OBJECTIVE. To study the incidence of microbial contamination at the bone bank of the United Christian Hospital.

DESIGN. Retrospective study.

SETTING. Regional hospital, Hong Kong.

PATIENTS. A total of 151 patients (33 men and 118 women) who underwent hip arthroplasty surgery and from whom femoral head allografts were retrieved between January 1994 and March 2000; and 81 patients in whom allografts were implanted.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES. Bone biopsies were taken from the femoral head and used to detect any microbial contamination that might have occurred during removal and after storage. The rates of infection among recipients and donors were also assessed.

RESULTS. Of the 151 allografts, 94 non-contaminated allografts were implanted by the end of the study. Fourteen (9.3%) heads showed positive culture results after retrieval and were discarded. Four (4.3%) of the 94 stored allografts that were implanted tested positive for microbial growth, but the recipients of these allografts did not develop any clinical infection. Three (3.2%) had wound infections after implantation of the stored allografts although the grafts had previously been tested negative for any microbial contamination.

CONCLUSION. Our centre has a low allograft contamination rate. The wound infection rate among recipients was also low. The culture of a bone biopsy sample is a reliable method to detect contamination of bone grafts. However, the contamination rate among stored allografts should prompt orthopaedics departments to review allograft handling procedures, so as to minimise the chance of contamination.

Key words: Bone banks; Bone transplantation; Femur head; Freezing

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OBJECTIVE. To evaluate the clinical efficacy and outcomes of percutaneous cholecystostomy as an alternative treatment option for elderly and critically ill patients who have acute cholecystitis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS. The medical records of patients who underwent emergency percutaneous cholecystostomy at the North District Hospital, Hong Kong from September 1999 to July 2002 were reviewed. Indications for the procedure, patient demographics, and other clinical details were recorded.

RESULTS. A total of 25 patients (10 male, 15 female) with a median age of 81 years (range, 39-97 years) presented with acute cholecystitis and underwent percutaneous cholecystostomy with ultrasound guidance. Two patients required emergency cholecystectomy on day 1 after the procedures because of deteriorating conditions. The rest of the patients clinically improved after drainage. There was no major periprocedural complication, and four patients had their catheter accidentally dislodged but did not require re-insertion. There were five inpatient mortalities, although the majority of these deaths were from unrelated illness. Subsequently, only six patients underwent elective cholecystectomy, one open and five laparoscopic. Two patients were offered percutaneous endoscopic cholecystolithotripsy, one defaulted and the other could not tolerate the procedure. Eleven patients declined further intervention due to the high surgical risks, three of these patients developed biliary symptoms, one had acute cholecystitis, and the other two had cholangitis. The rest of patients had no symptoms related to the gallstones. The median follow-up period was 81 weeks (range, 27-162 weeks).

CONCLUSION. Percutaneous cholecystostomy is a viable treatment option for elderly and critically ill patients presenting with acute cholecystitis. It has a high success rate with minimal procedure-related complications. Elective cholecystostomy is the treatment of choice for low-risk patients after the initial acute cholecystitis.

Key words: Cholecystectomy; Cholecystostomy

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OBJECTIVE. To examine the relationship between colposcopic anogenital findings and overall assessment of sexual abuse.

DESIGN. Prospective study.

SETTING. Regional hospital, Hong Kong.

PATIENTS. Seventy-seven children (mean age, 6.5 years; range, 6 months-16 years) referred consecutively for sexual abuse evaluation between July 1999 and June 2002 were included.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES. Colposcopic anogenital findings (categorised as normal, non-specific, concerning for abuse, or clearly abnormal) were correlated with the overall assessment of likelihood of abuse (classified as no evidence of abuse, possible abuse, probable abuse, or definite abuse). The sensitivity and specificity of clearly abnormal findings in detecting definite abuse were computed, and the diagnostic impact of colposcopy findings were expressed as likelihood ratios.

