Carolyne J Montgomery

PURPOSE: Patient questionnaires are popular tools for assessing and improving service quality, especially as administrators are increasingly expected to consider the patient's voice in their decision making. Despite web-based questionnaire advantages, they have not been previously compared to telephone questionnaires for assessing quality. The purpose of this paper is to compare telephone questionnaire administration with a web-based version. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Day surgery patients from a tertiary pediatric hospital completed a telephone interview and a web-based questionnaire with identical questions...

BACKGROUND: The number of fluctuations of skin conductance per second (NFSC) has been shown to correlate with induced pain and self-report pain scales. This study aimed to evaluate the validity and feasibility of NFSC as an objective measurement of nociception intensity in school-aged children after surgery. METHODS: After approval by the research ethics board and obtaining consent, 100 subjects participated in this prospective observational study. Preoperatively, NFSC was measured for 60 s at rest and during response to a self-report pain scale (numeric rating scale [NRS], Faces Pain Scale-Revised) and anxiety scoring (NRS)...

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to determine the age-specific bolus dose of remifentanil (ED(50)) to facilitate tracheal intubation without the use of neuromuscular blocking agents. METHODS: ASA 1-2 subjects were recruited into three groups of 0-3 months (group I), 4-12 months (group II), and 1-3 years (group III) of age. A sequential up-and-down design determined the remifentanil bolus dose, which was initially started at 3 mcg x kg(-1) and adjusted in 1 mcg x kg(-1) increments (range 1-6 mcg x kg(-1))...

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare clinical and health-related quality-of-life (HRQL) outcomes within a group of patients treated for pectus excavatum (PE). METHODS: A retrospective 3-year review of patients undergoing Nuss or Ravitch correction of PE was performed. Health-related quality-of-life assessment was performed using the Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ-CF87) and the 17-item Pectus Excavatum Evaluation Questionnaire, and results were compared between groups and with age-matched CHQ-CF87 normative data...

This brief report describes the process of developing a valid and reliable questionnaire for quality measurement of pediatric day surgery care from the families' perspective. Questionnaire items were generated through a literature search and interviews with clinicians and parents. A computer-assisted telephone interview was used to administer the questionnaire to 448 parents within 72 hours of patient discharge. Tests of reliability and validity were administered, and questionnaire items were improved or omitted based on the results...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of treatment with the dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP)-4 inhibitor vildagliptin on insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function in subjects with impaired fasting glucose (IFG). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 22 subjects with IFG (11 female and 11 male, mean +/- SD age 59.6 +/- 11.5 years) were treated orally with 100 mg vildagliptin once daily in a single-blind study. Subjects received placebo for 2 weeks (run-in) followed by vildagliptin for 6 weeks (treatment) and then placebo for 2 weeks (washout)...

PURPOSE: This investigation evaluated the efficacy of nalbuphine in treating postoperative opioid-induced pruritus (Pr) in pediatric patients. METHODS: After Ethics Board approval, the dual site, tertiary care teaching centre study recruited 212 subjects, age > or = seven years, who received opioid analgesia postoperatively. A modified, self-report colour analogue scale (CAS) scored pruritus intensity (PrI). Subjects who reported PrI score > or = 5/10 were randomized to treatment with nalbuphine 50 microg x kg(-1) iv (max 5 mg) or saline placebo...

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to determine the efficacy and adverse effects of intravenous (i.v.) ketamine sedation administered by nonanesthetist physicians for painful procedures. METHODS: A single-agent, procedural sedation protocol using titrated doses of ketamine i.v. (maximum 2 mg.kg(-1)) was conducted in outpatient pediatric oncology patients undergoing lumbar puncture (LP), bone marrow biopsy/aspiration (BMBx/A) or combination (LP/BMBx/A) in a tertiary care setting...

BACKGROUND: Although several antidepressants are now available, all have limited efficacy and a delayed onset of action. The current study was undertaken as a proof of the concept that combining norepinephrine and serotonin reuptake inhibition would be more effective and act more rapidly than either drug alone. METHODS: Inpatients with nonpsychotic unipolar major depression and a Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) score of at least 18 after 1 week of hospitalization without antidepressant medication were randomized to 6 weeks of treatment with fluoxetine (FLX) 20 mg/day, desipramine (DMI) adjusted to an adequate plasma level, or the combination of FLX 20 mg/day and DMI, given under double-blind conditions...

UNLABELLED: We evaluated the success rate of using low current electrical stimulation (the Tsui test) to identify and confirm direct epidural catheter placement in a pediatric population. Thirty subjects received a standard anesthetic and administration of the Tsui test on epidural placement. The distribution of myotomal activity was recorded. The intended and actual level of the epidural catheter was compared. Myotomal activity was seen in all patients but one. The median current resulting in myotomal activity was 5...

PURPOSE: To evaluate the incidence of pain on injection in children during anesthetic induction with a 3:1.2 volume admixture of 1% propofol and 2.5% thiopentone (P/T) compared to a 10:1 volume admixture of 1% propofol and 2% lidocaine (P/L). METHODS: After Ethics Committee approval and informed written parental consent, 127 children, aged one to ten years were studied and randomized into two groups; Group P/L received an induction with 5 mg x kg(-1) of 1% propofol and 1 mg x kg(-1) of lidocaine, Group P/T with 3 mg x kg(-1) of 1% propofol and 3 mg x kg(-1) of 2...

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to measure the plasma levels and analgesic effectiveness of a dose of 40 mg x kg(-1) of preoperative oral acetaminophen. METHODS: Thirty children aged 55 (17-72) months undergoing bilateral myringotomy and tube insertion (BMT) received acetaminophen 40 mg x kg(-1) p.o. preoperatively. Plasma levels were measured, at 29 (10-51) min and at 60 min in the postanaesthesia care unit (PACU). Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Pain Scale (CHEOPS), for all subjects and the Poker Chip Tool (PCT) a self-report scale for subjects aged > 4 years, were used...