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Volume 3, Number 1 |
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| The ‘Golden Helix’ experience |
Carole Connor RGN DN BSc(Hons) DPSN Clinical Nurse Specialist, Birmingham Heartlands and Solihull NHS Trust |
The anticoagulant team at Birmingham Heartlands and Solihull NHS Trust were recently successful in achieving national finalist status in the Golden Helix Quality Awards. Over 500 initial enquiries were made about the award which led to 135 entries. |
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| Oral contraception, HRT and venous thromboembolism |
Karen Murphy MB BCh BAO MRCPI MRCPath; W C Yoong MRCOG; D J Perry MD PhD FRCP FRCPath Katherine Dormandy Haemophilia Centre and Haemostasis Unit, Royal Free Hospital, London |
Since the introduction of the oral contraceptive into the UK in 1961, over 3 million women have adopted the combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP) as their main form of contraception. |
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| Pulmonary embolism and the use of D-dimer and pre-test probability |
Denise O’Shaughnessy DPhil MRCP MRCPath Consultant Haematologist, Southampton General Hospital. Formerly at St Peter’s Hospital, Chertsey, where these data originate, Jon Miles MD MRCP Consultant Chest Physician, North Manchester General Hospital |
It has been estimated, from a combination of case notes, death certificates and discharge letters, that the incidence of pulmonary embolism (PE) is approximately 50 per 100,000 people, although exact figures are not available. The cases comprise mainly surgical patients who have had inadequate prophylaxis, and are commonly associated with congestive cardiac failure, other pulmonary diseases and malignancy. |
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| To screen or not to screen? |
Peter Rose, Editor |
In 1961, W M Jordan, a GP, reported the case history of a 40-year-old woman who developed a pulmonary embolism ten days after stopping mestranol and norethynodrel, and suggested a causal link. Today, the link between oestrogen-containing compounds and venous thromboembolic disease is well established. The risk factors are discussed in this issue. |
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| The Venometer – assessing its potential for cost and bed-day savings |
Brian Robinson FIBMS DMLM BSc RGN Haematology Research Nurse; Fiona Holmes SRN Sister, Emergency Admission Ward; Patrick J L Kesteven MB BS FRACP FRCP FRCPath PhD Consultant Haematologist; Simon Elliott MBChB FRCR Consultant Radiologist, The Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne |
Fifty UK hospitals currently use the AMT Venometer (Advanced Medical Technology Ltd, Belfast) (Figure 1). The Venometer has been in use at The Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne since August 1998 (Figure 2). |
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