It is just fitting for the oldest medical school in the Philippines, the UST Faculty of Medicine & Surgery, which just celebrated its sesquicentennial year, to initiate this trailblazing stethoscope tagging ceremony for 418 second-year medical students belonging to USTFMS Batch 2026. This activity is aligned with enhancing the Thomasian identity (one of the strategic directional areas [SDA 2] of the university) once they graduate, the Thomasian Physician identity. The stethoscope remains the symbolic representation of physician and patient care. The innovative and pivotal activity, completely different from other international medical schools’ rite of passage, was marked with meaningful symbolisms unique to USTFMS. This rite also involved a pledge to the patroness of the Department of Medicine, Mary Untier of Knots, who would thus qualify for a robust faith formation program of the university (key result area [KRA 1]). Indeed, this would be the beginning of an annual celebration of strengthening faith, hope, and charity (patient care advocacy), TRIA HAEC, the three virtues of St. Paul that comprise the core values of Thomasian education.
Schools, Medical ; Students, Medical ; Stethoscopes ; Patient Care

Background: Instruments used to examine infected patients may be contaminated by disease- causing microorganisms during contact. If these instruments are not sterilized properly prior to being used on other patients, pathogen transfer may occur via this route. Stethoscopes are the most commonly used equipment by healthcare providers. Microbes and viruses may be transmitted from one patient to another and from healthcare worker to patient via stethoscope membranes. Objective: To determine the effectiveness of ultraviolet c-light in eliminating microbial pathogens from stethoscopes used in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of East Avenue Medical Center. Methodology: This is a two-arm, double blind, randomized controlled trial. The minimum sample size computed for this study was 26 stethoscopes. Thirteen (13) stethoscopes each were randomly allocated to Ultraviolet C (Group A) and standard of care (Group B) groups. Data Analysis: Summary statistics were reported in tables as means, standard deviations, percentages and frequencies min-max for quantitative discrete outcome measures or percentages for qualitativemeasures. Results: The predominant microbial pathogens colonized in the stethoscopes were different species of Coagulase Negative Staphylococcus (CONS) namely: Staphylococcus Heamolyticus (34.62%), Staphyloccocus Epidermidis (26.92%) and Staphylococcus Hominis (19.23%). Both UVC light and standard of care were equally effective in decreasing the CFUS on the stethoscopes. There was no significant difference in the post-test colony-forming units (CFUs) between the two groups (t = .594, p >.05). Conclusion UVC light sterilization is comparative to the standard of care in eliminating microbial pathogens. It works faster and is more reliable, durable and cost-effective. It is recommended as an alternative method for decontaminating stethoscopes used at the EAMC-NICU due to its numerous advantages.Keywords: ultraviolet c light, neonatal intensive care unit, stethoscope
Intensive Care Units, Neonatal ; Stethoscopes

Child ; Humans ; Stethoscopes ; Respiratory Sounds ; Auscultation ; Respiratory Tract Diseases ; Electronics

The paper describes how to develop a digital heart sound signal detection device based on high gain MEMS MIC that can accurately collect and store human heart sounds. According to the method of collecting heart sound signal by traditional stethoscope, the system improves the traditional stethoscope, and a composite probe equipped with a MEMS microphone sensor is designed. The MEMS microphone sensor converts the sound pressure signal into a voltage signal, and then amplifies, converts with Sigma Delta, extracts and filters the collected signal. After the heart sound signal is uploaded to the PC, the Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) is carried out to reconstruct the signal, and then the Independent Component Analysis (ICA) method is used for blind source separation and finally the heart rate is calculated by autocorrelation analysis. At the end of the paper, a preliminary comparative analysis of the performance of the system was carried out, and the accuracy of the heart sound signal was verified.
Heart ; Heart Sounds ; Humans ; Micro-Electrical-Mechanical Systems ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Stethoscopes

BACKGROUND: Intraoperative hypothermia is common in patients undergoing general anesthesia during arthroscopic hip surgery. In the present study, we assessed the effect of heating and humidifying the airway with a heated wire humidification circuit (HHC) to attenuate the decrease of core temperature and prevent hypothermia in patients undergoing arthroscopic hip surgery under general anesthesia. METHODS: Fifty-six patients scheduled for arthroscopic hip surgery were randomly assigned to either a control group using a breathing circuit connected with a heat and moisture exchanger (HME) (n = 28) or an HHC group using a heated wire humidification circuit (n = 28). The decrease in core temperature was measured from anesthetic induction and every 15 minutes thereafter using an esophageal stethoscope. RESULTS: Decrease in core temperature from anesthetic induction to 120 minutes after induction was lower in the HHC group (–0.60 ± 0.27℃) compared to the control group (–0.86 ± 0.29℃) (P = 0.001). However, there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of intraoperative hypothermia or the incidence of shivering in the postanesthetic care unit. CONCLUSIONS: The use of HHC may be considered as a method to attenuate intraoperative decrease in core temperature during arthroscopic hip surgery performed under general anesthesia and exceeding 2 hours in duration.
Anesthesia, General* ; Arthroscopy ; Body Temperature ; Heating ; Hip* ; Hot Temperature* ; Humans ; Hypothermia ; Incidence ; Methods ; Respiration ; Shivering ; Stethoscopes

