Constrictive pericarditis is usually a chronic inflammatory process. We encountered a case of acute constrictive pericarditis caused by infectious pericarditis in a patient receiving pericardial drainage for pericardial effusion. We performed emergency pericardiectomy and primary closure in the active phase of infection. An 82-year-old man was referred to our hospital for investigation and management of pericardial effusion. The patient was admitted, and continuous pericardial drainage was performed. After 2 days of drainage, he had fever, and after 7 days, there was purulent exudate in the drain tube. Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus was identified by culture of the purulent exudate. Despite administration of antibiotics, he developed malaise, anorexia, and generalized edema, and he also began to suffer from dyspnea. Computed tomography demonstrated infected pericardial effusion, while a right ventricular pressure study showed a “dip and plateau” pattern. Pericardial drainage and irrigation were done via a small subxyphoid skin insicion. However, his hemodynamics did not improve and oliguria was noted. Because more extensive drainage was necessary, we performed emergency on-pump beating pericardiectomy via median sternotomy. Along with administration of antibiotics, continuous mediastinal irrigation with saline was done via mediastinal, pericardial, and chest drain tubes for 7 days after the operation. His postoperative course was relatively uneventful, and he was discharged after recovery.

The purpose of this study was to determine the physiological responses, stroke rate and stroke length of front crawl leg kick and arm stroke of age-group and college swimmers and to elucidate the characteristics of male age-group swimmers, which have not been highlighted adequately. The subjects were ten 11.8-to 12.4-year-old well-trained male elementary school swimmers (group E) and nine 20.1-to 21.1-year-old well-trained male college swimmers (group C) . All the subjects were categorized into similar swimming levels for their ages. All the experiments were performed in a swimming flume (AQUAGYM made by IHI) . The water velocities during leg kicking and arm stroking were 60 and 70%, respectively, of the maximal velocity at maximal oxygen uptake (Vmax) . The oxygen uptake (VO₂), heart rate (HR), pulmonary ventilation (V_E), tidal volume (TV), respiratory rate (RR) and blood lactate (BL) level of each group were significantly higher during leg kicking than arm stroking at both velocities. VO2, V_E; and TV were significantly higher in group C than group E during leg kicking and arm stroking at both velocities, but HR, RR and BL did not differ significantly. The leg kick to arm stroke VO₂ ratio at 70% Vmax was significantly higher in group E than group C. The stroke rate at the same velocity was significantly lower and the stroke length was significantly higher in group C than group E, but the kick rate and length did not differ significantly. VO₂·SR^-1 and VO₂ KR^-1 at both velocities were significantly higher in group C than group E. VO₂ Wt^-1 SR^-1 at 70% Vmax was significantly higher in group C than group E, but VO₂ Wt^-1 KR^-1 at both velocities was significantly lower in group C than group E. These results clarified the differences between group E and group C, which must be considered carefully when designing a training program for age-group swimmers.

Background : Endovascular treatment of the thoracic aorta (TEVAR) for type B aortic dissection is reported to be effective if the interval between the onset and the procedure is relatively short. However, the optimal timing for TEVAR is still controversial. Method : From December 2008 to April 2015, we experienced 46 TEVARs for type B aortic dissection. The interval between onset and TEVAR was within 3 months in 15 cases (Group A), from 3 months to 1 year in 10 cases (Group B), and more than 1 year in 21 cases (Group C). Result : Primary success was obtained in all cases, and no new intimal tear was formed during the procedure. There was no hospital death. At the time of discharge, disappearance of ULP or thrombosed thoracic false lumen occurred significantly more frequently in Group A (93%) than in Group B (50%) and Group C (43%) (p<0.05). At 6 months, the rate of the patients with reduced aneurysm diameter more than 5 mm was significantly higher in Group A (87%) and Group B (70%) than in Group C (19%) (p<0.05). Three cases of Group C had enlargement of the aneurysm despite of TEVAR, and graft replacement of thoracoabdominal aorta was performed in one of the cases. Conclusion : For type B aortic dissection, TEVAR is more effective if performed within 3 months from the onset.

Ischemic heart disease (IHD) poses a major complicating factor for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair. To identify patients with IHD, we evaluated patients scheduled to undergo AAA repair with dipyridamole-thallium scintigraphy (DTS) and coronary angiography (CAG). If indicated, coronary revascularization was performed. Finally, an assessment of the effectiveness of these preventive measures was made. One hundred and ten patients scheduled to undergo AAA repair were identified and treated accordingly over a 20-year period. As the pre-operative evaluation and prophylactic surgical revascularization strategies were instituted in 1983, the patients were divided into 2 groups: 25 patients between 1973-1982 (group A) and 85 patients between 1983-1992 (group B). The mean age of patients in group A was 65.3 years. The male/female ratio within this group was 21:4. One patient in the group had a history of IHD and 9 had hypertention. The mean age of patients in group B was 67.7 years. The male/female ratio within this group was 77:8. Fourteen patients in this group had a history of IHD and 27 had hypertension. Screening and treatment of IHD in group B was as follows. All patients with a history of IHD underwent CAG. Of the 32 patients with cardiac risk factors, including hypertension and hyperlipidemia, or ECG abnormalities who underwent DTS, 8 were referred for CAG. Thirty-nine patients with no risk factors and a normal ECG proceeded to AAA repair without further workup. Perioperative myocardial infarction occurred in 2 patients in grouzp A, leading to death in 1 patient. Coronary revascularization was performed in 5 patients in group B. No perioperative myocardial infarction occurred in this group. Pre-operative identification of high-risk cases with DTS, CAG, and coronary revascularization in patients with IHD may prevent cardiovascular complications in patients undergoing AAA repair.

