The efficacy of nasal tip hold-press on venous cannulation pain in children: a prospective randomized controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Venipuncture is a common and quiet unpleasant experience for pediatric patients. The pain associated with venous cannulation disturbs the children. Different methods have been used to minimize the pain. The present study evaluated the efficacy of holding and pressing the tip of the nose on the venipuncture pain in pediatric patients. METHODS: A prospective randomize controlled study carried out using the Visual Analogue Scale (YAS) for assessment cannulation pain and the Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (YPAS) for the assessment of anxiety before cannulation. Sixty patients aged 6 to 12 years, who needed venipuncture for general anesthesia, were divided into two groups of 30 each: a control group and a study group. Nasal tip was held and pressed during venipuncture by the parents in the study group. No intervention was done in the control group. RESULTS: The YPAS scores were not different between the two groups before venous cannulation (P=0.136). Comparing the two groups. There was no difference regarding the change in HR and BP during venous cannulation. There was significantly lower cannulation pain in the study in comparison with the control group (P=0.010). CONCLUSIONS: Holding and pressing the tip of the nose during venipuncture reduce the severity of venipuncture pain in pediatric patients. This could be secondary to distraction along with the physiological effect of the Valsalva maneuver on pain. Therefore, we recommend that holding and pressing the tip of the nose is a safe and effective method for reducing the severity of pain from venipuncture in pediatric patients.

Factors associated with extubation time in coronary artery bypass grafting patients.

Background and Objectives. Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, with coronary artery disease being the most common. With increasing numbers of patients, Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) has become the most common operation in the world. Respiratory disorder is one of the most prevalent complications of CABG. Thus, weaning off the mechanical ventilation and extubation are of great clinical importance for these patients. Some post-operative problems also relate to the tracheal tube and mechanical ventilation. Therefore, an increase in this leads to an increase in the number of complications, length of hospital stay, and treatment costs. Since a large number of factors affect the post-operative period, the present study aims to identify the predictors of extubation time in CABG patients using casualty network analysis. Method. This longitudinal study was conducted on 800 over 18 year old patients who had undergone CABG surgery in three treatment centers affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The patients' information, including pre-operative, peri-operative, and post-operative variables, was retrospectively extracted from their medical records. Then, the data was comprehensively analyzed through path analysis using MPLUS-7.1 software. Results. The mean of extubation time was 10.27 + 4.39 h. Moreover, extubation time was significantly affected by packed cells during the Cardiopulmonary Bypass (CPB), packed cells after CPB, inotrope use on arrival at ICU, mean arterial pressure 1st ICU, packed cells 1st ICU, platelets 1st ICU, Blood Urea Nitrogen 1st ICU, and hematocrit 1st ICU. Conclusion. Considering all of the factors under investigation, some peri-operative and post-operative factors had significant effects. Therefore, considering the post-operative factors is important for designing a treatment plan and evaluating patients' prognosis.

Molecular diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma using detection of Epstein-Barr virus latent membrane protein-1 gene in cervical metastatic lymph nodes.

BACKGROUND: Cervical lymphadenopathy could be a manifestation of occult nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is frequently detected in NPC, and its malignant transformation is associated through the action of the oncoprotein latent membrane protein-1 (LMP-1). PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate whether a primary nasopharyngeal origin could be localized by detection of EBV LMP-1 gene in cervical metastatic lymph nodes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this prospective study, 32 paraffin-embedded tissues of various head and neck carcinomas and 20 normal tonsil specimens were examined for the presence of LMP-1 gene, using polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Ten of 12 nasopharyngeal biopsies and 8 of 10 metastatic lymph nodes of the same NPC were positive for LMP-1 gene. The LMP-1 gene was detected in metastatic lymph nodes of NPC, with a sensitivity of 80%, specificity of 100%, positive predictive value of 100%, and negative predictive value of 91%. On the contrary, the LMP-1 gene was not detected in any of the samples of other head and neck carcinomas and their metastatic nodes as well as in tonsillar specimens. There was a significant association between the presence of LMP-1 gene and tumor location in the nasopharynx (P < .0001). CONCLUSION: The presence of LMP-1 gene in metastatic cervical lymph nodes is significantly associated with nasopharyngeal origin of the carcinoma. Meanwhile, EBV has no role in the tumorigenesis of carcinomas arising from other head and neck regions.

Succinylcholine-induced masseter muscle rigidity during bronchoscopic removal of a tracheal foreign body.

Masseter muscle rigidity during general anesthesia is considered an early warning sign of a possible episode of malignant hyperthermia. The decision whether to continue or discontinue the procedure depends on the urgency of the surgery and severity of masseter muscle rigidity. Here, we describe a case of severe masseter muscle rigidity (jaw of steel) after succinylcholine (Sch) administration during general anesthetic management for rigid bronchoscopic removal of a tracheal foreign body. Anesthesia was continued uneventfully with propofol infusion while all facilities were available to detect and treat malignant hyperthermia.