OBJECTIVE: To investigate the baseline levels of microorganisms' growth on the hands of anesthesiologists and in the anesthesia environment at a cancer hospital. METHODS: This study performed in nine operating rooms and among 25 anesthesiologists at a cancer hospital. Sampling of the hands of anesthesiologists and the anesthesia environment was performed at a ready-to-use operating room before patient contact began and after decontamination. RESULTS: Microorganisms' growth results showed that 20% (5/25) of anesthesiologists' hands carried microorganisms (> 10 CFU/cm ²) before patient contact began. Female anesthesiologists performed hand hygiene better than did their male counterparts, with fewer CFUs ( P = 0.0069) and fewer species ( P = 0.0202). Our study also found that 55.6% (5/9) of ready-to-use operating rooms carried microorganisms (> 5 CFU/cm ²). Microorganisms regrowth began quickly (1 hour) after disinfection, and increased gradually over time, reaching the threshold at 4 hours after disinfection. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from the hands of 20% (5/25) of anesthesiologists and 33.3% (3/9) of operating rooms. CONCLUSION Our study indicates that male anesthesiologists need to pay more attention to the standard operating procedures and effect evaluation of hand hygiene, daily cleaning rate of the operating room may be insufficient, and we would suggest that there should be a repeat cleaning every four hours.
Female ; Humans ; Male ; Anesthesia ; Anesthesiologists/statistics & numerical data* ; Disinfection/standards* ; Hand Hygiene/statistics & numerical data* ; Staphylococcal Infections ; Operating Rooms/statistics & numerical data* ; Staphylococcus aureus/isolation & purification*

Recently, sedation is routinely used in children who lacked cooperation in pediatric dental clinics. The purpose of this study is to analyze dental treatment cases in department of pediatric dentistry at Dankook University Dental Hospital associating with sedation during 5 years.From January 2011 to December 2015, information about dental treatment cases in department of pediatric dentistry was collected and reviewed. The information gathered included patient gender, age, sedation type, sedative agents, date of operation, and type of procedure.The proportion of treatment cases with conscious sedation for total treatment cases continued to decline until 2014. On the other hand, the incidence of general anesthesia increased gradually. The frequency of midazolam administration and nitrous oxide inhalation sedation increased recently. The use of conscious sedation was significantly decreased when the age of patient was 3 years or older. The frequency of general anesthesia was similar in all age groups. There was a tendency to perform treatment with deeper sedation when the patient was male than female, and when the pulp treatment was performed together with the restorative treatment than not performed. The frequency of re-treatment within 90 days after restoration treatment decreased as the depth of sedation increased.
Anesthesia, General ; Child ; Conscious Sedation ; Dental Clinics ; Female ; Hand ; Humans ; Incidence ; Inhalation ; Male ; Midazolam ; Nitrous Oxide ; Pediatric Dentistry ; Retrospective Studies ; Statistics as Topic

Objective To investigate the independent risk factors and the prognosis of reintubation following surgeries under general anesthesia in post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). Methods 　We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 14 407 patients undergoing elective surgeries from October 2013 to October 2014 in the China-Japanese Friendship Hospital. Patients were divided into reintubation group and control group according to the application of reintubation (or not) in PACU. Multivariate Logistic analysis was performed for factors showing significant difference between these two groups to screen for risk factors and analyze the prognosis. Results 　Sixteen patients (0.11%) were reintubated in PACU.The Logistic regression analysis showed that the independent risk factors for reintubation were as following:preoperative chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)(OR=17.55,95%CI :3.08-59.84,P=0.001) or preoperative coronary artery disease (OR=5.98,95%CI :1.67-21.42,P=0.006),intraoperative blood loss greater than 12 ml·kg-1 (OR=27.83,95%CI :10.75-54.62,P <0.001),and thoracic surgery (OR=22.96,95%CI :12.66-48.19,P=0.004). Conclusion s　Preoperative COPD or coronary artery disease,intraoperative blood loss greater than 12 ml·kg-1,and thoracic surgery are the independent risk factors for postoperative PACU reintubation of patients undergoing surgeries with general anesthesia.Although the mortality rate is relative high,most patients have a good prognosis.
Anesthesia, General ; adverse effects ; Blood Loss, Surgical ; China ; Coronary Artery Disease ; complications ; Humans ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; statistics & numerical data ; Postoperative Period ; Prognosis ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; complications ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Thoracic Surgical Procedures

