Chronic pelvic pain arising from dysfunctional stabilizing muscles of the hip joint and pelvis

Chronic pelvic pain in women is a very annoying condition that is responsible for substantial suffering and medical expense. But dealing with this pain can be tough, because there are numerous possible causes for the pelvic pain such as urologic, gynecologic, gastrointestinal, neurologic, or musculoskeletal problems. Of these, musculoskeletal problem may be a primary cause of chronic pelvic pain in patients with a preceding trauma to the low back, pelvis, or lower extremities. Here, we report the case of a 54-year-old female patient with severe chronic pelvic pain after a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) accident that was successfully managed with image-guided trigger point injections on several pelvic stabilizing muscles.

Effects of inspired oxygen fraction in discriminating venous from arterial blood in percutaneous central venous catheterization under general anesthesia / 대한마취과학회지

BACKGROUND: A low fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) increases venous deoxygenated hemoglobin concentrations, making the color of the blood darker. The present study was aimed to determine the effects of FiO2 on the ability to discriminate venous from arterial blood. METHODS: One-hundred and sixty surgical patients undergoing percutaneous central venous access of the internal jugular vein were randomly assigned to receive an FiO2 of 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, or 1.0 (n = 40 each) for at least 20 min prior to central line placement under general anesthesia. Vascular access was achieved with a 22-gauge needle; 2 ml of blood was withdrawn and shown to three physicians including the operator. Each of them was asked to identify the blood as 'arterial', 'venous' or 'not sure'. Simultaneous blood gas analysis of the samples was performed on blood taken from the puncture site and the artery after visual comparison to confirm blood's origin and hemodynamic measurements. RESULTS: Lowering FiO2 progressively increased venous deoxygenated hemoglobin concentrations (2.24 +/- 1.12, 3.30 +/- 1.08, 3.66 +/- 1.15, and 3.71 +/- 1.33 g/dl) in groups having an FiO2 of 1.0, 0.6, 0.4 and 0.2, respectively (P < 0.001), thereby facilitating the 'venous' blood identification (P < 0.001). Neither heart rate nor mean arterial pressure differed among the groups. None developed hypoxemia (percutaneous hemoglobin oxygen saturation < 90%) in any group during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: A low FiO2 increases venous deoxygenated hemoglobin levels, thereby facilitating the recognition by clinicians of its venous origin in percutaneous central venous catheterization under general anesthesia.

Lipid-Emulsion Propofol Less Attenuates the Regulation of Body Temperature than Micro-Emulsion Propofol or Sevoflurane in the Elderly

PURPOSE: Anesthesia and surgery commonly cause hypothermia, and this caused by a combination of anesthetic-induced impairment of thermoregulatory control, a cold operation room environment and other factors that promote heat loss. All the general anesthetics markedly impair normal autonomic thermoregulatory control. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of two different types of propofol versus inhalation anesthetic on the body temperature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this randomized controlled study, 36 patients scheduled for elective laparoscopic gastrectomy were allocated into three groups; group S (sevoflurane, n=12), group L (lipid-emulsion propofol, n=12) and group M (micro-emulsion propofol, n=12). Anesthesia was maintained with typical doses of the study drugs and all the groups received continuous remifentanil infusion. The body temperature was continuously monitored after the induction of general anesthesia until the end of surgery. RESULTS: The body temperature was decreased in all the groups. The temperature gradient of each group (group S, group L and group M) at 180 minutes from induction of anesthesia was 2.5+/-0.6degrees C, 1.6+/-0.5degrees C and 2.3+/-0.6degrees C, respectively. The body temperature of group L was significantly higher than that of group S and group M at 30 minutes and 75 minute after induction of anesthesia, respectively. There were no temperature differences between group S and group M. CONCLUSION: The body temperature is maintained at a higher level in elderly patients anesthetized with lipid-emulsion propofol.

Postoperative nausea and vomiting after mastoidectomy with tympanoplasty: a comparison between TIVA with propofol-remifentanil and balanced anesthesia with sevoflurane-remifentanil / 대한마취과학회지

BACKGROUND: There is growing interest in the anesthetic approach using total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) with propofol and remifentanil for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). The aim of this study was to compare between the two anesthetic techniques for preventing PONV in the patients undergoing mastoidectomy with tympanoplasty. METHODS: After obtaining informed consent, 62 patients aged between 20 to 60 years undergoing elective mastoidectomy and tympanoplasty were randomized into two equal study groups: group P/R (n = 31) included patients undergoing TIVA with propofol and remifentanil, and group S/R (n = 31) included patients undergoing balanced anesthesia with sevoflurane and remifentanil. The incidences of PONV and complete response (no PONV, no rescue) were assessed at 1 and 24 h after surgery, using the Rhodes Index. Also, the usage of rescue antiemetics and pain intensity were recorded. RESULTS: The Rhodes Index including the occurrence score, distress score and experience score was significantly lower in the P/R group compared to that in the S/R group during the study period (P < 0.05), and the incidence of complete response was significantly higher in the P/R group compared to that in the S/R group, during the first 24 h after surgery. 4 patients in the S/R group requested antiemetics during the first 1 h after surgery. There were no significant differences in pain intensity among groups. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to balanced anesthesia with sevoflurane and remifentanil, TIVA with propofol and remifentanil was followed by significantly lower incidence and severity of PONV.

