This study compares the biomechanics of early cyclic valgus loading of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) of the elbow repaired by either the Jobe technique or the docking technique. Better understanding of the biomechanical properties of each reconstruction may help surgeons choose the optimal surgical technique, particularly in planning earlier rehabilitation programs. Sixteen fresh frozen cadaver limbs (eight pairs) were randomized to either the Jobe cohort or the docking cohort. First intact UCLs were tested, followed by the repaired constructions. A Bionix MTS apparatus applied a constant valgus load to the elbows at 70o flexion, and valgus displacement was measured and then used to calculate valgus angle displacement. The docking group had significantly less valgus angle displacement than the Jobe group at cycles 100 and 1,000 (p = 0.0189 and 0.0076, respectively). Four of the eight specimens in the Jobe group failed at the tendon-suture interface before reaching 1,000 cycles, at cycles 7, 24, 250, and 362. None of the docking specimens failed before reaching 1,000 cycles. In this cadaveric study, the docking technique resulted in less angulation of the elbow in response to cyclic valgus loading as compared to the Jobe technique. The better response to valgus loading of the docking reconstruction may translate into a better response to early rehabilitation. Further study is needed to determine if this difference translates into improved clinical outcomes.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karolinska institutet, 2010.

Thesis (M.S.)--East Carolina University, 2009. / Presented to the faculty of the Department of Exercise and Sport Science. Advisor: Timothy P. Gavin. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed May 5, 2010). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 234-239).

Bakgrund: Dagkirurgi, att opereras och gå hem samma dag, är en vårdform som har ökat markant i Sverige senaste åren. Tidigare studier har visat att många patienter som genomgår dagkirurgi upplever oro inför operation, vilket orsakar lidande för individen men också ökat behov av sömnmedel och ökad risk för postoperativ smärta och oro. För att kunna genomföra omvårdnadsåtgärder för att minska oro måste den först identifieras, vilket framförallt är anestesisjuksköterskans uppgift i mötet med patienten. Syfte: Att undersöka patienters skattning av sin oro vid ankomst till operationsavdelningen vid dagkirurgi samt hur väl anestesisjuksköterskans skattning av patientens oro överensstämmer med patientens egen skattning. Metod: En kvantitativ enkätstudie som genomfördes på två operationsavdelningar i Uppsala län under en veckas tid, totalt inkluderades 88 patienter och 60 anestesisjuksköterskebedömningar. Enkäten bestod av en skattningsskala för oro enligt NRS samt grundläggande demografisk information. Resultat: En stor andel patienter skattade ingen eller mild oro (n=52, 59 %) vid ankomst till operationsavdelningen. Hos 70 % av de parvisa jämförelserna bedömdes anestesisjuksköterskans förmåga att bedöma patientens oro som god. Slutsats: Anestesisjuksköterskorna var generellt bra på att bedöma patientens oro, men vid några fall missbedömdes patienter som skattade hög oro. Denna studie visar att det finns ett behov av mer studier för framtagande av rutiner och vetenskapligt beprövade och användbara instrument för att kunna identifiera dessa patienter. / Background: Ambulatory surgery, to receive surgery and go home the same day, is a form of care which has increased markedly in Sweden in recent years. Previous studies have showed that many patients undergoing ambulatory surgery experience anxiety before surgery, which causes suffering for the individual but also increases the need for hypnotics and increases risk of postoperative pain and anxiety. To be able to carry out nursing interventions aimed at reducing anxiety,  it must first be identified, which is mainly the  nurse anesthetist’s role in the encounter with the patient. Objective: To investigate patients' estimation of their anxiety upon arrival at the ambulatory surgery department, and how well the anesthesia nurses' estimation of the patients' anxiety are consistent with the patients' own estimation. Method: A quantitative survey conducted in two ambulatory surgery departments in Uppsala County during one week, a total of 88 patients were enrolled, and a total of 60 anesthesia nurses' assessments. The survey consisted of a scale for estimating anxiety using NRS and basic demographic information. Results: A large proportion of patients estimated no or mild anxiety (n=52, 59 %) on arrival at the surgical department. In 70 % of the pairwise comparisons the anesthesia nurses' ability to assess the patients' anxiety were good. Conclusion: Anesthesia nurses were generally good at assessing the patients’ anxiety, however it was showed that in some cases patients that reported high levels of anxiety were not identified. There is a need for more studies about routines and  useful and scientifically tested instruments for the identification of patients’ anxiety.

