Abstract Aims Pilonidal Sinus excision surgery is commonly accompanied by a complex healing process. This study assesses the risk factors associated with poor wound from pilonidal surgery, and which patient demographics would benefit assisted interventions, such as vacuum closure, to enhance recovery times in cost effective manner. Methods OMIS Theatre databases were used identify primary sinus...

Histoplasmin was originally defined by Zarafonetis and Lindberg (1941) as "the antigenic substance or substances of Histoplasma capsulatum" Darling. The term, however, is now used generally to indicate the filtrate derived from the growth of the mycelial phase of Histoplasma in a liquid synthetic medium and capable of producting a positive skin reaction in sensitized animals and man. The histop...

Some people seem to be able to withstand the ravages of stress better than others can. Why? Because a number of moderator variables can reduce the impact of stress on physical and mental health. To shed light on differences in how well people tolerate stress, we'll look at five key moderator variables: social support, hardiness, optimism, sensation seeking, and autonomic reactivity. As you'll s...

An investigation was planned to inquire into the aetiology of neonatal jaundice other than that proved to be due to haemolytic disease. The course of the work evolved on three lines: first, a two-year period of case collection at the Birmingham Maternity Hospital; second, a comparison with another hospital reputedly having a much higher incidence of jaundice and, third, a long-term follow-up to...

In a recent issue of Critical Care, we read with great interest the report by Simon and colleagues [1] on fatal complications of percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT). We agree with the authors’ suggestions for improving the safety of this procedure, but we think these improvements cover only part of the picture. We have previously concluded that PDT is a high-risk procedure [2]. This le...