Identification of Factors that Influence Conscious Sedation in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

Although several studies examined factors that influence conscious sedation, investigation was limited into the gender and age. The aim of this prospective study is to identify the clinical variables of successful conscious sedation during gastrointestinal endoscopy. A total of 300 subjects who underwent gastrointestinal endoscopy were enrolled in a prospective fashion. They completed a questionnaire to assess height, weight, drinking, smoking, education level, recent medication, past medical history, previous experience of conscious sedation, preprocedural anxiety, and apprehension about the procedure. Efficacy of sedation and amnesia were evaluated by the subject and the endoscopist. Amnesic and sedative effects were proportionally related with age (p<0.0001). Preprocedural anxiety level was higher in women (p=0.0062), younger subjects (p=0.035), slender subjects (p=0.041), and in those without previous experience of conscious sedation (p=0.0034). This anxiety level was also related to increased pain (p=0.0026) and alertness (p=0.0003) during the procedure. Lower dose of midazolam is needed for sedation in older subjects. Subjects with a high level of preprocedural anxiety such as women, younger subjects, slender subjects, and those without previous experience of conscious sedation should be sedated with great caution because generally, they complain of much more severe pain and alertness during the procedure

Recommendations for the diagnosis of pediatric tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is still the world's second most frequent cause of death due to infectious diseases after HIV infection, and this has aroused greater interest in identifying and managing exposed subjects, whether they are simply infected or have developed one of the clinical variants of the disease. Unfortunately, not even the latest laboratory techniques are always successful in identifying affected children because they are more likely to have negative cultures and tuberculin skin test results, equivocal chest X-ray findings, and atypical clinical manifestations than adults. Furthermore, they are at greater risk of progressing from infection to active disease, particularly if they are very young. Consequently, pediatricians have to use different diagnostic strategies that specifically address the needs of children. This document describes the recommendations of a group of scientific societies concerning the signs and symptoms suggesting pediatric TB, and the diagnostic approach towards children with suspected disease

Inguinal herniae: Valuable clues to concurrent abdominal pathology: A series of case studies describing unusual findings in ‘routine’ hernia operations which demonstrate the need for thorough surgical training

AbstractIntroductionThe case series presented here demonstrates that the pathology encountered during inguinal hernia repair can often provide clues to concurrent pathology; the well trained surgeon's broader medical knowledge can lead to earlier diagnosis.Presentation of casesThe case series examines four cases of men presenting with inguinal hernias, who were found to have concurrent abdominal pathology after further investigation of the intraoperative findings of the surgeon.DiscussionOperating surgeons not only require the necessary surgical skills to deal with the unexpected, but must also rely on their ability to think laterally when interpreting atypical incidental findings during ‘routine’ procedures.ConclusionExperience and knowledge gained through a surgeon's career is essential to enable them to correctly interpret their intraoperative findings and potentially diagnose concurrent pathology. The authors believe that surgical care practitioners, trained in just 2 years, would lack these essential skills