The daily insertion of endotracheal tubes, laryngeal mask airways, oral/nasal airways, gastric tubes, transesophageal echocardiogram probes, esophageal dilators and emergency airways all involve the risk of airway structure damage. In the closed claims analysis of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, 6% of all claims concerned airway injury. Among the airway injury clams, the most common cause was difficult intubation. Among many other causes, esophageal stethoscope is a relatively noninvasive monitor that provides extremely useful information. Relatively not many side effects that hardly is ratable. Some of that was from tracheal insertion, bronchial insertion resulting in hypoxia, hoarseness due to post cricoids inflammation, misguided surgical dissection of esophagus. Also oropharyngeal bleeding and subsequent anemia probably are possible and rarely pharyngeal/esophageal perforations are also possible because of this device. Careful and gentle procedure is necessary when inserting esophageal stethoscope and observations for injury and bleeding are needed after insertion.
Anemia ; Anoxia ; Bivalvia ; Bronchoscopes ; Emergencies ; Esophagus ; Foreign Bodies* ; Hemorrhage ; Hoarseness ; Inflammation ; Insurance Claim Review ; Intubation ; Laryngeal Masks ; Stethoscopes

The daily insertion of endotracheal tubes, laryngeal mask airways, oral/nasal airways, gastric tubes, transesophageal echocardiogram probes, esophageal dilators and emergency airways all involve the risk of airway structure damage. In the closed claims analysis of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, 6% of all claims concerned airway injury. Among the airway injury claims, the most common cause was difficult intubation. Among many other causes, esophageal stethoscope is a relatively noninvasive monitor that provides extremely useful information. Relatively not many side effects that hardly is ratable. Some of that was from tracheal insertion, bronchial insertion resulting in hypoxia, hoarseness due to post cricoids inflammation, misguided surgical dissection of esophagus. Also oropharyngeal bleeding and subsequent anemia probably are possible and rarely pharyngeal/esophageal perforations are also possible because of this device. Careful and gentle procedure is necessary when inserting esophageal stethoscope and observations for injury and bleeding are needed after insertion.
Anemia ; Anoxia ; Emergencies ; Esophagus ; Hemorrhage* ; Hoarseness ; Inflammation ; Insurance Claim Review ; Intubation ; Laryngeal Masks ; Stethoscopes*

PURPOSE: We performed an analysis of the RSV outbreak in a postpartum center in Gyeongsangbukdo to provide preliminary data for health and hygiene management of postpartum care centers. METHODS: All of 22 newborns who were transferred to our hospital from a postpartum care center from December 2014 to January 2015 showed positive for RSV by viral culture and enrolled in the study group. To identify early symptoms in RSV infected newborn in the nursery 31 infants (1 month to 24 month of age) who were hospitalized in our hospital due to RSV infection during the same period were selected as control group and clinical symptoms were compared with the study group. A retrospective study was also performed on the newborns who were cared and not transferred to our hospital in the postpartum care center, as well as the facilities offered by the center. RESULTS: All of 22 neonatal patients who were transferred to our hospital had early symptoms of rhinorrhea and cough compared to control group. Rhinorrhea appeared 4.2±2.0 days before the admission, and cough occurred 1.0±1.1 days after rhinorrhea. The level of infection control specified by the law for general facilities relating to postpartum care centers was applied to the postpartum center, RSV infection was not controlled. Strict hand washing, individual equipment such as stethoscopes and exclusion of visitors with respiratory symptoms were done and infected neonates were segregated in separate air circulation system and cared by nurse-infant ratios from 1:1 to 1:2 depending on the needs of the individual neonates. Additional transmission was not observed after transfer to our hospital CONCLUSION: Neonates with cough and rhinorrhea were initial symptom for RSV infection in the postpartum center and should be evaluated for RSV infection during high risk season. Current guideline or support for infection control in postpartum center should be reevaluated for RSV infection control.
Cough ; Disease Outbreaks ; Gyeongsangbuk-do* ; Hand Disinfection ; Humans ; Hygiene ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infection Control ; Jurisprudence ; Nurseries ; Postnatal Care* ; Postpartum Period* ; Respiratory Syncytial Viruses ; Retrospective Studies ; Seasons ; Stethoscopes

PURPOSE: We performed an analysis of the RSV outbreak in a postpartum center in Gyeongsangbukdo to provide preliminary data for health and hygiene management of postpartum care centers. METHODS: All of 22 newborns who were transferred to our hospital from a postpartum care center from December 2014 to January 2015 showed positive for RSV by viral culture and enrolled in the study group. To identify early symptoms in RSV infected newborn in the nursery 31 infants (1 month to 24 month of age) who were hospitalized in our hospital due to RSV infection during the same period were selected as control group and clinical symptoms were compared with the study group. A retrospective study was also performed on the newborns who were cared and not transferred to our hospital in the postpartum care center, as well as the facilities offered by the center. RESULTS: All of 22 neonatal patients who were transferred to our hospital had early symptoms of rhinorrhea and cough compared to control group. Rhinorrhea appeared 4.2±2.0 days before the admission, and cough occurred 1.0±1.1 days after rhinorrhea. The level of infection control specified by the law for general facilities relating to postpartum care centers was applied to the postpartum center, RSV infection was not controlled. Strict hand washing, individual equipment such as stethoscopes and exclusion of visitors with respiratory symptoms were done and infected neonates were segregated in separate air circulation system and cared by nurse-infant ratios from 1:1 to 1:2 depending on the needs of the individual neonates. Additional transmission was not observed after transfer to our hospital CONCLUSION: Neonates with cough and rhinorrhea were initial symptom for RSV infection in the postpartum center and should be evaluated for RSV infection during high risk season. Current guideline or support for infection control in postpartum center should be reevaluated for RSV infection control.
Cough ; Disease Outbreaks ; Gyeongsangbuk-do* ; Hand Disinfection ; Humans ; Hygiene ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infection Control ; Jurisprudence ; Nurseries ; Postnatal Care* ; Postpartum Period* ; Respiratory Syncytial Viruses ; Retrospective Studies ; Seasons ; Stethoscopes

No abstract available.
Humans ; Stethoscopes*