A total of 78 patients were operated on for senile cataract in our hospital in 1985. The number almost doubled to 142 in 1992, more than 90 percent of whom received the intraocular lens. We asked each patient postoperatively to submit a questionnaire, and found the greatest inconvenience suffered before surgery was the difficulty in reading the letters. Patients with senile cataract have anxiety due to extremely weak eyesight, therefore, we believe it is very important for them to receive orientation before the operation. Until recently, we used the B5-sized (10.12″×7.17″) leaflet for a guide to the operation, but the type was too small for them to read. We renewed the guide by using a F8-sized (17.95″× 14.96″) sketch book. We put them in the sickrooms Just before they patients left our hospital, we asked them for their opinion about the guide. 90 percent of the patients said that they were satisfied with the size of the type, all of them said that the contents are easy to understand, and 50 percent said they read the guide more than twice.
In conclusion, we found that the sketch book, full of illustrations, was quite convenient for senile patients and read repeatedly. It was also a great help to them, because it gave them encouragement and made it easy for them to prepare themselves for the operation.

Background/Aims: Empiric antibiotics are given in combina-tion with biliary drainage for acute cholangitis but sometimes turn out to be insensitive to microorganisms in blood and bile. Clinical outcomes were compared according to sensitiv-ity to microorganisms detected in blood and bile culture to evaluate the impact of sensitivity to empiric antibiotics in cholangitis. Methods: Consecutive patients who underwent biliary drainage for acute cholangitis were retrospectively studied. Clinical outcomes such as 30-day mortality, length of hospital stay and high care unit stay, organ dysfunction and duration of fever were compared in three groups: group A (sensitive to both blood and bile culture), group B (sensitive to blood culture alone) and group C (insensitive to both blood and bile culture). Results: Eighty episodes of cholangitis were classified according to sensitivity results: 42, 32 and six in groups A, B and C. Escherichia coli and Klebsiella were two major pathogens. There were no significant differences in 30-day mortality rate (7%, 0%, and 0%, p=0.244), length of hospital stay (28.5, 21.0, and 20.5 days, p=0.369), organ dysfunc­tion rate (14%, 25%, and 17%, p=0.500), duration of fever (4.3, 3.2, and 3.5 days, p=0.921) and length of high care unit stay (1.4, 1.2, and 1.7 days, p=0.070) in groups A, B and C. Empiric antibiotics were changed in 11 episodes but clinical outcomes appeared to be non-inferior even in 31episodes of cholangitis who were on inadequate antibiotics throughout the course. Conclusions Sensitivity of empiric antibiotics was not associated with clinical outcomes in acute cholangitis.