Visual and Postural Motion-Evoked Dizziness Symptoms Are Predominant in Vestibular Migraine Patients.

Background: Vestibular migraine (VM) is one of the most common underdiagnosed disorders. We aimed to study the clinical characteristics of VM patients who were referred to a neurology-headache unit by otolaryngology after exclusion of peripheral causes of vertigo. Methods: One hundred and one patients diagnosed with VM in the headache unit were included. Description of vestibular symptoms, demographic and clinical features, trigger factors, accompanying diseases, and response to vestibular-suppressant medications and prophylactic migraine treatment were evaluated. Results: Vestibular symptoms were triggered by daily head and body movements and mainly consisted of brief attacks lasting seconds (60.4% of patients) although the total duration of the vestibular episode lasted hours or days. Other aggravating factors were moving visual stimuli, passive motion, and visually busy environments. Visually induced vestibular symptoms were defined by 71.3% of the patients, and positional motion-induced vestibular symptoms were described by 82.2% of the patients. Vestibular symptoms were mainly defined as feeling the ground slipping from under their feet (40.6%), feeling like there is an earthquake or swaying (27.7%), sensation of rocking on a boat (26.7%), and sensation as if stepping on empty space (24.8%). The majority of the patients (83.2%) previously used vestibular-suppressant drugs, and these drugs were effective temporarily only in 12.9%. Conclusions: Chronic recurrent dizziness symptoms, rather than internal or external vertigo, are predominant in our VM patients. Recurrent brief dizziness attacks induced upon routine visual and/or postural motion, longstanding symptoms with limited response to vestibular suppressants, and precipitation by typical migraine triggers are suggestive of VM.

Target-controlled infusion of remifentanil with propofol or desflurane under bispectral index guidance: quality of anesthesia and recovery profile.

BACKGROUND: Our objective was to examine the clinical properties of two anesthetic regimens, propofol target-controlled infusion (TCI), or desflurane using remifentanil TCI under bispectral index (BIS) guidance during ear, nose, and throat (ENT) procedures. METHODS: FORTY CONSENTING PATIENTS WHO SCHEDULED FOR ENT PROCEDURES WERE PROSPECTIVELY STUDIED AND WERE INCLUDED IN ONE OF THE TWO GROUPS: TCI group or desflurane (DES) group. General anesthesia was induced with 3 ng mL(-1) and 4 µg mL(-1) effect site concentrations (Ce) of remifentanil and propofol, respectively, with TCI system. After intubation, while propofol infusion was continued in the TCI group, it was ceased in the DES group and desflurane with an initial delivered fraction of 6% was administered. The Ce of propofol infusion and inspired fraction of desflurane was adjusted in order to keep BIS as 50 ± 10. RESULTS: General mean values of mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) for the TCI group was significantly higher than DES group (89.3 mmHg and 72.4 bpm vs. 77.1 mmHg and 69.5 bpm). Early emergence from anesthesia did not significantly differ between the groups. The rate of patients' Aldrete score (ARS) to reach 10 was found to be 100% at the 15(th) min in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Bispectral index guided combinations of remifentanil TCI either with propofol TCI or desflurane anesthetic regimens are both suitable for patients undergoing ENT surgery. The lower blood pressure in the remifentanil TCI with desflurane anesthetic regimens may be a significant advantage.

[Burnout in healthcare workers in the Anesthesiology and Algology Departments in the Middle Anatolian region of Turkey]. / Iç Anadolu Bölgesinde anesteziyoloji ve algoloji çalisanlarinda tükenmislik durumu.

OBJECTIVES: Anesthesiology and Algology healthcare workers work under difficult conditions a majority of the time, and their physical and mental status must be determined in order to improve working conditions. In this study, the main goal was to evaluate the burnout level of Anesthesiology and Algology healthcare workers in the Middle Anatolian region of Turkey. METHODS: A questionnaire was sent to Anesthesiology and Algology healthcare workers of hospitals with an Algology clinic in the Middle Anatolian region and were returned by e-mail in March and April 2008. In the questionnaire, descriptive features and the Turkish validated Maslach burnout inventory (MBI) were evaluated. The MBI has 3 aspects: emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (D) and personal accomplishment (PA). All questionnaires were evaluated by SPSS 11.5 program. RESULTS: 113 people were enrolled, of whom 18.8% (21) were specialist doctors and 41.1% (46) were residents. Among the doctors, the mean daily and weekly working periods were 10.3+/-2.3 and 61.3+/-19 hours, respectively. The period spent by doctors in Algology was 100% in 9.6%, 75% in 9.7% and 25% in 61.5%. Working conditions were evaluated, and 20.9% of healthcare workers were unsatisfied with the physical conditions, 19.3% with the working period and 52.5% with wages. MBIs in doctors were calculated as EE 14.7+/-5, D 5.7+/-3.5, and PA 21.6+/-4.2. CONCLUSION: This study revealed similar high burnout scores among healthcare workers, which reflect a serious burnout in the Anesthesiology and Algology group in Turkey. Burnout may be affected by dissatisfaction with working conditions. Improvement in physical conditions and reorganization to achieve psychological support might be helpful towards improving the health of healthcare workers.