Natural evolution of moderate sleep apnoea syndrome: significant progression over a mean of 17 months

BACKGROUND: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. It has remained unclear whether or not it is progressive. The evolution of OSA was examined in a retrospective case note study of 55 unselected patients of mean (SD) age 55.8 (10) years with mild to moderate disease untreated by interventional methods such as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or surgery. Correlations between clinical and functional variables, upper airway anatomy, and change in disease severity were also investigated. METHODS: Patients underwent full polysomnography on two occasions (T0 and Tx) at a mean interval of 77 (50) weeks (range 17-229). In addition, upper airway imaging with computed tomographic scanning or cephalometry had been performed in 43 patients at T0. Morbidity before, during, and after the study period was assessed by questionnaire, as was smoking history and alcohol and sedative intake. RESULTS: The apnoea hypopnoea index (AHI) for the group as a whole increased from 21.8 (11.5) to 33.4 (21.3) (p = 0.0001). Using a 25% change in AHI to divide patients into worsened, stable, and improved groups showed that, although most of the patients deteriorated, 25 patients improved or remained stable. The change in AHI was not correlated with body mass index which remained stable at 29.7 (5.4) kg/m2 versus 29.7 (5.6) kg/m2. There was a trend for apnoea duration to increase. No patient reported increased alcohol consumption and only one patient reported increased use of sedatives between T0 and Tx. No correlation was found between change in AHI and age, time between recordings, anatomical measurements of the upper airway, respiratory function, oximetry, or arterial blood gas tensions. Total cardiovascular and cerebrovascular morbidity was high: hypertension (26 patients, 46%), cardiac arrhythmia (17 patients, 33%), angina (12 patients, 23%), myocardial infarction (10 patients, 19%), and stroke (10 patients, 19%). Twenty nine patients (52%) were prescribed CPAP after Tx, two of whom went on to have maxillofacial surgery. These 29 treated patients had significantly higher values of AHI at T0 and Tx and greater change in AHI than the untreated patients. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that mild to moderate OSA has a tendency to worsen in the absence of significant weight gain and that upper airway anatomy and clinical variables do not appear to be useful in predicting progression. It follows that mild to moderate OSA justifies systematic follow up. Deterioration in AHI over a mean of 17 months led to interventional treatment in over 50% of patients in the study.


     

Evaluation of awakening and recovery characteristics following anaesthesia with nitrous oxide and halothane fentanyl or both for brief outpatient procedures in infants

This study compared recovery characteristics and postoperative ventilatory function when halothane, fentanyl or combination of halothane and fentanyl in addition to N₂O were used for intraoperative anaesthesia in term infants undergoing hernia repair as outpatients. Sixty-six full term ASA PS I infants ages 1–12 months were studied. All received inhalation induction with N₂O, O₂ and halothane, followed by intravenous atropine and atracurium, tracheal intubation, and controlled ventilation. For anaesthesia maintenance, patients were randomized into one of three groups. Group I received 70% N₂O, 30% O₂ and halothane. Group II received 70% N₂O, 30% O₂, halothane and 2 μg·kg^?1 fentanyl. Group III received 70% N₂O, 30% O₂ and 10 μg·kg^?1 fentanyl. Awakening times were similar in all three groups, however, Group I patients had significantly shorter recovery and discharge times than those of Group II and III. None of the patients experienced postoperative apnoea or periodic breathing. One patient in Group III experienced two brief episodes of bradycardia not associated with apnoea or arterial desaturation (Spo ₂ >90% for greater than 30 s). Decreased Spo ₂ occurred less frequently in Group I (5.9%) compared to Group II (22.7%) and Group III (19.0%) patients, however, the group differences were not significant. Transcutaneous CO₂ (TcCO₂) values were not statistically different among the three groups. Pain scores were initially lower in Groups II and III, but at 120 min the differences were not significant. Postoperative apnoea was not observed in this study. Spo ₂ <90% and TcCO₂ >9 kPa (70 mmHg) was more common in infants receiving 2 and 10 μg·kg^?1 fentanyl than in infants receiving halothane and nitrous oxide anaesthesia. Infants <3 months old did not have a higher incidence of Spo ₂ <90% or significantly higher TcCO₂ values when compared to infants >3 months old. Fentanyl in doses used in this study did not prolong awakening time but did prolong recovery and discharge times in outpatient infants.     

Incomplete holism in pre-registration nurse education: the position of the biological sciences

There is an ongoing debate in nurse education concerning the role and delivery of the biological sciences in the nursing curriculum. One of the fundamental questions raised by this debate asks how best can teachers impart biological knowledge in a manner that can be readily applied by students and qualified nurses to inform their clinical practice. This paper will include a discussion of some of the features of pre-registration education that may have influenced the manner in which biological sciences are perceived, taught and used by nurses. It will be argued that nursing may have developed a form of incomplete holism and that this may be in part responsible for the challenges that remain to be met within this area of the nursing curriculum. As a response to incomplete holism an innovative approach within pre-registration education will be introduced. This development involves the use of linked teaching sessions which aim to develop the analytical skills necessary to apply physiological knowledge to nursing practice.     

