Duration of sweat cyclophosphamide excretion in patients undergoing a conditioning regimen of high-dose cyclophosphamide for hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation.

PURPOSE: To investigate the duration of cyclophosphamide (CPA) excretion in the sweat after administration when receiving high-dose CPA therapy as a conditioning regimen for hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT). METHODS: Shirts and pillowcases samples (changed once a day) from 12 patients, categorized as groups 1 (n = 6), 2 (n = 4), and 3 (n = 2), receiving high-dose CPA therapy were collected, sealed, stored at 4°C, and mailed to an analytical facility for CPA estimation using LC-MS/MS. CPA was administered intravenously at a dose of 60 mg/kg on days 1, 2 (closed-system delivery for group 3), and samples were collected during days 1-4 (groups 1,3) or days 1-9 (group 2). RESULTS: CPA was detected in all 126 shirts and pillowcases. In 9 patients, excluding 1 patient who had fever during the study period and group 3 patients, the mean (range) rate of CPA excretion in sweat was 0.03% (0.01-0.12%). The mean CPA excretion in 9 patients adjusted for body weight was 19.9 µg/kg on day 1 and 0.3 µg/kg on day 4. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that CPA was excreted for an extended duration in the patient's sweat, receiving a high-dose CPA therapy as a conditioning regimen against HSCT.

Prospective randomized study evaluating the usefulness of a surgical smoke evacuation system in operating rooms for breast surgery.

BACKGROUND: No prospective evaluation of surgical smoke evacuation systems has yet been conducted anywhere in the world. A prospective randomized study was conducted to clarify the usefulness of a surgical smoke evacuation system in terms of reducing the quantity of environmental pollutants found in operating room air and reducing the occupational exposure of doctors and nurses involved in surgical procedures to surgical smoke, volatile organic compounds, formaldehyde, etc. METHODS: Operating room environment conditions with and without the use of a surgical smoke evacuation system were measured, and the personal exposure levels of doctors and nurses involved in surgical procedures were also surveyed. Use of the evacuation system was determined randomly, and the procedures involved were breast-conserving surgery and mastectomy, which were treated as stratification factors. RESULTS: The average total volatile organic compound concentration in the operating room was significantly lower when the evacuation system was used compared with when it was not used. The findings were similar for formaldehyde concentration. Multiple regression analysis for healthcare professionals' personal exposure levels showed that the evacuation system was a factor that significantly impacted their formaldehyde and acetaldehyde personal exposure levels, which were greatly reduced by the use of the system. CONCLUSION: This study's findings demonstrate the effectiveness of the evacuation systems, which should increase awareness that their benefits take priority over the drawbacks. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was conducted after explaining to participants that it was a study of operating room environments in which their participation was voluntary and obtaining their consent. The study was also approved by the Tokai University Hospital clinical research review committee (no. 5R-022) and registered with the UMIN registry (UMIN000029092) on 13, September, 2017- retrospectively registered.

[Report of a tour of the surgical centers in the United States organized by the Japanese Association for Operative Medicine].

We, 4 authors, visited 4 surgical centers in the United States last year on a tour sponsored by the Japanese Association for Operative Medicine. The surgical center of each hospital we visited aimed to contribute to the hospital not only in terms of financial strength but also in the creation of a unique hospital brand value by increasing the number of surgeries compared with previous years as much as possible. The role of surgical centers in the United States was comparable with what we consider an ideal center in Japan. We also found that management of the surgical centers by directors who are specialized anesthesiologists is well organized to promote efficiency with respect to organization, utilities and human resources, and realized that these anesthesiologists must know how to manage the team members and the organization of the surgical centers to improve the quality of operative medicine.