BACKGROUND: A rehabilitation hospital has the characteristics of longer hospital stay, a variety of medical and paramedical personnels involved in treatment, and more probability of the primary care giver being a nonmedical person. The purpose of this study is to describe the characteristics of nosocomial infection in a rehabilitation hospitals METHODS: Surveillance was done in a rehabilitation hospital affiliated university hospital from June to August 1996, May to June 1997, and July to September 1999. Nosocomial infection was investigated by an infection control practitioner (JCP) according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s definitions visiting the rehabilitation wards regularly. RESULTS: The overall NI rates were 3.83 in 1996, 4.42 in 1997 and 1.91 in 1999 per 1,000 patient days, and the urinary tract infection (UTI) rates were 2.82 in 1996, 2.87 in 1997 and 1.07 in 1999 per 1,000 patient days. Both of overall NI rate and UTI rate in 1999 decreased significantly compared with that in 1996 and 1997 (P<0.001). Comparing the ward specific NI rate, the average NI rate of the spinal cord injury ward was the highest (5.67 per 1,000 patient days) and that of the pediatric rehabilitation ward was the lowest (0.83 per 1,000 patient days). UTI constituted of the largest proportion of NIs. The distribution of UTI showed a decreasing tendency from 73.47% in 1996 to 56.00% in 1999, but the distribution of gastrointestinal infection showed an increasing tendency from 4.08% and 5.40% in 1997 and 1996 to 24.00% in 1999. The commonly isolated organisms were E. coli (33.63%), Enterococcus spp. (12.73%) and C. difficile (7.27%). It reflected that the main infection was UTI. CONCLUSION: The main NI in rehabilitation hospital was the UTI. It means that the infection control program of rehabilitation hospital should be focused on the control of UTI. Surveillance in the rehabilitation hospital enabled us to describe the characteristics of nosocomial infection in the rehabilitation hospital. NI rate was decreased through continuous communications and educations with factual datum and involvement of various medical and paramedical personnels. These results show that NI surveillance is crucial for an efficient infection control program.
Allied Health Personnel ; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.) ; Cross Infection* ; Enterococcus ; Humans ; Infection Control ; Infection Control Practitioners ; Length of Stay ; Primary Health Care ; Rehabilitation* ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; Urinary Tract Infections

Airway management is important during general anesthesia. Difficulties with a direct laryngoscopy can be managed successfully in a routine manner using a laryngeal mask airway. A 65-year-old woman was scheduled to undergo gynecologic surgery. After injecting the intravenous induction agents and muscle relaxants, intubation was attempted with a direct laryngoscope. However, the vocal cords could not be observed with only the epiglottis being slightly visible. Although intubation was re-attempted by another anesthesiologist, it failed. Intubation was successfully performed via an intubating laryngeal mask airway (ILMA) after additional 100% oxygen mask ventilation. We report a case of vocal cord palsy subsequent to tracheal extubation after endotracheal intubation via ILMA.
Aged ; Airway Extubation ; Airway Management ; Anesthesia, General ; Epiglottis ; Female ; Gynecologic Surgical Procedures ; Hoarseness ; Humans ; Intubation ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Laryngeal Masks ; Laryngoscopes ; Laryngoscopy ; Masks ; Muscles ; Oxygen ; Ventilation ; Vocal Cord Paralysis ; Vocal Cords

Placenta accreta is a rare complication of pregnancy with high rates of maternal morbidity and mortality.It is usually discovered when removal of the placenta after delivery is difficult or there is substantial postpartum bleeding.Placenta accreta can be complicated by disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and this increases maternal morbidity and mortality.DIC is characterized by the widespread activation of coagulation, which results in the intravascular formation of fibrin and ultimately thrombotic occlusion of small and midsize vessel.We report a 24-year-old woman with DIC, who developed severe pre- and intraoperative bleeding and massive transfusion during emergent cesarean section.
Dacarbazine ; Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation ; Female ; Fibrin ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Placenta ; Placenta Accreta ; Postpartum Period ; Pregnancy ; Young Adult

Placenta accreta is a rare complication of pregnancy with high rates of maternal morbidity and mortality.It is usually discovered when removal of the placenta after delivery is difficult or there is substantial postpartum bleeding.Placenta accreta can be complicated by disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and this increases maternal morbidity and mortality.DIC is characterized by the widespread activation of coagulation, which results in the intravascular formation of fibrin and ultimately thrombotic occlusion of small and midsize vessel.We report a 24-year-old woman with DIC, who developed severe pre- and intraoperative bleeding and massive transfusion during emergent cesarean section.
Dacarbazine ; Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation ; Female ; Fibrin ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Placenta ; Placenta Accreta ; Postpartum Period ; Pregnancy ; Young Adult

Chest pain is a symptom observed commonly in outpatients and emergency room patients, and its causes are variable. Because treatment and prognosis of chest pain are different depending on its cause, it is more important than anything else to accurately diagnose the cause of chest pain. Most of patients complaining of chest pain undergo basic tests at a private local clinic or at the Internal medicine or chest surgery department of a general hospital and, they are referred to the pain clinic, with a note stating no particular finding. However, if they have sustained severe neuropathic pain in spite of nerve block, accurate diagnosis for chest pain is essential. We experienced rapidly developing spine breakdown and cord compression caused by metastatic spinal tumor in an inpatient who was being treated for chest pain, and thus, we report here in the case with literature review.
Chest Pain ; Emergencies ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Internal Medicine ; Nerve Block ; Neuralgia ; Outpatients ; Pain Clinics ; Prognosis ; Spine ; Thorax