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Risk factors in free flap failure

This is a retrospective analysis from China of 881 free flaps over nearly four years, 49 of which were ‘taken back’, 26 of which were lost, giving a 97% success rate. The commonest cause of flap failure was venous thrombosis....

Same, same: similarities in conversation between people with dementia and aphasia and their loved ones

This article proposes that studying the commonalities between the effect of dementia and aphasia (post stroke language impairment) on communication could result in greater sharing of clinically relevant interventions. To date the separate study has resulted in significant separation of...

Mindfulness meditation versus relaxation therapy for tinnitus

Tinnitus, defined by McFadden as “a conscious experience of sound that originates in the head of its owner, without an external acoustic source”, has a high prevalence and variable psychological impact. It results from maladaptation of the brain to a...

Importance of face-to-face communication in clinical practice

Breakdowns in communication with patients who have difficulty in understanding, speaking or hearing may occur during a consultation. The authors of this paper studied the hearing-related breakdowns in communication especially amongst older adults with hearing impairment (HI) using conversational analysis...

Helicobacter pylori and chronic tonsillitis

Helicobacter pylori infection in the stomach has long been associated with chronic gastritis, duodenal and peptic ulceration and even gastric cancer. Whether laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) brings up these organisms and induces chronic tonsillitis is an interesting concept, which the authors...

The effect of vertigo on sleep

The authors analysed data of 20,950 individuals who completed the balance and dizziness supplements of the ongoing NHIS survey in 2008. The survey used a strict algorithm to identify individuals reporting vestibular vertigo and information on sleep duration and a...

Apps in allergic rhinitis

Utilising smart-phone applications to gather data is an expanding field in medicine. However, it is not without limitations including bias. The European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA) introduced the Allergy Diary application as part of...

Which self-reported tinnitus and hyperacusis questionnaires are useful?

Tinnitus and hyperacusis may have very negative psychological side-effects. Due to their subjective nature it is important to have appropriate tools to assess them. In addition to the routine questionnaires such as THI, HQ, ISI, HADS or VAS, the authors...

Can telemetry predict sleep apnoea in Pierre Robin sequence?

The aim of this study was to see if telemetry data gathered on patients with Pierre Robin sequence (PRS) correlated with sleep study data. A retrospective review of 46 patients from a tertiary referral centre were included in the study....

No increase in papillary thyroid cancer during pregnancy

This small study of 19 pregnant patients, who were diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer before or during the early stages of pregnancy (up to 20 weeks), assessed the changes of thyroid tumours during pregnancy. Conducted at a single centre over...

What causes delays in head and neck cancer treatment?

This article identifies which factors are responsible for delays in cancer management by a retrospective case-control series study, statistically comparing two groups, each of 50 patients, one receiving timely treatment and the other breaching set targets. It was observed that...

Healthcare economics and device approvals

We use several FDA-approved devices in our clinical practice but are rarely aware about the stringent procedures followed by manufacturers, as well as the FDA, before the devices become commercially available. The authors of this paper undertook a comprehensive review...