To determine the referral pattern and organ dysfunction severity of interhospital consultations, and triage practice at a specialised liver intensive therapy unit (LITU).
The clinical picture, in particular a reduced exercise capacity limiting normal daily activities, should raise suspicion of undiagnosed diastolic dysfunction and initiate referral to a cardiologist for diagnostic ultrasonography.
Therefore, a screening test (such as blood natriuretic peptide concentrations) which could easily be administered in primary care and reliably rule out left ventricular systolic dysfunction would reduce referral rates for echocardiography and lower health care costs.
The primary objective was to estimate the effect of body mass index on the risk of anal incontinence and defecatory dysfunction in a tertiary referral urogynecologic population.
Patients: Thirty patients with unilateral chronic tennis elbow, an unsuccessful conservative therapy during the 6 months before referral, and clinical signs of cervical dysfunction (eg, pressure pain at the C4-5 and/or C5-6 level, protraction of the head).
Before referral, most patients with left ventricular dysfunction had been treated with none or only low-dose angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (55%), and fewer than one third received β-blockers (29%).
Red flags for surgical referral: saddle anaesthesia, recent onset of bladder dysfunction or anal sphincter impairment, major or progressive motor weakness, sensory level, or widespread neurological signs.
In conclusion, we found U.S. primary care physicians recommended subspecialty referrals earlier when assessing the severity of kidney dysfunction using eGFR compared to their assessments using serum creatinine.
Children with bladder and bowel dysfunction (BBD) constitute a significant proportion of referrals at paediatric urology clinics worldwide, presenting with a wide range of symptom severity that may significantly affect quality of life.
Screening of primary care patients at risk for left ventricular systolic dysfunction by a simple blood-test might reduce referral rates for echocardiography.
Nonetheless, patients in referral intensive care unit (ICU) settings with severe multiple organ dysfunction and requiring ventilator and dialysis support have recovered.
