Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

A Preoperative Intervention To Improve Glycemic Control In Surgical Patients With Diabetes, Kelsey L. Boyd

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Perioperative hyperglycemia is reported in 20-40% of patients undergoing general surgery and is an independent risk factor for negative surgical outcomes. Patients with diabetes presenting to a local community hospital are at risk for negative surgical outcomes due to the lack of strategies to prevent perioperative hyperglycemia. This project aimed to implement and evaluate the usefulness of succinct diabetes education for preoperative total joint surgical patients with diabetes. The intervention was a nurse-led, face-to-face diabetes education session provided to total joint surgical patients with diabetes during a preoperative evaluation appointment, compared to usual care (no preoperative diabetes education). This project …

Optimizing A Pediatric Dka Protocol In A Tertiary Care Hospital System In Northern West Virginia, Jennifer L. Burky

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Background: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a serious complication of diabetes that occurs when the body compensates for insufficient insulin, producing dangerously high levels of ketones. Without proper treatment, DKA can be fatal. For that reason, staff in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at a tertiary care hospital in northern West Virginia expressed concerns about the complexity of and lack of adherence to a poorly referenced and dated DKA treatment protocol.

Objective: The purpose of this project was to assess the feasibility and sustainability of optimizing the DKA protocol in the PICU. The primary objective was to implement an updated, …

Environmental Regulation Of The Heart: The Role Of Non-Coding Rna And Epigenetics In Influencing Mitochondrial And Cellular Health, Quincy Alexander Hathaway

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The mitochondrion, a small but ubiquitously distributed organelle in the cell, continues to be the focus of many disease pathogeneses, tissue and organ dysfunctions, and other morbidities that occur throughout the body. The purpose of this work was to understand how cardiac mitochondrion are altered in disease and pathological states, specifically in their adaptation to environmentally stimulated regulatory networks, such as epigenetic modifications and promotion/inhibition of non-coding RNAs. Acute stress to mitochondrial regulation (inhalation toxicology) as well as chronic (type 2 diabetes mellitus) was examined. Using a FVB transgenic microRNA-378a mouse knockout model, the cardiovascular impact derived from altering the …

The Impact Of Comorbidities On Diabetes And Hypertension Co-Management And Healthcare Expenditures, Rashmi Goyat

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Hypertension and type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are among the most prevalent chronic conditions that often co-exist. Their co-existence increases the risk for comorbidities due to their impact on other organs such as blood vessels (leading to vasoconstriction/hypertension); brain (resulting in increased caloric intake); pancreas (decreased in beta-cell mass and glucose sensing); bone (possibly decreasing bone mass and strength). Occurrence of comorbidities can complicate the already complex care of diabetes and hypertension. It increases the risk of poor patient outcomes such as preventable hospitalization, adverse drug events and mortality. However, different comorbidities can affect the co-management differently. We identified the types …