Effect of preoperative two-dimensional animation information on perioperative anxiety and knowledge retention in patients undergoing bowel surgery: a randomized pilot study.

AIM: The use of multimedia information provided preoperatively can potentially reduce anxiety in patients and improve the hospital experience. However, the use of two-dimensional (2D) animation (cartoon) to provide information to patients undergoing colorectal surgery has not been investigated. This study investigated the effect of preoperative 2D information on anxiety and knowledge retention in patients undergoing bowel surgery. METHOD: Patients were randomized to one of two groups; the video group watched a 13-min cartoon animation whereas the nonvideo group did not. Anxiety levels were measured at the preadmission clinic, postvideo, on the day of admission for surgery, within 24-h after surgery and before discharge using the Spielberger state-trait anxiety inventory and visual analogue scale. Both groups completed a knowledge retention questionnaire and the video group completed a feedback questionnaire about the animation. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients (16 video, 15 nonvideo) participated in the study. There was no significant difference in baseline anxiety score between two groups. An immediate reduction (P = 0.03) in anxiety score was observed in the video group after watching the video compared with baseline. There was a significant reduction in anxiety score in the video group at discharge compared with the nonvideo group (P = 0.03). There was no significant difference in knowledge retention between two groups. Eighty-eight per cent of patients who watched the video found it beneficial. CONCLUSION: 2D animation is an effective medium for delivering information to patients undergoing bowel surgery and can potentially reduce anxiety related to surgery and improve the hospital experience.

Developmental changes of free amino acid concentrations in fetal fluids of pigs.

Free amino acid concentrations were determined in amniotic and allantoic fluids and in fetal and maternal uterine plasma of pigs during gestation. Glycine and glutamine were the most abundant free amino acids in maternal uterine arterial and fetal umbilical venous plasma, respectively. Plasma fetal/maternal ratios were remarkably < 1 for glycine, > 2 for glutamine and = 1 for total free alpha-amino acids. Glutamine was the most abundant free amino acid in amniotic fluid during the first 3 mo of gestation. The concentrations of most amniotic fluid amino acids progressively decreased with increasing gestational age from 45 to 110 d. Glycine was the most predominant amino acid in allantoic fluid on d 30 of gestation but decreased on d 45 and 60 of gestation. This decrease in allantoic fluid glycine coincided with a marked increase in concentrations of both ornithine and arginine, which accounted for 34-36% of total free alpha-amino acids in allantoic fluid. Such an abundance of ornithine and arginine in allantoic fluid has not been reported for any other biological fluid. On d 90 and 110 of gestation, glycine again became the most abundant amino acid in allantoic fluid, or 47 and 29% of total free alpha-amino acids, respectively. Urea concentrations in amniotic and allantoic fluids progressively increased during the second half of pregnancy, indicating enhanced fetal protein metabolism. Our results demonstrate the abundance of glutamine in fetal plasma, the unusual abundance of ornithine, arginine and glycine in allantoic fluid and developmental changes in plasma fetal/maternal ratios of amino acids.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)