Search results for "030216 legal & forensic medicine"
showing 5 items of 85 documents
Sodium Oxybate Therapy for Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome and Keeping of Alcohol Abstinence
2018
BACKGROUND Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB or sodium oxybate) is both an exogenous and endogenous molecule with neuromodulator properties. In the United States, GHB is an approved drug for the treatment of narcolepsy and narcolepsy with cataplexy in adults. In some European Union countries, sodium oxybate is applied for the treatment of opioid and alcohol withdrawal. OBJECTIVE The aim of the present review was to describe the state of art of the pre-clinical research and the clinical evidence related to GHB used alone or in combination with other treatments in alcohol withdrawal syndrome and alcohol abstinence maintenance. METHOD Internationally published pre-clinical findings and clinical studi…
Telemedicine during Covid-19 pandemic: Advantage or critical issue?
2020
Telemedicine offers a support to traditional medicine, delivering clinical services when distance is a critical factor. Although this tool does not replace a medical examination, during Covid-19 pandemic, it reduces the spread of infection and avoids the need for a patient’s visit. It is useful in the management of chronic disorders or for patients undergoing palliative treatment. The University Hospital of Palermo has applied this in cases of chronic illness caring for patients who cannot stop their treatment, such as Department of Onco-Haematology, Internal Medicine, Dermatology, etc. The Department of Legal Medicine of Palermo, in particular, is also using telemedicine to manage medico-…
Post-cesarean necrotizing fasciitis caused by surgical site infection
2017
Necrotizing fasciitis (NF) is a rare, but rapidly progressive, potentially life-threatening soft tissue infection, with an incidence of 0.15-0.55 cases per 100,000 population. the gynecological-obstetric literature describes cases of NF due to surgical site infection (SSi) after cesarean delivery. this article discusses issues in the medicolegal evaluation of NF and the importance of prophylactic procedures, risk management protocols, and prompt diagnosis of this condition. two cases of post-cesarean NF due to SSi are reported. in both cases the responsibility lay with the hospitals and the medical staff owing to failure to adopt adequate SSi prophylaxis and to establish a timely diagnosis …
An unusual fatal case of overdose of Vinblastine and review of literature
2017
The pharmacological treatment of neoplasia is based on the use of chemotherapeutic substances. Chemotherapeutic agents can cause acute and chronic toxicity even at therapeutic doses. For this reason their overdose puts a patientâs life at severe risk. This work presents an unusual fatal case of overdose subsequent to an accidental massive administration of Vinblastine (90Â mg instead of 9Â mg), slow bolus (five minutes), to a 33-year-old woman who suffered from Hodgkinâs Lymphoma. The administration of the massive dose was due to a transcription error of the therapeutic treatment plan and miscommunication between the health professionals which caused the use of the wrong dose. The foren…
COVID-19 Deaths: Are We Sure It Is Pneumonia? Please, Autopsy, Autopsy, Autopsy!
2020
The current outbreak of COVID-19 severe respiratory disease, which started in Wuhan, China, is an ongoing challenge, and a major threat to public health that requires surveillance, prompt diagnosis, and research efforts to understand this emergent pathogen and to develop an effective response. Due to the scientific community’s efforts, there is an increasing body of published studies describing the virus’ biology, its transmission and diagnosis, its clinical features, its radiological findings, and the development of candidate therapeutics and vaccines. Despite the decline in postmortem examination rate, autopsy remains the gold standard to determine why and how death ha…