Postoperative site infections are the second most common health care associated infection in Sweden. Surgical procedures can lead to postoperative site infection causing great suffer for the patient and an extended care time with an increased cost as a result. In preparation for surgery, it is important that the skin is well prepared with antiseptics to decrease the risk of postoperative site infection. The purpose with this study was to shed light upon the skin preparation before surgery and its significance to postoperative site infection. Ten scientific articles have been scrutinized and compiled and two themes have been identified – the preoperative and the intraoperative skin preparation. All in all, difference could be spotted in the number of washes and how these had been preformed before the surgery. Similarities could be spotted in the hair shortening procedure and the alcohol added in selected disinfectant, influences the probability for decrease in postoperative surgical site infection. The result from this study shows that more research is needed regarding how the skin shall be prepared before surgery to reduce the number of postoperative site infections.

People with severe mental illness experience medical comorbidities to a greater extent than the general population. When hospitalized in general hospital settings, they experience poorer outcomes and are experienced as difficult by nurses. An understanding of the experience of hospitalization from the patient's perspective is important to improving care and outcomes for this population. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experience of nonpsychiatric hospitalization for persons with severe mental illness. Heideggarian phenomenology provided the philosophical underpinning and informed the methodology employed. Participants were recruited through mental health providers. Ten individuals with severe mental illness participated in minimally structured interviews and described their experience of hospitalization on a medical-surgical unit. Data, including transcribed interviews and field notes, were analyzed within the hermeneutic tradition as described by Cohen et al. (2000). The lived experience of nonpsychiatric hospitalization was expressed in four themes: taking care of me (subthemes: being cared for, not being cared for), it's my life, on my toes (subthemes: needing an advocate, managing my mental health), and being a good patient. Care providers' comportment, perception of the patient's illness, attentiveness, responsiveness, and personalized caring behaviors characterized the participant experience of being cared for or not being cared for. It's my life reflected participants' desire to be informed and involved so they could contribute to their recovery. Participants felt the need to be on my toes in order to look out for and advocate for themselves. The need to be on my toes extended to the management of a chronic illness while hospitalized for an unrelated acute condition. The final theme reflected the perceived patient role obligation to be a "good patient". Findings were consistent with the literature regarding experiences of hospitalization from the perspective of persons without mental illness. Identified themes emphasize the critical importance of the nurse-patient relationship to the patient experience. There are significant implications for how nurses come to know their patients in medical-surgical settings so that they can effectively personalize care. Reflective practices may empower nurses to solicit assistance and support to improve caring practices / text

Background & aims: Gallstone disease is common, costly and its complications are sometimes life threatening. The aim of this thesis is to determine the prevalence and incidence in relation to putative risk factors in the general population. Furthermore, to identify individuals with asymptomatic gallstones who are at risk of developing complications and, finally, to identify those who are at risk of an unsatisfactory outcome after cholecystectomy. Material & methods: A sample of the adult (35-85 y.) general population was screened with ultrasound examination, blood tests and a questionnaire regarding digestive symptoms, life-style and quality of life. After excluding 115 subjects, who previously had a cholecystectomy, 739 participated. The examination was repeated after a minimum of five years. The individuals who were shown to have gallstones were followed in order to identify risk factors for developing complications. 200 consecutive symptomatic patients were operated with cholecystectomy on defined indications. They completed a questionnaire regarding digestive symptoms, life-style and quality of life before and three and twelve months after surgery. Results: The crude prevalence of gallstone disease was 17.2 % for women and 12.4% for men. It increased with age and was higher among women. Symptoms did not differ between subjects with and without gallstones, but those previously operated with cholecystectomy did worse both regarding symptoms and quality of life. The estimated crude annual gallstone incidence was 1.5%. This increased with age, but did not differ between the sexes. Gallstone development was positively related to elevated blood lipids and negatively related to alcohol consumption. Fourteen of 120 subjects with gallstones at the primary screening developed a complication demanding treatment during a follow-up interval of 87 (3-146) months. In the patient series operated on strict indications, 91.3 % of those who had reported typical gallstone related pain preoperatively, experienced total or partial pain relief 3 months postoperatively. With atypical pain preoperatively, the corresponding figure was 77.1 %. The findings 12 months postoperatively were similar. In the logistic regression analysis, young age, frequency of pain episodes, atypical pain, specific food intolerance and disturbing abdominal gas were positively related to the frequency of abdominal pain 12 months after surgery. Conclusion: The prevalence of gallstones was positively related to age and female gender. Previous cholecystectomy was associated with more symptoms and worse quality of life. The annual gallstone incidence of 1.5 % was high in comparison with other studies, but our population was older. In general, neither prevalent nor incident gallstones in the general population were associated with specific symptoms. The cumulative risk of developing a complication to gallstone disease during a 5-year followup interval was 7.6 % with no tendency to level off. Patients with typical pain had a better outcome after cholecystectomy. Young age, atypical pain and frequent pain episodes before surgery were major risk factors for a worse outcome in terms of persistent pain.

