Staffordshire

AIM: To synthesize existing literature describing the impact of intentional rounding on patient outcomes among hospitalized adults. BACKGROUND: Intentional rounding has been described as purposeful therapeutic communication between nurses and patients during regular checks with patients using standardized protocols. Despite the widespread adoption of intentional rounding, the current understanding of the benefits of these structured interactions between nurses and patients is limited...

Biologic treatments can alleviate severe asthma symptoms and reduce health service use. However, service capacity limits and low referral rates from primary care indicate unmet patient need. We report a mixed-methods evaluation of an enhanced severe asthma pathway implemented in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, UK which aimed to optimise primary care referrals through training/education, and increased capacity in specialist clinics. Quantitative analysis assessed patient wait times between pathway stages, prescribing changes, exacerbations, hospital admissions and asthma control...

Abstract A free-range organic broiler ( Gallus gallus domesticus ) premises in Staffordshire was infected by high pathogenicity avian influenza virus (HPAIV) H5N8 during the 2020-2021 epizootic in the United Kingdom (UK). Following initial confirmation of the infection in poultry, multiple wild bird species were seen scavenging on chicken carcasses. Detected dead wild birds were subsequently demonstrated to have been infected and succumbed to HPAIV H5N8. Initially, scavenging species, magpie ( Pica pica ) and raven ( Corvus corax ), were found dead on the premises but over the following days, buzzards ( Buteo buteo ) were also found dead within the local area with positive detection of HPAIV in submitted carcasses...

BACKGROUND: Diabetes affects more than 4.3 million individuals in the United Kingdom, with 19% to 34% developing diabetes-related foot ulceration (DFU) during their lifespan, which can lead to an amputation. In the United Kingdom, every week, approximately 169 people have an amputation due to diabetes. Preventing first-ever ulcers is the most effective strategy to reduce the occurrence of diabetes-related amputations, but research in this space is lacking. OBJECTIVE: This protocol seeks to document the experiences and perspectives of frontline health care professionals who work with people who have diabetes and diabetes-related foot problems...

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to report the prevalence and risk factors for tick infestation in dogs in the UK based on anonymised electronic patient records. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clinical records of dogs under veterinary care in 2016 at clinics participating in the VetCompass Programme were followed over a 5-year period to identify cases of tick infestation. Risk factor analysis used multivariable logistic regression modelling. RESULTS: The study included 905,553 dogs...

Canine leishmaniosis (CanL), caused by Leishmania infantum, is a complex disease of growing importance in Europe. Clinical manifestations result from the down-modulation of the host immune response through multiple host-parasite interactions. Although several factors might influence CanL progression, this is the first known study evaluating risk factors for its different clinical stages in a large referral hospital population (n=35.669) from an endemic area, over a 20 year period. Genome-wide scans for selection signatures were also conducted to explore the genomic component of clinical susceptibility to L...

An 8-month-old male American Staffordshire terrier was referred for a no-weightbearing lameness of the right pelvic limb, hyperthermia, lethargy and inappetence. Two months before, endocarditis was diagnosed and treated in another veterinary hospital. Orthopedic, radiographic and tomographic examinations revealed a bone sequestrum of 4 × 1.4 cm and active periosteal reaction of the caudo-lateral cortical in the metaphysis and the distal third of the right femoral diaphysis, medullary osteolysis and interruption of the cranio-medial cortical profile, with involvement of the femoral trochlea leading to a secondary medial patella luxation...

OBJECTIVE: To describe the prevalence of elbow dysplasia (ED) in 13 dog breeds in France. ANIMALS: A total of 18,870 elbow radiographs taken from 2002 to 2022 were evaluated by 2 independent examiners. METHODS: For each breed, the incidence of each of the 4 International Elbow Working Group scoring classes was extracted from the database. Breeds were excluded if fewer than 150 radiographs had been read for that breed. RESULTS: This study included 17,861 records for 13 dog breeds: American Akita, Alaskan Malamute, Old German Shepherd (Altdeutscher Schäferhund), American Staffordshire Terrier, Australian Shepherd, Belgian Shepherd, White Swiss Shepherd, Bernese Mountain Dog, Cane Corso, Czechoslovakian Wolfdog, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Rottweiler, and Dogue de Bordeaux...

The introduction of Integrated Care Systems (ICS) in England aimed to increase joint planning and delivery of health and social care, and other services, to better meet the needs of local communities. There is an associated duty to undertake collaborative research across ICS partners to inform this new integrated approach, which might be challenging given that organisations span health, local authority, voluntary and community sector, and research. This study aimed to explore the appetite for collaborative Research and Innovation (R&I) across ICSs, potential barriers and solutions...

An asymptomatic 17-month-old, 18.5-kg, male Staffordshire Bull Terrier was referred due to a heart murmur. Examination revealed a grade 3/6 left apical systolic and right apical 3/6 heart murmur. Echocardiography showed volume overload of the left ventricle and mild systolic dysfunction with a left-right flow over the interventricular septal region. Cardiac gated computed tomography revealed anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the pulmonary artery, an extensive network of collateral blood vessels connected the right and left coronary arteries, with bronchial and left intercostal arteries also connected to the network of collateral blood vessels, markedly enlarged right and left coronary arteries and left coronary sinus...

KEY CLINICAL MESSAGE: We report on a dog with immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA) treated with immunomodulatory therapy that developed phaeohyphomycosis and Aspergillus citrinoterreus infections. This is the first reported case of A. citrinoterreus in dogs. It details cytological and microbiological findings leading to diagnosis and highlights the importance of investigating new lesions in immunocompromised patients. ABSTRACT: A 5-year-old Staffordshire terrier mix treated with immunosuppressive therapy for IMHA was diagnosed with concurrent disseminated A...

Ependymal cysts represent congenital brain malformations rarely described in human medicine, where surgical resection is the treatment of choice. In veterinary medicine, only three cases have been previously reported, with one partially resected with surgery. A 6 yr old entire male American Staffordshire terrier was referred with a 4 mo history of incoordination and collapsing episodes with extensor rigidity. Neurological examination localized the lesion to the left central vestibular system and cerebellum...

Pyrenean Mountain Dog (PMD) is an ancient dog breed firstly described in XIV century in the Pyrenees Region and nowadays diffused both in Europe and in the US. Hereditary Cataract (HC), defined as the inherited opacity of the lens, involves clinical signs ranging from reduced vision to glaucoma. A molecular basis of HC was firstly described in Staffordshire Bull Terriers and then reported in multiple canine breeds. The HC-associated variation is a single nucleotide deletion in HSF4 gene that introduces a premature stop codon (c...

PURPOSE: To describe a simple cryosurgical technique for treating canine distichiasis, its success rate and any associated complications. METHODS: Clinical records from canine patients undergoing treatment for distichiasis using a specific cryotherapy technique were retrospectively reviewed. The technique employed a triple freeze-thaw cycle via a transconjunctivally applied, liquid nitrogen-cooled, 2-mm diameter closed cryoprobe. RESULTS: The cryotherapy technique was employed in 125 dogs with distichiasis over a period of 13 years, with 109 (87%) bilaterally and 16 (13%) unilaterally affected, totaling 234 eyes...

BACKGROUND: In response to concerns about high hospital mortality rates, patient and carer complaints, a Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust public inquiry was conducted at the request of the UK government. This inquiry found serious failures in the quality of basic care provided and as a consequence, recommended that patients should have more regular visits, organised at predictable times from nursing staff. Intentional rounding, also known as nursing ward rounds, was widely adopted to meet this need...

This study included 10 fresh adult cadavers of large breed dogs (6 males and 4 females). Their weight ranged from 25 to 45 kg (mean ± SD: 33.9 ± 6.2 kg). The breeds represented were crossbreed dogs ( n = 5), German shepherds ( n = 2), Bernese mountain dogs ( n = 1), American Staffordshire terriers ( n = 1), and Gordon setters ( n = 1). Access to the target area and identification of the femoral head and neck was achieved with two Gelpi retractors inserted orthogonally and with the O-WR in all procedures...

BACKGROUND: The West Midlands Newborn Bloodspot Screening Laboratory is one of 16 in the UK and serves two tertiary paediatric cystic fibrosis (CF) centres (Staffordshire Children's Hospital at Royal Stoke and Birmingham Children's Hospital). CF newborn bloodspot screening (NBS) in this region started in November 2006 prior to the UK national roll-out in 2007. It uses an immunoreactive trypsinogen (IRT)/DNA/IRT protocol. We report the outcomes from 15 years of CF screening. METHODS: The West Midlands CF NBS outcomes from 1 November 2006 to 31 October 2021 were reviewed...

BACKGROUND: Urinary tract problems are a common complaint in small animal medicine and urolithiasis is considered to be an important cause of urinary tract disease in dogs. In this study the main aim was to investigate whether the occurrence of cystine urolithiasis increased during a five-year period. A second aim was to evaluate possible risk-factors as breed, age and gender. This study also evaluated how urine specific gravity, pH and level of cystine in urine responded to preventive strategies...

Heat Related Illness (HRI) in dogs is expected to increase as heatwaves surge due to global warming. The most severe form of HRI, heat stroke, is potentially fatal in dogs. The current study investigated the incidence and risk factors for HRI in dogs in NSW, Australia, from 1997 to 2017. We identified 119 HRI cases during this period, with a fatality rate of 23%. Dog breeds at elevated risk of HRI were Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog, British Bulldog, French Bulldog, Maremma Sheepdog, Italian Greyhound, Chow Chow, Airedale Terrier, Pug, Samoyed, English Springer Spaniel, Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Border Collie, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and pooled non-Australian National Kennel Council breeds (which included the American and Australian Bulldog) when compared with cross breeds (i...

10 years on from the publication of the Francis report, the nursing profession is facing unprecedented challenges; Robert Francis has recently sounded the alarm that the NHS is currently facing 'the Mid Staffordshire scandal playing out on a national level'. In this perspective, we consider the opportunities missed in the last decade in the attempt to secure safe staffing in nursing.