Pre-Operative Risk Factors Predict Post-Operative Respiratory Failure after Liver Transplantation

OBJECTIVE: Post-operative pulmonary complications significantly affect patient survival rates, but there is still no conclusive evidence regarding the effect of post-operative respiratory failure after liver transplantation on patient prognosis. This study aimed to predict the risk factors for post-operative respiratory failure (PRF) after liver transplantation and the impact on short-term survival rates. DESIGN: The retrospective observational cohort study was conducted in a twelve-bed adult surgical intensive care unit in northern Taiwan. The medical records of 147 liver transplant patients were reviewed from September 2002 to July 2007. Sixty-two experienced post-operative respiratory failure while the remaining 85 patients did not. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Gender, age, etiology, disease history, pre-operative ventilator use, molecular adsorbent re-circulating system (MARS) use, source of organ transplantation, model for end-stage liver disease score (MELD) and Child-Turcotte-Pugh score calculated immediately before surgery were assessed for the two groups. The length of the intensive care unit stay, admission duration, and mortality within 30 days, 3 months, and 1 year were also evaluated. Using a logistic regression model, post-operative respiratory failure correlated with diabetes mellitus prior to liver transplantation, pre-operative impaired renal function, pre-operative ventilator use, pre-operative MARS use and deceased donor source of organ transplantation (p<0.05). Once liver transplant patients developed PRF, their length of ICU stay and admission duration were prolonged, significantly increasing their mortality and morbidity (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The predictive pre-operative risk factors significantly influenced the occurrence of post-operative respiratory failure after liver transplantation

Institutions, choices, and outcomes: A comparative analysis of the 1997 financial crisis experience in South Korea and Taiwan

South Korea and Taiwan have similar experiences as to political and economic development, i.e., rapid economic growth and democratization. However, the 1997 financial crisis experiences were quite different South Korea was hit hard by the crisis whereas Taiwan was barely touched. Why were the experiences different between South Korea and Taiwan? We argue that economic fundamentals were differential leading up to the crisis. More importantly, the differences in the pace of financial liberalization and the method that South Korea financed its growth particularly in the 1990s were much different than Taiwan's. We also argue that the differential impact of the crisis on the two countries can be attributed to the institutions of their respective political economy, decentralized vs. concentrated industrial structure, and interest group structure that helped in the creation of an autonomous state. Given the dominance of SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises) and the state's control of critical resources along with dispersed and weak interest group structures, economic technocrats in Taiwan were able to employ tough pre and post-crisis policies to maintain Taiwan's economic viability, whereas South Korea was not able to.financial crisis, financial liberalization, institutions, political-business ties, interest groups, industrial structure,

Intervenção nas situações de trabalho em um serviço de nutrição hospitalar e repercussões nos sintomas osteomusculares Intervention in a hospital foodservice and its effects on musculoskeletal symptoms

OBJETIVO: Analisar as situações de trabalho em serviço de nutrição hospitalar, antes e depois da implantação de ações de intervenções ergonômicas, e seu impacto na prevalência de sintomas osteomusculares relacionados ao trabalho. MÉTODOS: Trata-se de estudo de caso desenvolvido em hospital público especializado em cardiologia, localizado em São Paulo, com a participação de 115 trabalhadores. A abordagem metodológica foi a da Análise Ergonômica do Trabalho e da ergonomia participativa. A coleta de dados foi realizada por meio da aplicação de questionários e da análise ergonômica do trabalho, antes e depois da intervenção. A análise dos dados incluiu testes estatísticos para verificar se houve mudança da prevalência de sintomas antes e depois das intervenções, com nível de significância de 5%, por meio dos Programas Statistical Package for Social Sciences 13.0 e Excel 2003. RESULTADOS: A população constitui-se, em sua maioria, de mulheres, na faixa etária de 25 a 34 anos, com grau médio de escolaridade, casadas, com filhos, e que ocupavam o cargo de atendente de nutrição. Os principais problemas observados foram espaço físico reduzido, equipamentos e materiais de trabalho inadequados, deficit de pessoal, volume excessivo de trabalho com elevado esforço mental e alta prevalência de sintomas osteomusculares, principalmente nos membros inferiores e ombros. Após as intervenções realizadas, houve melhora na situação de trabalho, com redução dos sintomas osteomusculares, bem como os profissionais perceberam mudanças em termos de ambiente físico, equipamentos e organização do trabalho. CONCLUSÃO: As intervenções repercutiram em melhorias, principalmente quanto ao ambiente e equipamentos, e na redução dos sintomas osteomusculares nos membros inferiores, ombros, pescoço/região cervical, antebraço e região lombar, apesar de a redução não ter sido estatisticamente significativa.<br>OBJECTIVE: This study analyzed the working conditions of a hospital food service before and after ergonomic interventions and their impact on the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal symptoms. METHODS: This case study was performed in a public heart hospital in São Paulo , Brazil with 115 workers. The data were collected by questionnaires and ergonomic analysis of the work before and after the intervention. The data were statistically analyzed by the software SPSS 13.0 and Excel 2003 to verify symptom prevalence before and after the interventions. RESULTS: The workers were female nutrition attendants aged 25-34 years, with secondary education, married, with children. Most of the problems regarded limited space, inappropriate equipment and work materials, inadequate number of workers, intense mental effort and high prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms, mainly in the lower limbs and shoulders. Once the working conditions improved, musculoskeletal symptoms decreased and all workers noted the changes made to the physical environment, equipment and work organization. CONCLUSION: The interventions promoted improvements in the work environment and equipment and reduced the musculoskeletal symptoms experienced in the lower limbs, shoulders, neck, forearm and lower back, although this reduction was not statistically significant