At the Clinica San Francesco the robotics is protagonist not just in operating room, but it is inserted in the rehabilitation course, before and after the knee and hip replacement operation.

The clinic staff, composed by orthopaedic surgeons and physiotherapists, directed by orthopaedic surgeon and director of Orthopaedics and Traumatology Unit, Dr Piergiuseppe Perazzini, developed an intensive rehabilitation protocol that, thanks to the use of robotic platform combined with the robotic prosthetic surgery, ensures the recovery of activities in record time and qualitatively better.

Hunova, this is the name of the robotic platform, is characterized by:

•          A total modulation of operating parameters

•          An easy re-programmability of exercises without changing physically the platform

•          An objective assessment of patient’s state by data acquisition (pre, during and post-intensive rehabilitation).

Thanks to the platform the personnel is able to personalize the rehabilitation treatment.

The protocol realized is called ““H2M2H”, an acronym that means “Hunova to Mako to Hunova” and consists in an initial assessment, before operation, both clinical and robotic, of postoperative intensive rehabilitation under the system of admission (about 10-14 days) during which the patient uses daily the platform together with the traditional rehabilitation, a clinical assessment before discahrge and, finally, a robotic assessment of follow-up 3 months since operation. The protocol “H2M2H” is dedicated to the patients who undergo the robotic total and partial knee and hip replacement by Mako robot.

The protocol “H2M2H” was born by a study that compared the effectiveness of rehabilitation course by platform with a traditional course on patients who underwent the total knee replacement operation. So a database was created where the resulting data from two types of course had been inserted. The data, once compared, revealed that the patients treated with robotic rehabilitation at the moment of follow-up after 3 months achieved better outcomes.

The training carried out with Hunova platform, during the intensive rehabilitation phase after knee replacement, has positive effects on the balance, maintenance of upright position and two functional and fundamental movements in activities of daily life: sitting down and standing (assessed with the robotic) and during the walk.

The PSA (Prostate specific antigen) is a protein produced by the prostate cells and is present in small quantities in blood. The test is carried out to investigate a possible thickening of prostate and then the presence of a possible gland disease as a cancer.

The prostate control must be carried out periodically by an urologist who, during the visit, reconstructs the clinical history of patient and examines the dimension and consistency of gland through a rectal exploration and, if necessary, prescribes the PSA dosage test.

The prostate problems could occur at any age as the prostatites that affect even the young people from the age of 20. The hypertrophy, thickening or cancer of prostate has a higher incidence from the age of 50.

It is clear that for those who have familiarity with the carcinoma of the prostate the prevention and so the PSA test must be carried out once a year and it is recommended from the age of 40, indeed, in absence of familiarity it is correct to conduct a control investigation of prostate every two years from the age of 50.

In this season the flu vaccine constitutes an important element of protection for persons considered more frail even more given the SARS-COV-2 health emergency.

The flu vaccine constitutes a protection, a simplification of the diagnosis and a better management of the Covid19 suspected cases, moreover it reduces the risk of complications related to the flu, and ensures a lower pressure on the health facilities also in terms of cost

Do Covid19 and flu virus are alike?

The World Health Organization has clarified what may be the similarities and possible differences between Covid19 and flu virus. Both appear with similar characteristics and attack the respiratory tract, and can be transmitted through contact, saliva droplets, sneezes or cough.

Although, if the range of symptoms seems to be similar, the disease impact on persons seems to be different. In this regard, the data – to the present day – concerning Covid19 suggest that the 80% of infections result soft and just the 15% of cases are severe, in flu cases the percentages related to serious and critical infections would be lower.

The Veneto Region is going to start the anti-flu campaign, the first region to get the supply of vaccines in early June 2020 with one million of doses. Also the Italian Health Ministry in the last few weeks reminded that “The aim is to enhance until the 75% the vaccine coverage, especially among the subjects at risk: persons from 60 years to up, children, chronically, immunodepressed, cancer and diabetic patients, and persons affcted by cardiovascular and respiratory diseases”.

Chronic pain, abdominal swelling, constipation, meteorism are just some symptoms of the irritable colon. Near 20% of Western countries people suffer it with a greater incidence among women.

It consists of a functional disorder of gastrointestinal system, a syndrome that does not show on sight alteration of intestine and of which the causes are not yet known. For this reason to diagnose become very difficult too. A specific diagnostic test does not exist, furthermore the symptoms may be attributed to many other pathologies which concern the intestine, so the only possible therapy is to care the symptoms everytime they occur.

The irritable colon syndrome is a chronic condition that can last over time, it’s possible to manage the disorder activating nutritional and psychological strategies, the latter such as to support the management of stress. Legumes, lactose and fructose are absolutely to avoid in order to prevent the increase of abdominal swelling. Also the consumption of gluten is to avoid for enhancing the symptomatology. Whereas the foods which may be consumed to purify the intestine and so limit the symptomatology are different. They are: apples, avocados, drinking a lot of water, leafy vegetables, fermented foods and apple vinegar.

Compared to other inflammatory diseases, as the Crohn’s disease, the irritable colon syndrome is not responsible for the change of intestinal anatomy so it may not be considered cause of cancer.

The scientific progress and technological innovation brought the medicine to make great strides, the artificial intelligence has already in all respects entered as protagonist in the health care. This may have contributed to dishumanize the treatment, where the patient increasingly has been considered as an object and the relation between physician and patient widened its gap. Nowadays we talk more and more about “humanization of care”. It means taking care of patient not just from the point of view of disease, but also protecting the psychological and relational aspects. For this within many facilities, as at the Clinica San Francesco, has been introduced the position of Case Manager. The Case Manager has the task of accompanying the patient during all the therapeutic course to ease and coordinate the clinic procedure, attends to connect the different wards that come into play to carry out the healing process.

“Through the adoption of case management organizational model in different facilities and care contexts there have been several benefits – Alessandro Vallicella, manager of Clinica San Francesco Health Professions Services explains -. There is a satisfaction increase of professionals involved in the decision-making and of patients, a greater continuity of care, a reduced duration of hospital stay, a decrease of patient admissions, a reduced care fragmentation and a cost reduction”.

The Case Manager manages the care of every patient coordinating the treatment modalities and the necessary operations, plays a strategic role in the multidisciplinary team, for which translates into operational terms the objectives of treatment, and the sequence of treatment phases. The Case Manager is able to ensure the continuity of care, following the patient in all phases of course and making available to everyone who is taking care of the patient all information on his/her state of health, guaranteeing a totally personalized care.