Vindcox7271

8% (95% CI 35.6% to 48.1%) and the postintervention rate was 27.7% (95% CI 23.3% to 32.7%), a decrease of 14.1% (95% CI 6.2% to 21.9%, p=0.0004). During the intervention period, there was a decrease in HCT rate of one per month (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.92 to 1.00, p=0.07). The initial series of interventions demonstrated an incremental decrease in HCT rates corresponding with a special cause variation. CONCLUSION The series of interventions dispersed over the intervention period was an effective methodology and successfully reduced HCT utilisation among children with blunt head injury at a rural community emergency department. © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.Postinfarct ventricular septal defects (VSDs) are a mechanical complication of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with a very poor prognosis. They are estimated to occur in 0.2% of patients presenting with AMI, with 1-month survival of 6% without intervention. Guidelines recommend surgical repair, but recent advances in transcatheter technology, and bespoke device development, mean it is increasingly viable as a closure option. Surgical mortality is between 30% and 50% for all-comers, while in series of transcatheter closure, mortality was 32%. Transcatheter closure appears durable, with no evidence of late leaks and low long-term mortality in series with up to 5-year follow-up. Guidelines recommend early closure, which is likely to provide most benefit for patients regardless of the closure method. Multimodality cardiac imaging including echocardiography, CT and cardiac MRI can define size, shape, location of defects and their relationship to other cardiac structures, assisting with treatment decisions. Brief delay to allow stabilisation of the patient is appropriate, but untreated patients risk rapid deterioration. Mechanical circulatory support may be helpful, although the preferred modality is unclear. Transcatheter closure involves large bore venous access and the formation of an arteriovenous loop (under fluoroscopic and trans-oesophageal echocardiographic guidance) in order to facilitate deployment of the device in the defect and close the postinfarct VSD. Guidelines suggest transcatheter closure as an alternative to surgical repair in centres where appropriate expertise exists, but decisions for all patients with postinfarct VSD should be led by the multidisciplinary heart team. © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.OBJECTIVE The decline in the incidence and mortality of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has been less among younger compared with older individuals. The aim of this nationwide study was to assess the current incidence, risk factors and outcome of AMI in patients less then 45 years of age. METHODS All patients ≤80 years of age registered in the Norwegian Myocardial Infarction Register in 2013-2016 were included in this observational, nationwide cohort study. Follow-up was conducted through linkage with the Norwegian Patient Registry through 2017. RESULTS Among a total of 33 439 patients ≤80 years with AMI, 1468 (4.4%) were less then 45 years old. The incidence of AMI was 2.1 per 100 000 person-years in people aged 20-29 years, 16.9 in people aged 30-39 years and 97.6 in people aged 40-49 years. Compared with older patients, patients less then 45 years were more likely to be male (81%), current smokers (56%), obese (30%) and have a family history of premature AMI (44%), and their low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels were higher. Patients less then 45 years were more likely to have non-obstructive coronary artery disease (14% vs 10%, p less then 0.001) compared with older patients. During a median follow-up time of 2.4 years, 135 (9%) patients less then 45 years experienced a new AMI, stroke or death, and 58 (4%) patients died. CONCLUSIONS The rate of AMI was low in people less then 45 years old in Norway, but almost one in ten patients with AMI less then 45 years old died or experienced a new cardiovascular event during follow-up. Increased efforts to improve risk factor control in these patients are warranted. © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.BACKGROUND Diarrhoea is the second-leading infectious cause of death in children younger than age 5 years. The global burden of severe diarrhoeal disease is concentrated in Africa and Southeast Asia, where a significant percentage of the population resides in low-resource settings. We aimed to quantitatively examine whether extending the duration of legislated paid maternity leave affected the prevalence of childhood diarrhoea in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). METHODS We merged longitudinal data measuring national maternity leave policies with information on the prevalence of bloody diarrhoea related to 884 517 live births occurring between 1996 and 2014 in 40 LMICs that participated at least twice in the Demographic and Health Surveys between 2000 and 2015. We used a difference-in-differences approach to compare changes in the percentage of children with bloody diarrhoea across eight countries that lengthened their paid maternity leave policy between 1995 and 2013 to the 32 countries that did not. RESULTS The prevalence of bloody diarrhoea in the past 2 weeks was 168 (SD=40) per 10 000 children under 5 years in countries that changed their policies and 136 (SD=15) in countries that did not. A 1-month increase in the legislated duration of paid maternity leave was associated with 61 fewer cases of bloody diarrhoea (95% CI -98.86 to -22.86) per 10 000 children under 5 years of age, representing a 36% relative reduction. CONCLUSION Extending the duration of paid maternity leave policy appears to reduce the prevalence of bloody diarrhoea in children under 5 years of age in LMICs. © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.OBJECTIVE To compare the efficacy of fingolimod and natalizumab in preventing regional grey matter (GM) and white matter (WM) atrophy in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) over 2 years. METHODS Patients with RRMS starting fingolimod (n=25) or natalizumab (n=30) underwent clinical examination and 3T MRI scans at baseline (month (M) 0), M6, M12 and M24. Seventeen healthy controls were also scanned at M0 and M24. Tensor-based morphometry and SPM12 were used to assess the longitudinal regional GM/WM volume changes. RESULTS At M0, no clinical or GM/WM volume differences were found between treatment groups. At M24, both drugs reduced relapse rate (p less then 0.001 for both) and stabilised disability. At M6 vs M0, both groups experienced significant atrophy of several areas in the cortex, deep GM nuclei and supratentorial WM. Oprozomib Significant bilateral cerebellar GM and WM atrophy occurred in fingolimod patients only. At M12 vs M6 and M24 vs M12, further supratentorial GM and WM atrophy occurred in both groups.