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Hypothesis: Gum chewing after elective open colon resection may stimulate bowel motility and decrease duration of postoperative ileus. Design and Setting: Prospective, randomized study in a community-based teaching hospital. Patients: Thirty-four patients undergoing elective open sigmoid resections for recurrent diverticulitis or cancer. Main Outcome Measures: First feelings of hunger, time to first flatus, time to first bowel movement, length of hospital stay, and complications. Results: A total of 34 patients were randomized into 2 groups: a gum-chewing group (n=17) or a control group (n=17). The patients in the gum-chewing group chewed sugarless gum 3 times daily for 1 hour each time until discharge. Patient demographics, intraoperative, and postoperative care were equivalent between the 2 groups. All

Hypothesis: Trauma patients with normal motor examination results and normal cervical spine helical computed tomographic (CT) scans with sagittal reconstructions do not have significant cervical spine injury.

We hypothesized that a laparoscopic technique for Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery is associated with more musculoskeletal discomfort and ergonomic strain than a robotic technique. This pilot project studied one surgeon while he performed four laparoscopic and four robotic (da Vinci system) Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedures. We measured musculoskeletal discomfort with body part discomfort score (BPD) and ergonomic positioning with the rapid upper-limb assessment tool (RULA). At the end of the case, the robotic cases were associated with more discomfort in the neck (median BPD scores 2.5 versus 1.0, P = 0.028), while the laparoscopic cases were associated with more discomfort in the upper back (median BPD scores 2.0 versus 1.0, P = 0.028). Both the right and left shoulders demonstrated more discomfort with the laparoscopic group (median BPD scores 3.0 versus 1.5, P = 0.057). The RULA analysis demonstrated that the upper arm (1.0 versus 2.25), lower arm (1.125 versus 2.125), wrist (2.5 versus 3.5) and wrist twist (1.25 versus 2) were held in less ergonomically correct positioning (higher score) in the laparoscopic group compared to the robotic group (P = 0.029). In contrast, the trunk (1.5 versus 1.0) had a worse RULA score in the robotic group compared to the laparoscopic cases. These pilot data suggest that robotic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery may result in less musculoskeletal stress to the upper extremities than standard laparoscopic technique. In contrast, robotic surgery seems to offer both postural advantages and disadvantages for the neck and back region. More-detailed studies are needed to fully assess the potential postural advantages of robotic surgical techniques over standard laparoscopy.

1 The adverse effect of passive smoke exposure on the respiratory tract, particularly in infants and children, is not an issue of dispute. It was the objective of this study to analyse the extent and the intensity of passive smoke exposure in infants and children with respiratory tract diseases, and compare the information obtained with parents' subjective assessment. At the time of admission to the hospital, the parents of 295 infants and children (aged 1 month to 11 years) were questioned by the physician as to the smoking habits in the families' homes. An HPLC method was employed to determine simultaneously nicotine, cotinine and trans-3'-hydroxycotinine in the children' urine. 2 The sum of the nicotine metabolites turned out to be a sensitive marker in determining passive smoke exposure. Measurements revealed passive smoke exposure in 66% of the children, the frequency in younger children being significantly (P < 0.001) higher than in children over 5 years (84% vs 52%). The average concentration of nicotine metabolites in younger passive smokers was significantly (P<0.00i) higher when compared to the older ones (193 nmol/l vs 86 nmolIl). Forty-nine per cent of the parents assessed that their children had experienced passive smoke exposure, and another 10% emphasised that they only smoked in the absence of their child. In children with cystic fibrosis and bronchial asthma, the number of passive smokers as assessed by their parents were lower by 65% and 29% respectively when compared to the findings obtained from measurements. In children without respiratory diseases, the difference was as little as 18%. 3 Parents when questioned in conjunction with an illness of their children, tended to understate, or even with-hold the truth about, passive smoke exposure. There-fore, reliable information on passive smoke exposure of patients can only be obtained through objective measurements.