Laparoscopic bariatric procedures are complex minimally invasive operations with a potential for substantial morbidity and mortality along the early part of a surgeon’s learning curve. Simulation-enhanced training can improve a surgeon's technical and non-technical performance and lessen the learning curves in the operating room. Unfortunately, despite the convincing evidence supporting the use of simulation in surgical education, there is still a gap in translation of knowledge and technical skills from the research environment into clinically relevant training curricula. The objective of this thesis was to design and validate a comprehensive simulationenhanced training curriculum that addressed cognitive knowledge, technical and non-technical skill in laparoscopic bariatric surgery. This objective was achieved using three experimental studies. The first study employed a modified Delphi methodology and an international panel of experts in surgical and medical education to develop a consensus-based framework for design, validation and implementation of simulation-enahnced training curricula in surgery. The second study used a modified Delphi methodology and an international panel of experienced bariatric surgeons to develop an objective scale for assessment of operative skill in laparoscopic gastric bypass procedure. This scale was feasible to use and had high inter-rater and test-retest reliability, as well as evidence of construct and concurrent validity. The third study used the previously developed consensus-based framework to design a comprehensive simulation-enhanced training curriculum for laparoscopic bariatric surgery. A prospective, single-blinded randomized controlled trial was used to compare the effectiveness of this curriculum in comparison to conventional surgery training. Surgery residents who were trained in this curriculum demonstrated superior technical skills, superior non-technical skills and enhanced safety in the operating room.

Laparoscopic bariatric procedures are complex minimally invasive operations with a potential for substantial morbidity and mortality along the early part of a surgeon’s learning curve. Simulation-enhanced training can improve a surgeon's technical and non-technical performance and lessen the learning curves in the operating room. Unfortunately, despite the convincing evidence supporting the use of simulation in surgical education, there is still a gap in translation of knowledge and technical skills from the research environment into clinically relevant training curricula. The objective of this thesis was to design and validate a comprehensive simulationenhanced training curriculum that addressed cognitive knowledge, technical and non-technical skill in laparoscopic bariatric surgery. This objective was achieved using three experimental studies. The first study employed a modified Delphi methodology and an international panel of experts in surgical and medical education to develop a consensus-based framework for design, validation and implementation of simulation-enahnced training curricula in surgery. The second study used a modified Delphi methodology and an international panel of experienced bariatric surgeons to develop an objective scale for assessment of operative skill in laparoscopic gastric bypass procedure. This scale was feasible to use and had high inter-rater and test-retest reliability, as well as evidence of construct and concurrent validity. The third study used the previously developed consensus-based framework to design a comprehensive simulation-enhanced training curriculum for laparoscopic bariatric surgery. A prospective, single-blinded randomized controlled trial was used to compare the effectiveness of this curriculum in comparison to conventional surgery training. Surgery residents who were trained in this curriculum demonstrated superior technical skills, superior non-technical skills and enhanced safety in the operating room.