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The landscape of sedation for gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopic procedures and the nature of the procedures themselves have changed over the last decade. In this study, an attempt is made to analyze the frequency and etiology of all major adverse events associated with GI endoscopy. METHODS: All adverse events extracted from the electronic database and local registry were analyzed. Although the data analysis was retrospective, the adverse events themselves were documented prospectively. These events were evaluated after subdivision into propofol-based anesthesia and intravenous conscious sedation groups. RESULTS: Cardiorespiratory events, including cardiac arrest, were the most common adverse events during esophagogastroduodenoscopy, while bleeding was more frequent in patients undergoing colonoscopy. Pancreatitis was the most frequent adverse event in patients undergoing endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. The frequencies of most adverse events were significantly higher in patients anesthetized with propofol. Automatic regression modeling showed that the type of sedation, the American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification, and the procedure type were some of the predictors of immediate life-threatening complications. CONCLUSIONS: Clearly, our regression modeling suggests a strong association between the type of sedation as well as various patient factors and the frequency of adverse events. The possible reasons for our results are the changing demographics, the worsening comorbidities of the patient population, and the increasing technical complexity of these procedures. Although extensive use of propofol has increased patient satisfaction and procedure acceptability, its use is also associated with more frequent adverse events.
Anesthesia ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Classification ; Colonoscopy ; Comorbidity ; Conscious Sedation ; Demography ; Endoscopy ; Endoscopy, Digestive System ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal* ; Heart Arrest ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Pancreatitis ; Patient Satisfaction ; Propofol ; Prospective Studies ; Retrospective Studies ; Statistics as Topic

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop a smartphone app for use in patient controlled analgesia (PCA) education and to identify PCA knowledge and pain management following lower extremity orthopaedic surgery under spinal anesthesia in patients who received smartphone app education. METHODS: Participants were 150 patients in an orthopaedic hospital located in Busan. The measurement variables used in this study were PCA knowledge, pain management and pain level. For data analysis, SPSS/WIN 21.0 program was used in the analysis of the relation of frequencies. In addition, percentage, mean and standard deviation, t-test, ANOVA, Duncan, Pearson's correlation coefficients were also assessed. RESULTS: The score for knowledge regarding PCA was 4.27±1.64. The correlations between knowledge and pain management (button push times Analgesia ; Analgesia, Patient-Controlled* ; Anesthesia, Spinal* ; Busan ; Education* ; Humans ; Lower Extremity* ; Methods ; Mobile Applications ; Orthopedics* ; Pain Management* ; Passive Cutaneous Anaphylaxis ; Smartphone* ; Statistics as Topic

