographics, Elixhauser, and Charlson comorbidity indices were used to identify the risk factors associated with in-hospital VTEs and mortality. RESULTS: A total of 1,805,621 THAs and TKAs were included. The overall rate of VTE was 0.93%. The in-hospital mortality rate among patients with VTEs was 7.1% vs 0.30% in patients without VTEs (P-value < .0001). The risk factors for mortality after VTE events in descending order were as follows: hypercoagulable state (odds ratio [OR]: 5.3, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.6-5.8), metastatic cancer (OR: 5.2, 95% CI: 3.3-5.6), myocardial infarction (OR: 4.2, 95% CI: 2.3-4.7), peripheral vascular disease (OR: 3.6, 95% CI: 3.2-4.0), cardiac arrhythmias (OR: 3.2, 95% CI: 1.6-4.3), advanced age (OR: 3.1, 95% CI: 2.3-3.7), electrolyte disorders (OR: 3.1, 95% CI: 2.2-3.6), pulmonary circulation disorders (OR: 2.9, 95% CI: 2.6-3.3), depression (OR: 2.8, 95% CI: 1.6-3.4), complicated diabetes (OR: 2.7, 95% CI: 2.1-3.2), weight loss (OR: 2.6, 95% CI: 2.2-3.3), renal failure (OR: 2.6, 95% CI: 1.7-3.5), chronic pulmonary disease (OR: 2.5, 95% CI: 1.3-3.1), valvular disease (OR: 2.4, 95% CI: 1.8-2.7), liver disease (OR: 1.7, 95% CI: 1.2-1.9), and obesity (OR: 1.6, 95% CI: 1.5-1.9). CONCLUSIONS: In-hospital VTE has a significant in-hospital mortality rate. Several of the identified risk factors in this study are modifiable preoperatively. We strongly urge the orthopaedic community to be cognizant of these risk factors and emphasize on optimizing patients' comorbidities before an elective arthroplasty.

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AIM: to explore the nature of leadership styles used by the nursing management team, as perceived by nurses working at the bedside. BACKGROUND: leadership style is related to job satisfaction, staff retention, costs, and quality of care. The leadership styles of managers can be crucial in the healthcare setting, but very few studies have focused on them. METHOD: the study employed qualitative methodology, involving 35 nurses working in different specialties of a medical city in Saudi Arabia. Data collection consisted of completing demographic and professional information and a semi-structured interview using open-ended questions. ANALYSIS: a phenomenologic-hermeneutic approach was used to identify major themes. RESULTS: the findings showed that participants described four types of leadership styles: relational leadership, preferential leadership, communication chain leadership, and ineffectual leadership. CONCLUSION: the leadership style employed by nurse managers has a major impact on nurses' satisfaction, turnover, and the quality of patient care they deliver.

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Strategies to ensure that nursing competence is maintained and validated are of increasing importance and are much discussed in the nursing literature. Professional bodies, employers, nurses themselves and most importantly patients need to have reassurance that competence across the profession is uniform and is maintained. This is of particular concern in the increasingly globalised and multinational workforces which exist in many health care institutions. This paper describes an educational initiative, and the evaluation thereof, which aimed to validate and enhance nurse competency in a multinational workforce in a medical city in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Results indicate that there was variability in competencies across the organisation which allowed for targeted educational interventions. The initiative was well received by the nurses in the organisation and the evaluation points to the need for ongoing strategies to ensure that competence in maintained.

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An isolated periprosthetic compression fracture following total knee arthroplasty has not been described in periprosthetic fracture classifications. Thus, the purpose is to describe this unique type of fracture based on clinical and radiographic analysis and identify the incidence and potential risk factors of this fracture. A retrospective chart review was performed from a database of 5864 primary total knee. A total of 56 (0.9%) periprosthetic fractures were identified with 15 (26.8%) of them demonstrating an isolated lateral compression fracture. Patients exhibiting this fracture pattern had a mean preoperative varus deformity of 176.3° and had poor bone quality (T score: -2.1). It is important to recognize that a compression fracture is not an infrequent finding and that further workup maybe warranted when clinical suspicion is high.

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Intraoperative injury to the medial collateral ligament (MCL) is a rare but important complication of total knee arthroplasty (TKA). While described treatment methods are mainly primary repair and revision with a more constrained implant, a few studies have investigated the outcomes of primary repair without constrained implants. A retrospective study was performed to evaluate the prevalence of iatrogenic injury to the MCL during primary TKA and determine the clinical outcomes of MCL repair augmented with synthetic material without the use of a constrained device. The incidence of intraoperative tear of the MCL was 0.43% (15/3432). No patient demonstrated instability during the follow-up period. Primary repair of iatrogenic MCL injury without the use of constrained implants appears to be a potential alternative that warrants further investigation.

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The nursing round system (NRS) means checking patients on an hourly basis during the A (0700-2200 h) shift and once every 2 h during the B (2200-0700 h) by the assigned nursing staff. The overall goal of this prospective study is to implement an NRS in a major rehabilitation centre-Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Humanitarian City-in the Riyadh area of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The purposes of this study are to measure the effect of the NRS on: (i) the use of patient call light; (ii) the number of incidences of patients' fall; (iii) the number of incidences of hospital-acquired bed sores; and (iv) the level of patients' satisfaction. All patients hospitalized in the male stroke unit will be involved in this study. For the period of 8 weeks (17 December 2009-17 February 2010) All Nursing staff on the unit will record each call light and the patient's need. Implementation of the NRS would start on 18 February 2010 and last for 8 weeks, until 18 April 2010. Data collected throughout this period will be compared with data collected during the 8 weeks period immediately preceding the implementation of the NRS (17 December 2009-17 February 2010) in order to measure the impact of the call light use. The following information were collected on all subjects involved in the study: (i) the Demographic Information Form; (ii) authors' developed NRS Audit Form; (iii) Patient Call Light Audit Form; (iv) Patient Fall Audit Record; (v) Hospital-Acquired Bed Sores Audit Form; and (vi) hospital developed Patient Satisfaction Records. The findings suggested that a significant reduction on the use of call bell (P < 0.001), a significant reduction of fall incidence (P < 0.01) while pressure ulcer reduced by 50% before and after the implementation of NRS. Also, the implementation of NRS increased patient satisfaction by 7/5 (P < 0.05).

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Post-operative abdominal pain management can be a major issue facing medical and nursing staff in daily clinical practice. Effective pain control reduces post-operative morbidity as well as facilitates rehabilitation and accelerates recovery from surgery. In turn, poor pain control has been shown to alter body metabolic response that can lead to delayed recovery, with subsequent prolonged hospital stay and increased morbidity, and can lead to the development of a chronic pain state. Despite the significant developments in anaesthesia, delivery techniques and analgesia, post-operative abdominal pain management in adult patients remains suboptimal. Achieving effective pain management needs the implementation of an active approach in practice. This approach includes the provision of information and appropriate education tailored to the patients' needs and level of understanding, with the aim of reducing patient anxiety and avoiding unrealistic expectations. In addition, medical and nursing staff should continuously use the appropriate pain assessment tools to evaluate of post-operative pain in the surgical wards. Pain assessment needs to be regarded as the fifth vital sign and recorded on the patients observation chart. Analgesia should be used in a multimodal fashion and "by the clock" according to the patients needs. Moreover, governmental and professional guidelines need to be implemented to establish continuity of care, improve the quality of decision making and reduce unnecessary variations in practice Overall, there is a need for improved post-operative abdominal pain management in adults to enhance recovery, patient safety and reduce morbidity. This can be achieved with the appropriate education backed up with robust policies and guidelines, supported by up to date evidence.

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INTRODUCTION: This study was conducted to develop a detailed profile of patients who come to the emergency department for heart failure treatment. METHODS: Patient interviews were supplemented by medical record reviews in a convenience sample of 57 participants. A structured interview guide included data concerning patient characteristics and ED treatment. RESULTS: Participants used a variety of self-care strategies before coming to the emergency department. Many of the patients studied (25%) reported barriers to medication adherence, such as memory problems and lack of knowledge regarding self-administration. The most frequently reported symptoms were breathing difficulties (88%), chest discomfort (35%), and fatigue (16%). Seventy-four percent of the participants were classified as specific activity scale class III or IV, indicating moderate to severe functional limitation. Mean quality of life at the time of interview was 5.1 (on a 1 to 10 scale). Length of stay was < or = 2 days for 33%. DISCUSSION: A number of the findings of this study have implications for ED nurses. For example, almost one third of the patients studied had not received directions for a low-sodium diet during hospitalization, when fluid volume overload with sodium retention was the most common cause of hospitalization in a study of patients with decompensated heart failure. Hospital lengths of stay of no more than 2 days suggest that early detection and treatment of acute heart failure may reduce the need for ED visits for some patients. Patients need education and support with self-help strategies and need to better understand the administration of their medication.

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