Problem: On 17 December 2024, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck the Pacific Island country of Vanuatu, affecting over 80 000 people and causing 14 deaths and 265 injuries. Facing limited specialist clinical capacity, increased patient load and strained facilities, Vanuatu’s Ministry of Health requested support from emergency medical teams. Context: Vanuatu, highly disaster-prone and geographically dispersed, has a health system constrained by limited human resources and recent cyclone-related damage. The country’s national emergency medical team, the Vanuatu Medical Assistance Team, was established in 2017 and plays a central role in health emergency response in the country. Action: Within 24 hours of the earthquake, the Vanuatu Medical Assistance Team was activated and established an Emergency Medical Team Coordination Cell within the national health emergency operations centre. National and international emergency medical teams from Australia, Fiji, Indonesia, Japan and New Zealand were deployed over the subsequent weeks and provided clinical, mental health and information management support. The World Health Organization’s emergency medical team Minimum Data Set was implemented to monitor health trends and inform response actions. Outcome: Eight national and international emergency medical teams deployed alongside local health services. Together, they reported more than 5500 consultations to the Emergency Medical Team Coordination Cell, and a specialized team provided mental health and psychosocial support to 521 people. Minimum Data Set analysis showed a rapid decline in trauma-related presentations and detected increases in influenza-like illness, guiding the transition from emergency to recovery. Discussion: This response underscored the value of emergency medical teams following disasters, the importance of national leadership and coordination, and the significance of regional solidarity and partnerships. It also highlighted the importance of information management during emergencies and demonstrated potential innovations in this space.

The patient is an 81-year-old woman diagnosed with a metastatic cardiac tumor and left ventricular outflow tract stenosis. Due to the high risk of sudden death associated with tumor ablation, an emergency tumor resection was performed. The patient exhibited cancer cachexia and was in a highly frail state. There were concerns about delays in postoperative recovery and chemotherapy; hence, minimally invasive cardiac surgery was performed via a transmitral approach. To secure the visual field, a longitudinal incision was made at the anterior apex of the mitral valve. The visualization was excellent; thus, the tumor could be easily resected. This report highlights the effectiveness of the transmitral approach for accessing a cardiac tumor located in the middle of the left ventricular septum and reviews relevant literature.

Objective：This study investigated whether the day of initial ambulation during rehabilitation affects postoperative outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer.Methods：This retrospective observational study was conducted at the Urasoe General Hospital. Patients who underwent scheduled surgery and requested preoperative rehabilitation between June 2019 and December 2021 were included in this study. Patient characteristics and surgery- and rehabilitation-related data were retrieved from the medical records. The patients were divided into early- and late-discharge groups according to their median postoperative hospital stay. The cut-off value of initial ambulation during the postoperative hospital stay was calculated, and logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the impact of initial ambulation on delayed postoperative hospital stay.Results：This study included 184 patients. The cutoff value for initial ambulation during the postoperative hospital stay was three days. In the univariate analysis, rectal cancer, operation time, blood loss, postoperative complications of Clavien-Dindo classification grade II or higher, and the initial ambulation day were identified as potentially significant factors. In the multivariate analysis, which included these potentially significant factors as input variables, postoperative complications, operation time, and the initial ambulation day were determined to be significant independent factors affecting postoperative hospital stay.Conclusion：The initial ambulation day can affect postoperative hospital stay in patients with colorectal cancer. It is important that the rehabilitation interventions undertaken after colorectal cancer surgery facilitate ambulation within the third postoperative day.

Objective：This study investigated whether the day of initial ambulation during rehabilitation affects postoperative outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer.Methods：This retrospective observational study was conducted at the Urasoe General Hospital. Patients who underwent scheduled surgery and requested preoperative rehabilitation between June 2019 and December 2021 were included in this study. Patient characteristics and surgery- and rehabilitation-related data were retrieved from the medical records. The patients were divided into early- and late-discharge groups according to their median postoperative hospital stay. The cut-off value of initial ambulation during the postoperative hospital stay was calculated, and logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the impact of initial ambulation on delayed postoperative hospital stay.Results：This study included 184 patients. The cutoff value for initial ambulation during the postoperative hospital stay was three days. In the univariate analysis, rectal cancer, operation time, blood loss, postoperative complications of Clavien-Dindo classification grade II or higher, and the initial ambulation day were identified as potentially significant factors. In the multivariate analysis, which included these potentially significant factors as input variables, postoperative complications, operation time, and the initial ambulation day were determined to be significant independent factors affecting postoperative hospital stay.Conclusion：The initial ambulation day can affect postoperative hospital stay in patients with colorectal cancer. It is important that the rehabilitation interventions undertaken after colorectal cancer surgery facilitate ambulation within the third postoperative day.

Objective: Difficulty in extracting tablets from a press through pack (PTP) is believed to reduce prescription drug compliance.　This is a particularly serious issue for the elderly or for those who have physical disabilities affecting the fingers.　In this study, the squeezing force necessary to extract tablets from PTPs was measured for 33 commercial tablet products using a force gauge (FG).　Additionally, a sensory test was conducted to determine the degree of difficulty in extracting tablets from PTPs by squeezing, and the correlation between the difficulty measure and squeezing force was evaluated.Methods: The squeezing force for 33 products was measured by FG.　The sensory test was conducted with 64 subjects.　Four products, each with a different squeezing force, were used for the sensory test.　In the test, each subject ranked the products in order according to the amount of force required to extract the tablets.　Each product's total score was used in the statistical analysis.Results: The average squeezing force of the 33 products was 33.1 ± 6.9 〔N〕, and significant differences were observed among the products.　The sensory test revealed that each subject could significantly distinguish the amount of force required to extract the tablets from each product.Conclusion: A positive correlation was observed between the squeezing force obtained using FG and the results from the sensory test.　This suggests that squeezing force can be used as an indicator for the usability of the product.　Therefore, the degree of difficulty in extracting tablets from PTPs should be considered when selecting drugs for the elderly.

PURPOSE: The International Organization for Standardization-5fluorouracil (FU) 10 trial found that bolus 5-FU and l-leucovorin was not inferior to S-1 in the treatment of gastric cancer (GC). Continuous 5-FU and the rapid injection of 5-FU have different anti-cancer effects. Thus, bolus 5-FU and l-leucovorin treatment might be useful for oral FU-resistant GC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of all patients with S-1 or capecitabine-resistant, unresectable, or recurrent GC treated with bolus 5-FU and l-leucovorin between January 2010 and December 2015 at Hokkaido University Hospital. The bolus 5-FU and l-leucovorin regimen consisted of intravenous l-leucovorin (250 mg/m²/2 h) and bolus 5-FU (600 mg/m²) administered once weekly followed by a 2-week rest period; each cycle was repeated every 8 weeks. RESULTS: A total of 14 patients were identified. The disease control rate was 35.7%. The median progression-free survival was 1.6 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3~2.0 months), and the median overall survival was 6.3 months (95% CI, 4.7~7.9 months). No patient died from treatment-related causes. The most common severe adverse event associated with bolus 5-FU and l-leucovorin was neutropenia, which occurred in 21.4% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: Bolus 5-FU and l-leucovorin treatment might be useful for oral FU-resistant GC. We are planning a multi-center prospective phase II trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of bolus 5-FU and l-leucovorin treatment for pre-treated unresectable or recurrent GC to confirm the results of this limited, retrospective study.
Disease-Free Survival ; Drug Therapy* ; Fluorouracil* ; Humans ; Leucovorin ; Medical Records ; Neutropenia ; Prospective Studies ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms*