More than 3 years have passed since the guideline for infection prevention at acupuncture and moxibustion clinics was issued. We studied changes in the attitude toward sanitization of the environment and consciousness about infection prevention at acupuncture and moxibustion clinics during this period. The subjects were members of the Acupuncture and Moxibustion Societies of Kyoto and Osaka (n=349). About 70% of the subjects felt anxiety about infections, and nearly 80% of them were interested in sanitizing the clinics. More than half (57%) of the subjects were using both disposable and reusable needles, and about half the subjects disposed of used needles without sterilization. Concerning the linen, pillow covers were changed for every patient by about 70% of the subjects, but towels and sheets were changed by only 20% and 10%, respectively. White coats were changed within 1 week by about 70% of the subjects. Most subjects answered that the clinics were cleaned everyday, but less than a half of them sterilize slippers. About half the subjects answered that curtains were washed every 3-6 months. Autoclaves were placed in only 90% of the clinics. Attention to preventive measures against infection of therapists tended to diminish with increase in the clinical experience.

Chronic total occlusion (CTO) remains one of the most challenging lesion subsets for interventional cardiologists due to a low success rate and higher incidence of restenosis, especially with current use of bare metal stents (BMSs). However, successful CTO revascularization has a beneficial effect on long-term survival and relief of angina. With recent advances in technology (with the use of special techniques and devices), the initial success rate of recanalization of occlusions is quite high (approximately 90%). However, the long-term clinical outcome of the use of bare metal stents is not satisfactory due to a high restenosis rate. Recently, the introduction of the sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) and paclitaxel-eluting stent (PES) has shown favorable clinical outcomes, such as a reduction in the restenosis rate in patients with CTOs. Consequently, the use of the new types of stents can reduce the incidence of major adverse cardiac events detected at follow-up.
Angioplasty ; Coronary Occlusion ; Drug-Eluting Stents ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Incidence ; Stents

We report a case of in-stent restenosis due to the fracture of a sirolimus-eluting stent, which was confirmed by intravascular ultrasound. It can be suggested that a stent fracture is an important cause of restenosis in this era of drug-eluting stents.
Coronary Restenosis ; Drug-Eluting Stents* ; Stents ; Ultrasonography