The clinical competence needed by every beginning resident and the present status of such competencewere examined in August 1998 through questionnaires distributed to clinical educators and the nursing staff of university hospitals and clinical training hospitals designated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Completed questionnaires were returned by 576 (65.9%) of clinical educators and nursing staff. With a cluster analysis of the necessity and the present status of clinical competence, 21 items for clinical competence were identified as those most requiring evaluation by the national examination. These 21 items included 11 items for clinical competence in the cognitive domain, 8 items in the psychomotor domain, and 2 in the affective domain. In about half of the direct answers obtained from clinical educators, evaluations were considered necessary for 15 items of clinical competence, of which 13 belonged to the cognitive domain. These results were consistent with the present status. However, practical examinations have also attracted increasing attention, as the results included strong demands that the national examination evaluate some basic clinical skills, such as physical examination and measurement of vital signs. However, about 30 % of authorities governing the national examination thought no changes are needed in the national examination.

Objective: The aim of this study was to establish the proper definitions of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and bleeding events for a healthcare database in Japan.
Study Design: Validation study.
Methods: The study comprised patients with VTE or who had undergone orthopedic surgery of the lower extremities and whose outpatient or inpatient medical information from April 1, 2008 to September 30, 2013 was available.  The source population of the database was derived from 100 acute-care hospitals.  The endpoints were VTE events (deep venous thrombosis [DVT], pulmonary thromboembolism [PE]) and bleeding events (bleeding requiring blood transfusion, intracranial hemorrhage, intraocular hemorrhage, upper gastrointestinal [GI] bleeding, and lower GI bleeding).  The frequent events with laboratory data were randomly extracted and evaluated, while all the infrequent events with laboratory data were extracted and evaluated.  Positive predictive value (PPV) was defined as the proportion of events judged to be clinical by medical experts of all the extracted events.  First, we conducted a test with a small number of cases and then revised the definitions of events.  Second, we extracted and evaluated data in 50 patients for VTE and bleeding events patients, based on which we defined the target PPV level between 60 and 70%.
Results: Of the 5,044,743 patients in the database, 36,947 patients underwent orthopedic surgeries of the lower extremities and 3,578 patients experienced a VTE event.  The PPV at the first evaluation was 80.0% (8/10) for DVT, 57.1% (4/7) for PE, and 27.3% (6/22) for bleeding events.  At the second evaluation using the revised definitions, the PPV were 75.0% (42/56) for VTE and 73.3% (33/45) for bleeding events.  Overall, the PPVs for VTE and bleeding events were over 70%.  The PPV of the VTE events were 76.9% (30/39) for DVT and 70.6% (12/17) for PE.  The PPVs of each type of bleeding event were over 70% except for intracranial hemorrhage (44.4%, 4/9).
Conclusion: The PPV was high for VTE events (75.0%) and bleeding events (73.3%).  The definitions used in this study are rational for the identification of VTE, DVT, PE, and bleeding events in the healthcare database in Japan.  The definition for each type of bleeding event should be investigated in further studies.

Background/Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety of sedation with propofol as an alternative to benzodiazepine drugs in outpatient endoscopy. Methods: In this prospective study, examinees who underwent outpatient endoscopy under propofol sedation and submitted a nextday questionnaire with providing informed consent were evaluated. Periprocedural acute responses, late adverse events within 24 hours, and examinee satisfaction were evaluated. Results: Among the 4,122 patients who received propofol in the 17,978 outpatient-based endoscopic examinations performed between November 2016 and March 2018, 2,305 eligible examinees (esophagogastroduodenoscopy for 1,340, endoscopic ultrasonography for 945, and total colonoscopy for 20) were enrolled, and their responses to a questionnaire were analyzed. The mean propofol dose was 69.6±24.4 mg (range, 20–200 mg). Diazepam, midazolam, and/or pentazocine in combination with propofol was administered to 146 examinees. Mild oxygen desaturation was observed in 59 examinees (2.6%); and mild bradycardia, in 2 (0.09%). Other severe reactions or late events did not occur. After eliminating 181 invalid responses, 97.7% (2,065/2,124) of the patients desired propofol sedation in future examinations. Conclusions Propofol sedation was found to be safe—without severe adverse events or accidents—for outpatient endoscopy on the basis of the patients’ next-day self-evaluation. Given the high satisfaction level, propofol sedation might be an ideal tool for painless endoscopic screening.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We applied a back light system (BLS) with a magnifying glass to improve the ability to assess the adequacy of specimen sampling using endosonography. We conducted this study to evaluate the efficacy of the BLS in sampling of specimens by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration of solid pancreatic masses. METHODS: This was a prospective, randomized, crossover, single-center clinical trial. An endosonographer evaluated adequacy on gross visual inspection and identified whitish specimen sampling sites with and without the BLS according to a randomization sequence in the first and second passes with a 25-G needle. On cytological evaluation, the presence of well-defined pancreatic ductal epithelium was evaluated by a cytopathologist who was blinded to any clinical information. RESULTS: A total of 80 consecutive patients were eligible during the study period. Adequacy was observed for 52 specimens (65%) with the BLS and 54 (68%) without the BLS (p=0.88). In assessment of specimen adequacy on gross examination, only fair agreement was observed both with and without BLS (kappa score 0.40 and 0.29, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The BLS did not influence the ability to identify specimen sampling sites or reliable assessment of specimen site adequacy using gross visual inspection.
Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Cross-Over Studies ; Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration ; Endosonography ; Epithelium ; Glass ; Humans ; Needles ; Pancreatic Ducts ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; Prospective Studies ; Random Allocation