Project 2000: perceptions of the philosophy and practice of nursing: shifting perceptions—a new practitioner?

This is the first of two papers which address aspects of the findings of a large scale study commissioned by the English National Board which set out to examine the impact of Project 2000 on perceptions of the philosophy and practice of nursing. The findings presented here suggest that there have been fundamental shifts in perceptions of the nature and discipline of nursing. Students and diplomates of the course perceive themselves as knowledgeable doers, with their practice well grounded in theory and research. They value the interpersonal skills teaching and place the patient firmly at the centre of care delivery, viewing the patient holistically and being prepared to be fierce patient advocates where necessary. It is difficult to determine the extent to which these shifts can be attributed to the Project 2000 course, although the Project 2000 approach to education appears to be an important factor.     

Antenatal Screening for HPA-la by Flow Cytometry

Summary: regnant women who attended antenatal clinics at King George V Hospital, the Birth Centre or were referred by obstetricians from February to July. 1996 were screened for the platelet antigen HPA-la by flow cytometry. Forty out of 2300 (1.7%) were found to be negative for this antigen . Of the 28 women followed throughout their pregnancy, none developed antibody to HPA-la. Platelet counts performed on samples from 17 babies born to 17 of these mothers were all normal. This study proves the simplicity and rapidity of flow cytometry for platelet antigen screening. The results were comparable with the Solid Phase Red Cell Adherence (SPRCA) method and with PCR. The lack of a plentiful supply of specific antibody and the rarity of fetomaternai alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FMAIT) argue against the introduction of routine screening for maternal HPA-la status at the present time.     

Nephrectomy during operative management of retroperitoneal sarcoma

Background: Complete resection of a retroperitoneal sarcoma often requires removal of adjacent organs. In this study we evaluated the role of nephrectomy during operation for retroperitoneal sarcoma. Methods: Between July 1982 and July 1995, 75 of the 371 (20%) patients who underwent resection of retroperitoneal sarcoma at MSKCC underwent concommitant nephrectomy. Data concerning the reasons for nephrectomy, degree of sarcomatous renal involvement, and survival were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Fifty-four patients (72%) underwent nephrectomy during the initial resection, and 21 (28%) during a resection of a recurrent or persistent tumor. The most common reason for nephrectomy was total encasement by sarcoma (n=40; 53%), followed by dense adherence of the tumor to the kidney (n=21; 28%), and the direct invasion of the kidney by tumor (n=2; 3%). Pathology demonstrated an absence of kidney invasion in the majority of cases (55 of 75; 73%). Renal capsular invasion was present in 11 of 75 (15%), renal parenchymal invasion in 7 of 75 (9%), and renal vein invasion in 2 of 75 (3%) of cases. There were no significant differences in survival based on degree of sarcoma involvement of the kidney, tumor grade, or whether the resection was for primary or recurrent disease. The 53 patients who underwent a complete gross resection of all tumor had a significantly improved long-term survival compared to the 20 patients who did not (50% versus 20% DFS at 5 years, respectively; p<0.001). Conclusions: Decisions for concomitant nephrectomy during resection of retroperitoneal sarcoma should be based on whether this maneuver will provide a complete resection of all gross tumor, in which case the long-term disease-free survival of 50% is comparable to the reported 5-year survival of all patients with retroperitoneal sarcoma who are completely resected. Presented at the 49th Annual Cancer Symposium of the Society of Surgical Oncology, Atlanta, Georgia, March 21–24, 1996.     

Increased salt retention and hypertension from non-steroidal agents in the elderly

We studied blood pressure and natriuretic responses to acute salt loading, and the effect of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents on these responses, in five healthy normotensive women aged 65 to 71 years. Five women aged 25 to 31 years acted as controls. Intravenous saline loading, with and without prior ingestion of ibuprofen, was 15 ml/kg/h for 3 h. Baseline blood pressures were higher in the elderly. Saline infusion without ibuprofen raised systolic blood pressure (SBP) by about 25 mmHg in the older group only. Ibuprofen increased baseline SBP in the elderly (129 +/- 6 vs. 116 +/- 5 mmHg, p < 0.05). Saline loading after ibuprofen again raised blood pressure by about 25 mmHg in the elderly only. The elderly group showed markedly increased sodium excretion during saline loading, but this was reduced by ibuprofen. Ibuprofen had no effect on SBP or sodium excretion in controls. Ageing appears to increase susceptibility to salt retention and hypertension from non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents.