Objective : To investigate how rehabilitation outcomes improved after the rehabilitation plan was changed. Subjects : 54 patients that were admitted to a kaifukuki rehabilitation ward in a regional hospital from January 2007 to June 2007 and 679 patients that admitted from January 2008 to June 2011. Methods : We changed the rehabilitation plan as follows to improve rehabilitation outcomes. Physiatrists estimated the rehabilitation goal and the length of hospital stay (LOS) at the first examination. All patients had intensive rehabilitation with standing up exercises and ADL training toward the goal. LOS, Functional Independence Measure (FIM) gain, FIM efficiency and the percentage of patients discharged home during 6 months before the change were compared with those during the same period after the change. In stroke patients, hip fracture patients and deconditioned patients, the same comparison was performed. Results : In the 4 years after the change was initiated, LOS was reduced significantly from 96.5 days to 29.2 days (p<0.001). The change of FIM gain was not significant, but FIM efficiency increased significantly from 0.22 to 0.91 (p<0.001). The percentage of patients discharged home also increased significantly from 85.2% to 99.1% (p<0.001). Also in stroke patients and hip fracture patients, LOS was reduced and FIM efficiency was increased significantly. The sample of deconditioned patients was small, but their LOS was reduced significantly. Conclusion : The changed rehabilitation plan reduced LOS, increased FIM efficiency and enabled most patients to discharge home.

Since the effect of the submaximal aerobic exercise on bone had been controversial, the aim of this study was to elucidate the effect of the bench step (BS), that seemed to deliver higher mechanical load on bone than any other aerobic exercises, on the total bone mineral content (BMC) and the bone metabolism of menopausal women. Sixteen menopausal women (65 ± 9 years old) as the exercise group (ExG) and 28 pre-menopausal women (43 ± 3 years old) as the control group (CG) were studied. ExG carried out BS training with the exercise intensity at lactate threshold (LT) for 21 weeks. In ExG, BMC was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) at one year before the intervention (A year before), pre-intervention (Pre) and post-intervention (Post). Serum osteocalcin (OC) as the marker of bone formation and serum type I collagen cross-linked N-telopeptide (NTx) as the marker of bone absorption at Pre, 11th week of the intervention and Post. In CG, BMC was measured annually without the intervention. In ExG, OC was not changed, but NTx was significantly decreased by intervention (p<0.05). The decreased amount of annual change in BMC between a year before and Pre (T1) was significantly higher compared to that between Pre and Post (T2) (p<0.01) and CG (p<0.001). There was no significant difference between T2 and CG. In conclusion, BS with LT could prevent decreasing BMC in menopausal women, and maintain the same level of BMC in pre-menopausal women by suppressing the bone absorption.

A premature boy was born after 35 weeks gestation (1,561 g in weight) with a diagnosis of anomalous origin of the right pulmonary artery from the ascending aorta (AORPA) and perimembranous ventricular septal defect (VSD). The fourteenth day after birth, banding of the right pulmonary artery was performed as a palliative operation. At the age of 5 months (3.9 kg in weight), the right pulmonary artery branched from the ascending aorta, and was anastomosed to a flap made by the lateral wall of the main pulmonary artery with pericardial patch augmentation. VSD patch closure was performed concomitantly. Severe stenosis of the right pulmonary artery compressed by the ascending aorta and left pulmonary hypertension were revealed 3 weeks after the repair. At the age of 11 months, a surgical relief of the right pulmonary artery stenosis was performed. Transection of the ascending aorta provided an excellent exposure of the right posterior pulmonary artery. After patch plasty of the stenotic pulmonary artery, the divided ascending aorta was restored using a strip form patch on 4/5 circle of its posterior wall to extend the aorta and widen the space for the right pulmonary artery. This technique preserves growth potential of the ascending aorta. There are few reports of surgical repair of AORPA with VSD in low birth weight infants. We presented here a case with surgical relief of post-operative right pulmonary artery stenosis. Long term observation of repaired right pulmonary artery, and requiring residual slight hypertension of the left pulmonary artery.