RESULTS. Anogenital findings were normal in 45% of patients, non-specific in 29%, concerning for abuse in 13%, and clearly abnormal in 13%. Seven of the 16 confirmed cases of sexual abuse had normal or non-specific findings. Overall assessment showed that 46% of all patients had no evidence of abuse, 20% had cases of possible abuse, 13% had cases of probable abuse, and 21% had cases of definite abuse. The sensitivity and specificity of abnormal anogenital findings in detecting definite abuse were 56.3% and 98.4%, respectively. Colposcopy showed a fair correlation with the overall assessment of abuse (weighted kappa, 0.245). The diagnostic impact of normal, non-specific, concerning, and clearly abnormal findings in terms of likelihood ratios were 0.23, 1.12, 0.00, and 34.30, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS. Anogenital findings are often normal or non-specific in sexual abuse. In general, colposcopy examination findings do not directly reflect the final diagnosis. A category-4 finding on colposcopy is very helpful in confirming definite abuse, whereas other findings do not rule out the diagnosis.

Key words: Anus/injuries; Child abuse, sexual; Genitalia, female; Colposcopy

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OBJECTIVE. To identify anxiety levels among front-line health care workers during the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak.

DESIGN. Questionnaire survey.

SETTING. Regional hospital, Hong Kong.

PARTICIPANTS. All hospital staff were given a questionnaire; administrative staff who had not had any patient contact served as controls.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES. Levels of contact with patients who had severe acute respiratory syndrome were measured and correlated with anxiety levels as determined by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory.

RESULTS. Of 4252 questionnaires distributed between May and June 2003, 2040 (48.0%) were returned and 1926 (45.3%) were valid for analysis. Overall, 534 (27.7%) respondents had had contact with patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome. Anxiety scores ranged from 20 to 80, and mean (standard deviation) scores were higher among staff who had had contact with patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome than among those who had not (52.6 [10.5] versus 49.8 [10.1], respectively; P<0.01). Mean anxiety levels were higher among workmen, health care assistants, and nurses than among administrative staff controls or doctors (P<0.01). Anxiety scores were correlated with burnout scores (Pearson’s correlation coefficient, 0.52-0.59) and with discomfort from wearing protective gear (0.21-0.32).

CONCLUSION. Severe acute respiratory syndrome has likely stressed the public health care system. Prediction and early identification of adverse factors in a crisis situation would allow early implementation of interventions to reduce and counteract the impact of this stress.

Key words: Anxiety; Burnout, professional; Health personnel; Severe acute respiratory syndrome; Stress

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OBJECTIVES. To evaluate the effectiveness of a short-stay in-patient rehabilitation programme.

DESIGN. Prospective case-control cohort study.

SETTING. Regional medical centre, Hong Kong.

PATIENTS. One hundred and thirty symptomatic elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who had been treated for an acute respiratory illness in 1998. They were divided into two groups: the conventional treatment group, which received no rehabilitation (n=65), and the rehabilitation group (n=65).

INTERVENTION. A short-stay in-patient rehabilitation programme was implemented, which included assessment, patient and caregiver education, an exercise regimen, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and case conference.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES. Length of stay, hospital re-admission rate, and admission-free interval.

RESULTS. The mean length of stay in the rehabilitation ward was 6.2 days. The rate of hospital re-admission was significantly higher in the conventional treatment group than in the rehabilitation group, both within 28 days of discharge home (relative risk=3.33; 95% confidence interval, 2.32-4.56; P=0.019) and at 100 days after discharge (relative risk=2.47; 95% confidence interval, 1.78-3.48; P<0.001). The admission-free interval was significantly longer in the rehabilitation group than in the conventional treatment group (1.13 years vs 0.86 years; P<0.001).

CONCLUSION. A short-stay in-patient rehabilitation programme is effective in reducing hospital re-admission rates. This type of rehabilitation service may be important for elderly patients, as well as for patients with more advanced disease and more functional deficits than others.

Key words: Inpatients; Length of stay; Lung disease, obstructive/rehabilitation; Outcome assessment (health care); Pulmonary disease, chronic obstructive

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