[Prevalence of Epiretinal Membrane Using Optical Coherence Tomography].

PURPOSE: To investigated the prevalence and risk factors of epiretinal membrane (ERM). SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Five hundred eyes of 500 patients (202 men and 298 women, average age 74.9), who underwent cataract surgery in Otsuka Eye Clinic one or two months before the survey, were examined using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT). RESULTS: ERMs were observed in 43 eyes (8.6%) and 31 eyes (6.2%) were diagnosed as idiopathic ERM. Idiopathic ERM was significantly associated with age, but not with gender, best-corrected visual acuity after cataract surgery or diabetes. Only 4.8 percent of idiopathic ERM patients had subjective symptoms detected by the Amsler chart. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of ERM was 8.6% and of idiopathic ERM 6.2%. The most prevalent risk factor of idiopathic ERM was aging.

Vasovagal syncope with asystole associated with intravenous access.

Two cases of vasovagal syncope (VVS) during venous access are reported. Both patients had a history of fainting episodes and experienced bradycardia with asystole, hypotension, and fainting. Pain and phobic stress during venous access triggered an increase in parasympathetic tone, resulting in bradycardia with asystole and hypotension in both cases. Hypotension and bradycardia likely caused cerebral hypoperfusion, leading to fainting. The intense parasympathetic tone triggered by somatic or emotional stress was likely responsible for directly depressing the sinus node, leading to asystole and bradycardia. Bradycardia with asystole progressing to syncope is a potentially fatal dysrhythmia in patients with cardiovascular disease or older patients with decreased cardiac function. Appropriate treatment for VVS includes the administration of intravenous fluids, vagolytics, ephedrine, and the rapid use of the Trendelenburg position. Intravenous fluids and atropine were used to treat the present patients.