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Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) are frequently placed at the bedside. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the efficacy of the Sherlock II tip location system (Bard Access Systems, Salt Lake City, UT), which offers electromagnetic detection of the PICC tip to assist the operator in guiding the tip to a desired location. We performed a retrospective review of patients who had a bedside PICC using the Sherlock II tip location system. Three hundred seventy-five of 384 patients (97.7%) had the catheter tip positioned appropriately. Our results suggest that the Sherlock II tip location system is an efficacious system for bedside PICC placement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Purpose: To determine the readability of Internet-based patient education materials (IPEMs) created by United States hospitals and universities and clinical practices and miscellaneous health care–associated Web sites regarding uterine artery embolization (UAE) as a marker for IPEMs in general. Methods and Methods: Two hundred unique Web sites were evaluated for patient-related articles on UAE. Web sites produced by US hospitals and universities and clinical practices, as well as miscellaneous health care–associated Web sites meeting the Health on the Net Foundation Code of Conduct criteria were included in the database. By using mathematical regression algorithms based on word and sentence length to quantitatively analyze reading materials for language intricacy, readability of 40 UAE-related IPEMs was assessed with four indices: Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL), Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES), Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG), and Gunning Frequency of Gobbledygook (GFOG). Scores were evaluated against national recommendations, and intergroup analysis was performed. Results: None of the IPEMs were written at or below the sixth-grade reading level, based on FKGL. The mean readability scores were as follows: FRES, 43.98; FKGL, 10.76; SMOG, 13.63; and GFOG, 14.55. These scores indicate that the readability of UAE IPEMs is written at an advanced level, significantly above the recommended 6th grade reading level (P<.05) determined by the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Conclusions: IPEMs related to UAE generated by hospitals, clinical practices, and miscellaneous health care–associated Web sites are written above the recommended sixth grade level. IPEMs for other disease entities may also reflect similar results. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Chest wall resection for sarcoma can present a surgical challenge. The unique concerns of the chest wall, including a confluence of anatomic and physiologic systems, may require a multispecialty surgical team to address the necessities of achieving a wide sarcoma resection. We present our experience with chest wall resection and reconstruction for sarcoma, including the surgical technique and a case series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]