Active involvement of anesthesiologists in perioperative management is important to ensure the patients' safety. This study aimed to investigate the state of anesthetic services in Korea by identifying anesthetic service providers. From the insurance claims data of National Health Insurance for 3 yr, the Korean state of anesthetic services was analyzed. The claims for anesthesia from the medical institutions which hire their own anesthesiologist or with an anesthesiologist invitation fee are assumed to be the anesthesia performed by anesthesiologists. The annual anesthetic data were similar during the study period. In 2013, total counts of 2,129,871 were composed with general anesthesia (55%), regional anesthesia (36%) and procedural sedation with intravenous anesthetics (9%). About 80% of total cases of general anesthesia were performed in general hospitals, while more than 60% of the regional anesthesia and sedation were performed in the clinics and hospitals under 100 beds. Non-anesthesiologists performed 273,006 cases of anesthesia (13% of total) including 36,008 of general anesthesia, 143,134 of regional anesthesia, and 93,864 of sedation, mainly in the clinics and hospitals under 100 beds. All procedural sedations in the institutions without direct employed anesthesiologist were performed by non-anesthesiologists. Significant numbers of anesthesia are performed by non-anesthesiologist in Korea. To promote anesthetic services that prioritize the safety of patients, the standard to qualify anesthetic service is required. Surgeons and patients need to enhance their perception of anesthesia, and the payment system should be revised in a way that advocates anesthesiologist-performed anesthetic services.
Adult ; Aged ; Anesthesia/*statistics & numerical data ; Databases, Factual ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; National Health Programs ; Republic of Korea ; Surveys and Questionnaires

INTRODUCTIONPerioperative glycaemic control is an important aspect of clinical management in diabetic patients undergoing cataract surgery under local anaesthesia. While poor long-term glycaemic control has significant implications for surgery, perioperative hypoglycaemia or hyperglycaemia may also compromise patient safety and surgical outcomes. We aimed to survey ophthalmologists and anaesthesiologists on their approach and to identify the prevalent practice patterns in Singapore.

METHODSThis was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey conducted in four public hospitals in Singapore with established ophthalmology and anaesthesia units. Respondents were approached individually, and the self-administered questionnaires comprised questions related to practice patterns, clinical scenarios and awareness of pre-existing guidelines.

RESULTSA total of 129 doctors responded to the questionnaire survey. 76 (58.9%) were from ophthalmology departments and 53 (41.1%) were from anaesthesia departments. The majority chose to withhold oral hypoglycaemic agents (82.9%) and/or insulin (69.8%), and keep the patient fasted preoperatively. A blood glucose level ≥ 17 mmol/L prompted 86.0%-93.8% of respondents to adopt a treat-and-defer strategy, while a level ≥ 23 mmol/L prompted 86.0%-96.9% of respondents to cancel the cataract surgery. The respondents were consistently more concerned about perioperative hyperglycaemia (n = 99, 76.7%) than intraoperative hypoglycaemia (n = 83, 64.3%).

CONCLUSIONThe current study presented the prevalent practice patterns of ophthalmologists and anaesthesiologists in the perioperative management of diabetic patients undergoing cataract surgery in four public hospitals in Singapore. Further research in this field is required, and may be useful for the future formulation of formal guidelines and protocols.

Adult ; Anesthesia, Local ; methods ; Anesthesiologists ; statistics & numerical data ; Blood Glucose ; analysis ; Cataract Extraction ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus ; blood ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Ophthalmologists ; statistics & numerical data ; Perioperative Care ; methods ; Singapore ; epidemiology ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVE: The risk of complications is high for patients with a large cranial defect and hydrocephalus, undergoing cranioplasty and ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt operation. The purpose of this study is to examine retrospectively such cases with complications and contrive an operative technique to reduce complications. METHODS: Nineteen patients underwent cranioplasty and VP shunt operation due to large cranial defects and hydrocephalus. These patients were divided into two groups: Group A with 10 patients who underwent staged-operations, and Group B with 9 patients who underwent one-stage operation. Their complications in each group were retrospectively reviewed. Another five patients underwent a one-stage operation with temporary occlusion of the distal shunt catheter to improve on the technique and were categorized as Group C. Complications in these groups were compared and analyzed. RESULTS: The results of the data analysis revealed that complications related to anesthesia (40%) and those related to antibiotic prophylaxis (30%) were high in Group A, while non-infectious delayed complications (45%) and perioperative complications such as intracranial hematoma (33%) were high in Group B. However, for patients in Group C, it showed less complication with the operative technique devised by these authors, as opposed to two previous procedures. CONCLUSION: In patients with hydrocephalus and a large cranial defect, complications arising from existing one-stage operation or staged-operations can be reduced by implementing the technique of "one-stage operation with temporary occlusion of the distal shunt catheter."
Anesthesia ; Antibiotic Prophylaxis ; Catheters ; Decompressive Craniectomy ; Hematoma ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus* ; Retrospective Studies ; Statistics as Topic ; Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt*

INTRODUCTIONThis study reports our experience of audit and critical incidents observed by paediatric anaesthetics from 2000 to 2010 at a paediatric teaching hospital in Singapore.

