PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to help families decrease and alleviate the burden on family care-givers taking care of elderly patients. METHOD: Data was collected by a questionnaire from 100 family members who were registered in the department of home health care nursing at 4 hospitals of H University Medical Center from September 20 to October 25, 2005. The collected data was analyzed using Mean and Standard Deviation, Pearson Correlation Coefficient, t-test and One-Way ANOVA with the Duncan's test, and Stepwise multiple regression. RESULT: The average burden on family care-givers of elderly patients with chronic diseases was 3.31. The social burden was the highest(M=3.68), the lowest was the emotional burden (M=2.95). In ADL of elderly patients with chronic diseases, all 10 questions showed an average point above 2.50. The dependency level of going up and down the stairs was the highest (M=2.88). CONCLUSION: This research is necessary for the application of a plan in the social support system in order to reduce the burden on family care-givers who are taking care of elderly patients with a chronic disease.
*Activities of Daily Living ; Adult ; Aged ; Body Burden ; Caregivers/*psychology ; Chronic Disease/*nursing/psychology ; Cost of Illness ; Dependency (Psychology) ; *Family ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Questionnaires ; Regression Analysis ; Social Behavior

OBJECTIVE: The parturient with hypertensive disorders usually has multiple organ alterations, which may affect on the anesthetic care during cesarean delivery. The present study purposed to determine the optimal anesthesia method for the cesarean section of the patients with hypertensive disorders through clinical examination and to support adequate patient management. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective survey of medical records of the patients with hypertensive disorders of varying severity delivered by cesarean, between January 1999 and December 2003 at Gangnam CHA Hospital. According to anesthesia method, the patients were divided into the general anesthesia group and the epidural anesthesia group, and the clinical outcomes were compared statistically. RESULTS: Estimated intraoperative blood loss and the frequency of complications such as anemia and pulmonary edema were significantly lower in the epidural anesthesia group. However, there was no major complications with either general or epidural anesthesia CONCLUSION: Epidural anesthesia is considered allowable as the primary anesthesia method for the caesarean section of the parturient with hypertensive disorders.
Anemia ; Anesthesia* ; Anesthesia, Epidural ; Anesthesia, General ; Cesarean Section* ; Female ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy* ; Pulmonary Edema ; Retrospective Studies

Vasopressin is often used locally to reduce blood loss in gynecologic surgery. The use of local infiltration of low concentration vasopressin (0.05-0.3 units/ml) has been considered to be safe. However, serious side effects such as bradycardia, hypertension, arrhythmia, pulmonary edema, coronary vasospasm, myocardial infarction and even cardiac arrest were reported during low-dose vasopressin. In 2 healthy women with myoma and multiple myoma combined with adenomyosis, we experienced pulmonary edema after intramyometrial injection and paracervical infiltration of vasopressin. After diuretics and oxygen therapy, the patients were recovered without any complications.
Adenomyosis ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Bradycardia ; Coronary Vasospasm ; Diuretics ; Female ; Gynecologic Surgical Procedures ; Heart Arrest ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Myocardial Infarction ; Myoma ; Oxygen ; Pulmonary Edema ; Vasopressins

BACKGROUND: Subarachnoid block is a widely used technique for cesarean section. To improve the quality of analgesia and prolong the duration of analgesia, addition of intrathecal opioids to local anesthetics has been encouraged. We compared the effects of sufentanil 2.5 microg and 5 microg, which were added to intrathecal hyperbaric bupivacaine. METHODS: We enrolled 105 full term parturients were randomly divided into 3 groups: Group 1 (control), Group 2 (sufentanil 2.5 microg), and Group 3 (sufentanil 5 microg). In every group, 0.5% heavy bupivacaine was added according to the adjusted dose regimen. We determined the maximum level of sensory block and motor block, the quality of intraoperative analgesia, the duration of effective analgesia and side effects. RESULTS: There were no significant differences among the 3 groups in the maximum level of the sensory block and motor block. Recovery rate of the sensory block, however, was significantly slower in Group 3 than Group 1. Quality of intraopertive analgesia, muscle relaxation, and duration of effective analgesia were enhanced by increasing the dosage of intrathecal sufentanil. Frequencies of hypotension, maximum sedation level, and pruritus were directly related to the dosage of intrathecal sufentanil, whereas nausea and vomiting occurred only in the groups using sufentanil. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of sufentanil 2.5 microg for spinal anesthesia provides adequate intraoperative analgesia and good postoperative analgesia with minimal adverse effects on the mother.
Analgesia ; Analgesics, Opioid ; Anesthesia, Spinal ; Anesthetics, Local ; Bupivacaine ; Cesarean Section ; Female ; Humans ; Hypotension ; Mothers ; Muscle Relaxation ; Nausea ; Pregnancy ; Pruritus ; Sufentanil ; Vomiting