Intercostal drainage tube or intracardiac drainage tube?

Although insertion of chest drain tubes is a common medical practice, there are risks associated with this procedure, especially when inexperienced physicians perform it. Wrong insertion of the tube has been known to cause morbidity and occasional mortality. We report a case where the left ventricle was accidentally punctured leading to near-exsanguination. This report is to highlight the need for experienced physicians to supervise the procedure and train the younger physician in the safe performance of the procedure

Social support influencing diabetes self-management behaviors: A cross-sectional study in Udupi Taluk

Background: India is witnessing an increase in diabetic cases as peoples′ lifestyle change. This rapid increase of cases has led to an increase in the healthcare burden of the country with a considerable financial strain occurring due to the cost spent on diabetes treatment annually. Proper management of diabetes is based on good self-management behaviors (diet control, physical activity, glucose monitoring, and adherence to medication). Globally, studies have indicated the link between self-management behaviors and social support. Proper self-management behaviors could be the key to reducing the healthcare burden arising due to diabetes. Objective: The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of compliance to treatment among diabetes patients and to assess the influence of social support on the self-management behaviors of diabetes patients. Materials and Methods: A two-stage cluster sampling technique was employed to recruit 330 patients with Type 2 diabetes. A validated questionnaire was used to collect data on social support and self-management behaviors. Results: Prevalence of compliance to treatment among diabetic patients was found to be 82.1%. This study showed that diabetes patients received highest social support for glucose monitoring (69.4%) followed by diet control (46.7%) and physical activity (31.2%). Chi-square test showed a statistical association between social support and diet control (P < 0.001), social support and physical activity (P < 0.001), and social support and glucose monitoring (P = 0.001). Conclusion: Presence of good social support was found to positively influence the self-management behavior of diabetes patients. Higher level of evidence can be generated to place interventions in this regard