METHODSData pertaining to patient demographics, practices and critical incidents during anaesthesia and in the perioperative period were prospectively collected via an audit form and retrospectively analysed thereafter.

RESULTSA total of 2,519 incidents were noted at the 75,331 anaesthetics performed during the study period. There were nine deaths reported. The majority of incidents reported were respiratory critical incidents (n = 1,757, 69.8%), followed by cardiovascular incidents (n = 238, 9.5%). Risk factors for critical incidents included age less than one year, and preterm and former preterm children.

CONCLUSIONCritical incident reporting has value, as it provides insights into the system and helps to identify active and system errors, thus enabling the formulation of effective preventive strategies. By creating and maintaining an environment that encourages reporting, we have maintained a high and consistent reporting rate through the years. The teaching of analysis of critical incidents should be regarded by all clinicians as an important tool for improving patient safety.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Anesthesia ; adverse effects ; methods ; Anesthesiology ; methods ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Hospitals, Teaching ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Medical Errors ; prevention & control ; statistics & numerical data ; Pediatrics ; methods ; Quality Assurance, Health Care ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Singapore ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to evaluate the difference in the degree of patient pain for an ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy (USFNAB) of a thyroid nodule with one needle puncture with and without local anesthesia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 50 patients participated in the study. We examined prospective patients who would undergo US-FNABs of two thyroid nodules (larger than 10 mm maximum diameter), which were located in separate thyroid lobes. For one of these thyroid nodules, US-FNAB was performed following the administration of local anesthesia; for the other nodule, no anesthesia was administered. The application of anesthesia was alternatively administered between patients (either prior to the first US-FNAB procedure or prior to the second procedure). For all patients, the degree of pain during and after each US-guided FNAB was evaluated according to a 4-category verbal rating scale (VRS), an 11-point numeric rating scale (NRS) and a 100-mm visual analogue scale (VAS). RESULTS: The mean maximum diameters of thyroid nodules examined by US-FNAB with the use of local anesthesia and with no local anesthesia were 13.6 mm and 13.0 mm, respectively. There was no significant difference in nodule size (p > 0.05) between two groups. For the VRS, there were 27 patients with a higher pain score when local anesthesia was used and four patients with a higher pain score when no local anesthesia was administered. Nineteen patients had equivalent pain score for both treatments. This finding was statistically significant (p < 0.001). For the NRS, there were 33 patients with a higher pain score when local anesthesia was used and 10 patients with a higher pain score when no local anesthesia was administered. Seven patients had an equivalent pain score for each treatment. This finding was statistically significant (p < 0.001). For the VAS, there were 35 patients with a higher pain score when local anesthesia was used and 11 patients with a higher pain score where no local anesthesia was administered. Four patients had an equivalent pain score for both treatments. This finding was also statistically significant (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: In our study, patient pain scales were significantly lower when no local anesthesia was used prior to US-FNABs of thyroid nodules as compared to when local anesthesia was administered. Therefore, we believe that when one needle puncture is used, US-FNAB should be performed without administering local anesthesia.
Adult ; Aged ; Anesthesia, Local/*utilization ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle/*adverse effects ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pain Measurement ; Prospective Studies ; Punctures/adverse effects ; Statistics, Nonparametric ; Thyroid Neoplasms/*pathology/ultrasonography ; Thyroid Nodule/*pathology/ultrasonography ; *Ultrasonography, Interventional