[Unexpected vomiting during anesthetic induction in a patient with a history of anterosternal esophageal reconstruction].

A 73-year-old woman with spinal canal stenosis was scheduled for a lumbar fenestration surgery. The patient had received esophagectomy for cancer and anterosternal esophageal reconstruction 5 years before. After the supper the day before the operation, the fast situation to the operation was maintained. On entering operating room, oxygenation was performed for the patient with adequate pressing of the gastric tube on the sternum, and rapid anesthetic induction was performed with propofol, remifentanil and rocuronium. During the induction, a significant amount of solid food residues appeared suddenly in the throat pharynx before positive pressure ventilation. Oral suction was done immediately, and tracheal intubation was performed. After the intubation, while the suction tube could not be inserted to the stomach tube, we positioned it at near the anastomosis between esophagus and gastric tube. Metoclopramide was administered intravenously during the surgery. At the postoperative period, no severe complications including aspiration were observed. When anesthetizing the patient with a history of anterosternal esophageal reconstruction, we should mind the possibility of nonavoidable vomiting during the induction. We strongly recommend the strict restriction of eating and drinking and suction tube insertion to remove the food residues from the patient preoperatively.

[Perioperative and postoperative management of two patients with uncontrolled hyperthyroidism using short acting beta blocker, landiolol].

Thyroid storm, sudden onset of life-threatening manifestations of hyperthyroidism, often appears during and after surgery in patients with uncontrolled hyperthyroidism. We report perioperative and postoperative management of two such cases with uncontrolled hyperthyroidism. The first patient is a 41-year-old man with a past history of uncontrolled Graves disease, and was scheduled for emergency video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for spontaneous pneumothorax. The second patient is a 25-year-old man with a past history of hypertension, and was scheduled for open reduction and internal fixation for mandibular fracture. In both patients, tachycardia and hypertension were observed at admission to the operating room. Therapy included the use of landiolol infusion, a short acting beta blocker, for control of tachycardia. Heart rate was controlled around 90 beats x min(-1) using landiolol during surgery. In each case, landiolol was administered until they can take long acting beta blocker and antithyroid drug orally. In the postoperative period, delirium appeared for a few hours in the first case, but no severe complications were observed in each case. Short acting beta blocker was useful for control of tachycardia in the perioperative and postoperative management of the patient with uncontrolled hyperthyroidism.

[Hospital no-smoking policy could increase smoking cessation rate among preoperative patients].

BACKGROUND: Although it is well known that a no-smoking policy can reduce smoking rate among hospital employees, the effect of this policy on patients' smoking behavior has not been examined. METHODS: Starting on the world no-tobacco day in 2001, the Sakai Municipal Hospital changed partial no-smoking policy into complete no-smoking policy. In this study, we examined the effect of this policy change on patients' smoking status during preoperative period. At preoperative visit, we asked a patient a change of smoking status during preoperative period. The change of patients' smoking status was compared between before and after coming into effect of no-smoking policy. RESULTS: Smoking rates at first visit to out-patient clinic of each surgical department before and after coming into effect of no-smoking policy were 35.6%(36/101) and 41.8%(28/67), respectively (P=0.317). Among these smokers, smoking cessation rates at preoperative visit before and after coming into effect of no-smoking policy were 44.4%(16/36) and 75.0%(21/28), respectively (P=0.014). CONCLUSIONS: The hospital no-smoking policy has a strong effect on improvement of patients' smoking behavior during preoperative period.

[Survey of smoking status among preoperative patients and characteristics of smokers].

Smoking is an independent risk factor for both pulmonary and nonpulmonary perioperative complications. For safer anesthetic management, it is important to encourage and support the cessation of smoking in the preoperative period. As a first step to design a preoperative smoking cessation program, we conducted a survey of preoperative patients about smoking status and characteristics of smokers at an outpatient clinic for an anesthesiology department. The percentages of male and female smokers were 42% and 19%, respectively. Percentages of preoperative smokers considered to be in the preparation stage of smoking stage were 26% in male and 19% in female, as compared to 3% in male and 5% in female in general smokers. Twenty four % of both male and female patients were strongly committed to achieving smoking cessation. These trends in smoking characteristics indicate that preoperative smokers are more likely to quit smoking without heavy support and encouragement than general smokers. In designing a preoperative smoking cessation program, these results must be taken into consideration.