The usefulness of bright light therapy for patients after oesophagectomy.

OBJECTIVES: The prevention of delirium is an important issue in the field of perioperative nursing. The objective of this study was to verify the usefulness of acute-stage bright light exposure on patients following oesophagectomy. METHODS: The participants were oesophagectomy patients that were removed from their ventilators the day after surgery. After extubation, we assigned the participants to either the exposure group or control group. At Day 2 after surgery, the exposure group underwent two hours of bright light exposure for four days. In both groups, we monitored physical activity and autonomic activity. In addition, we scored the participants on the NEECHAM Scale and evaluated their postoperative delirium and postoperative arrhythmia. RESULTS: On the nights of Days 4 and 5, the amount of activity of the exposure group was significantly lower and The sympathetic nervous index was significantly lower on the night of Day 5. The level of arrhythmia was lower in the exposure group and we observed a significant difference on the night of Day 4 and the daytime of Day 5 after surgery. The occurrence rate of postoperative delirium tended to be lower in the exposure group, but there was no significant difference. None of the participants in the exposure group had NEECHAM Scale scores below the cut-off value from the night of Day 4 onwards. CONCLUSION: We conclude that postoperative bright light exposure adjusted the sleep-wakefulness cycle and improved the bed rest of patients. It was also indicated that bright light therapy is useful for reducing postoperative delirium.

Development of a 32-item scale to assess postoperative dysfunction after upper gastrointestinal cancer resection.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to develop a 32-item scale to assess postoperative dysfunction in patients who underwent surgery for gastric and oesophageal cancer and to evaluate its reliability and validity. BACKGROUND: For the objective assessment of postoperative dysfunction in patients with upper gastointestinal cancer, we performed a preliminary survey by mail using a 34-item questionnaire as a initial version. The results of the survey were assessed by item analysis of the scale. The scale items were further refined by researchers and specialists, and a 32-item scale for the assessment of postoperative dysfunction (initial scale) was developed. METHODS: Using this 32-item scale (initial scale), a mail survey was performed of 379 subjects selected by random sampling. RESULTS: The questionnaire was returned by 292 patients (77.1%) and 283 responses (74.7%) were valid. Of these, 221 respondents had gastric cancer and 62 oesophageal cancer. The mean age of respondents was 64.9 SD 9.8 (range 35-89) years. The mean total score of the 32-items on the initial version for the assessment of postoperative dysfunction was 60.8 SD 16.7. The mean total score for gastric cancer patients and oesophageal cancer patients was 58.1 SD 15.8 and 70.1 SD 16.7 respectively. After the elimination of scale items regarded as irrelevant based on statistical considerations and the judgement of experts, factor analysis was performed. Seven factors were valid: 'regurgitation reflux', 'limited activity because of decreased food consumption', 'passage dysfunction immediately after eating', 'dumping-like symptoms', 'transfer dysfunction', 'hypoglycaemic symptoms' and 'diarrhoea-like symptoms'. The cumulative proportion of variance by scale reliability was confirmed by a Cronbach's alpha-coefficient of 0.926. The Cronbach's alpha-coefficient for all 32 items on the initial version was 0.926, the Cronbach's alpha-coefficient for sub-items was 0.705-0.856, and Pearson's correlation coefficient of re-test for the total score of the 32 items was 0.865, which confirmed a high degree of internal consistency. The construct validity of the scale was confirmed using the known-group technique by operative procedures, and from the result of factorial validity. This scale was named 'Postoperative Dysfunction for Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer 32; PODUGC-32'. CONCLUSION: This scale is sufficiently reliable and valid and will be useful clinically. Relevance to clinical practice. We can use the new scale to assess postoperative dysfunction in patients with upper gastointestinal cancer for nursing practice.

Psychosocial factors that aggravate the symptoms of sick house syndrome in Japan.

Over the last 30 years in Japan, there has been a 10% increase in the number of people suffering from sick house syndrome due to toxic chemicals released from construction materials and wallpaper. This syndrome can develop into the more complex and disabling, chemical sensitivity syndrome, so preventing early exposure to toxins at home is critical in reducing the likelihood of health problems in the community. A qualitative study was undertaken using ethnographic methods to identify the psychosocial aggravating factors of sick house syndrome. As a result, the participants identified three aggravating factors that extended the period of exposure of the participant to toxic chemicals: a lack of knowledge about the disorder; the difficulty in establishing a diagnosis; and the difficulty of taking radical measures to improve the home environment. Public awareness of sick house syndrome and the dangers of toxicity from construction materials is vital to eliminate these aggravating factors and to prevent illness.