Effect of Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester on Lipopolysaccharide-induced Murine Macrophage Activation / 대한구급학회지

BACKGROUND: Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) is an active component of propolis and is known to have anti-inflammatory properties. This study was performed to evaluate the effects of CAPE on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced murine macrophage activation. METHODS: Raw 264.7 cells were incubated with varying concentrations of CAPE with or without LPS. The production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin (IL)-1beta and macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2) and activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2), c-Jun amino terminal kinases (JNK) and p38 were measured. RESULTS: CAPE inhibited the production of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and MIP-2 and attenuated phosphorylation levels of ERK1/2 and p38, but not JNK in RAW264.7 cells stimulated with LPS. CONCLUSIONS: CAPE can attenuate LPS-induced macrophage responses and we suggest that these effects may play an important role in modulating macrophage-mediated inflammatory responses in vivo.

Effects of Intraarticular Prolotherapy on Sacroiliac Joint Pain

BACKGROUND: Sacroiliac (SI) joint pain is a challenging condition that causes lower back or buttock pain; however, there is no universally accepted long-term treatment. There have been several reports of ligament prolotherapy for SI joint pain, but these have had inconsistent results, probably due to the lack of a specific diagnosis for patient selection and variability in the volume, number and sites of injection. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the efficacy of intraarticular prolotherapy for relieving SI joint pain diagnosed by local anesthetic intraarticular injection. METHODS: Twenty-two patients with SI joint pain confirmed by 50% or more improvement in response to local anesthetic block underwent intraarticular prolotherapy with 25% dextrose water every other week three times. The numeric rating scale (NRS) for pain and Oswestry disability index (ODI) were assessed at the initial visit and after completion of a series of prolotherapy and the NRS was checked during monthly follow-up sessions to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of this technique. RESULTS: Twenty patients completed prolotherapy and followed up as scheduled. The NRS and ODI were significantly improved from 6 (4-8) and 34.1 +/- 15.5 to 1 (0-3) and 12.6 +/- 9.8 (P < 0.01), respectively, at 1 month after prolotherapy. The mean duration of pain relief of 50% or more was 12.2 months (95% CI, 10.0-14.3) as determined by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Intraarticular prolotherapy provided long-term relief of sacroiliac joint pain and may have more benefits than ligament prolotherapy or neurolysis.

Ultrasonography Assisted Internal Jugular Central Vein Catheterization in the Emergency Department: Comparison of Methods

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether ultrasonography assisted internal jugular central venous catheterization by single operator or two-operator could improve the success rate and decrease the number of complications compared to the traditional landmark technique. METHODS: This study was a prospective, randomized, clinical trial conducted from July 2008 to February 2009 in an urban Korean teaching hospital. Patients requiring central venous access were randomized to 1 of the 3 insertion techniques (single-operator technique, two-operator technique, traditional landmark technique). The primary outcome measure was cannulation success. Additional outcome measures included number of attempts, access times, and complications. RESULTS:One hundred fourteen patients were enrolled. Thirty four of 37(91.9%) internal jugular vein catheters were successfully inserted by single-operator technique, 34 of 39(87.2%) by two-operator technique and 22 of 38(57.9%) by landmark technique. First attempt cannulation was successful in 28 of 34(82.4%) using single-operator technique, 26 of 34(76.9%) using two-operator technique and 9 of 22(40.9%) using landmark technique. The median start to venipuncture time was 138 seconds by single-operator technique, 170 seconds by two-operator technique and 329 seconds by landmark technique. There were 19 complications in the study, 15 in the landmark group, 2 in the singleoperator group, and 2 in the two-operator group. CONCLUSION: Real-time ultrasonography assisted internal jugular vein catheterization has an higher success rate, is less time consuming, and has a lower complication rate. The single-operator technique appears to be equivalent to the two-operator technique in success rate and procedure time.

A Study of the Tono-pen for Assessing Ocular Pressure in Patients with Headache Combined with Ocular Pain in the Emergency Department

PURPOSE: To study the use of the Tono-pen to estimate intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with a headache combined with ocular pain in the emergency department (ED). METHODS: We carried out a prospective, single-centre study comparing the Tono-pen to the Goldmann tonometer in 31 patients. The two methods were compared according to measured IOP and diagnosis, and the results were analyzed for correlations. RESULTS: 31 patients (17 male, 14 female, mean age 51 years) were enrolled. The mean IOP according to the Tonopen and Goldmann were 19 mm Hg (95% CI: 14-25) and 18 mm Hg (95% CI: 12-23), respectively. The mean difference in measurement between the two was 1.8 mmHg. The 95% limits of agreement were -4.5 to 8.1 mmHg, and the correlation coefficient r was 0.976. In those patients with IOP > or = 25 mmHg, four (40%) were diagnosed of glaucoma. CONCLUSION: The Tono-pen was a very useful screening tool for patients presenting with headache combined with ocular pain in the ED.

A Study on a current Legal Foundations for Emergency Medical Service in Public Facilities

PURPOSE: Our country has seen a rapid increase in economic growth, national land development and planning. As a consequence, cities were enlarged and became densely populated. Public facilities were also increased to adequately serve the increasing population. Within the past 10 years, a lot of accidents in public facilities have occurred but the legal foundations for emergency medical care and systems for these public facilities may be lacking. METHODS: From the current domestic laws, we defined the public facilities and the enrolled laws that govern these facilities. Adequacy of the enrolled laws were then analyzed using 7 reference points: education for all employees, education for security employees, education for customers, arrangement of medical persons, arrangement of security person, equipment for emergency care and penalty. RESULTS: There were 17 enrolled laws and only 'Juvenile Activity Promotion Act' fulfilled most of the reference points except for 2; the arrangement of medical persons and penalty. Fifteen of the enrolled laws fulfilled less than 3 reference points. CONCLUSION: In the current domestic laws governing public facilities, almost all of them practically lacked policies addressing emergency care and systems.