Influence of bright light therapy on postoperative patients: a pilot study.

Bright light therapy is a method of maintaining or restoring the natural circadian rhythm by assisting daytime awakening using bright lights. Postoperative delirium is one of the potential complications encountered by patients receiving postoperative care in the intensive care unit (ICU), but there have been no studies on the use of light for the prevention of postoperative delirium. The objective of this study was to examine whether the circadian rhythms of patients after surgery for oesophageal cancer can be adjusted and whether the postoperative delirium crisis rate can be reduced by bright light therapy. The subjects were 11 patients operated on for oesophageal cancer in Osaka University Hospital. After informed consent was obtained, they were divided into a study group and a control group by a random sampling method. After removal of the endotracheal tube, the study group was exposed to light. The light intensity was about 5000lx immediately before the eyes, and the distance from the light source was about 100 cm. The control group was placed in a natural lighting environment after extubation. In both groups, the rhythms of physical activities and autonomic activities were monitored after surgery, and delirium was evaluated. A significant difference was observed in the delirium score between the study group and control group on the morning of day 3 of bright light therapy by the Mann-Whitney U-test (P=0.014). The study group could begin ambulation about 2 days earlier than the control group. Bright light therapy may reduce the rate of postoperative delirium and make early ambulation possible. However, our study involved a very small sample size. We want to increase the sample in the future after having reviewed clinical application methods.

Postoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction after 2-field versus 3-field lymph node dissection in patients with esophageal cancer.

PURPOSE: Using an instrument we developed to assess postoperative dysfunction objectively (Surg Today 2005;35:535-42), we compared postoperative dysfunction after 2 - field versus 3 - field lymph node dissection retrospectively, in patents undergoing esophageal cancer surgery. METHODS: Subjects were selected randomly from among patients who had undergone radical surgery for squamous cell carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus followed by reconstruction with a gastric tube and a cervical anastomosis. Patients rated 32 items related to postoperative dysfunction according to a 5-grade scale. Postoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction was evaluated on the basis of the total score and the scores for seven symptom categories: decreased physical activity, symptoms of reflux, dumping-like syndrome, nausea and vomiting, passage dysfunction, pain, and diarrhea or soft feces. RESULTS: We studied 42 patients, 22 of whom underwent 2-field lymph node dissection and 20 of whom underwent 3-field dissection. The total gastrointestinal dysfunction score was significantly higher in the 3-field group than in the 2-field group (78.4 +/- 14.1 points vs 67.9 +/- 16.9 points, P = 0.038). When we analyzed the data according to the symptom categories, the 3-field group had higher scores for decreased physical activity, symptoms of reflux, dumping-like syndrome, nausea and vomiting, and passage dysfunction. CONCLUSION: Three-field lymph node dissection was associated with greater postoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction than 2-field lymph node dissection. Thus, the preoperative identification of those patients with esophageal cancer who are most likely to benefit from concurrent cervical lymph node dissection is essential.

Reliability and validity of a new scale to assess postoperative dysfunction after resection of upper gastrointestinal carcinoma.

PURPOSE: We evaluated the purpose reliability and validity of a preliminary scale, which we developed to assess postoperative dysfunction after surgery for gastric and esophageal carcinoma. METHODS: After interviews with 12 patients, reviews of previous studies, and discussions with experts, we identified the physical symptoms that develop after resection of upper gastrointestinal (GIT) carcinoma, and devised a preliminary scale comprised of 34 items. A questionnaire survey based on this scale was then sent to 283 patients. RESULTS: The questionnaire was returned by 223 patients (78.8%), and 219 responses (98.2%) were valid. Among the 219 respondents, 168 had gastric carcinoma and 51 had esophageal carcinoma. After the elimination of scale items regarded as irrelevant based on statistical considerations and the judgment of experts, factor analysis was done. Seven factors were valid, namely, limited activity due to decreased food consumption, reflux, gastric dumping, nausea and vomiting, deglutition difficulty, pain, and difficulty with passing stools, which were often poorly formed. Scale reliability was confirmed by a Cronbach alpha-coefficient of 0.924. The validity of the construction of this scale was confirmed using the known-group technique based on the operative procedures performed, and the results of factorial validity. CONCLUSION: Our preliminary scale is sufficiently reliable and valid, and will prove to be clinically useful.