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The Australian Incident Monitoring Study. Paediatric incidents in anaesthesia: an analysis of 2000 incident reports.

The first 2000 incidents reported to the Australian Incident Monitoring Study (AIMS) were analysed to compare anaesthetic incidents in infants and children with those in adults. Of the 2000, 1790 (90%) involved adults, 151 (7%) children and 56 (3%) infants. Healthy children (ASA I) generated a greater proportion of incidents in this group than adults and infants, emphasizing the need for maintaining the same standards for children in this group as for infants and higher risk groups. The AIMS results are similar to those of the United States (US) paediatric "closed claims" studies; the paediatric subset in both the US study and AIMS made up 10% of the total. Also, in both studies, incidents involving the respiratory and breathing circuit systems accounted for nearly half the problems, and cardiovascular problems and problems with the anaesthetic machine each accounted for 10-14% of incidents. In the AIMS study procedures on the head and neck yielded proportionately more incidents in the infant/child group than in the adult group, as did incidents involving the respiratory and breathing circuit systems. Incidents in the child group were often detected clinically; however, there were no differences between the three age groups in the way monitors were used or performed; hence the same monitoring recommendations apply to all groups. Combined oximetry and capnography would have detected nearly 90% of all applicable problems in the AIMS study and could have prevented nearly 90% of the claims arising from inadequate ventilation in the US "closed claims" study.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Accidents↗

The Australian Incident Monitoring Study. Recovery room incidents in the first 2000 incident reports.

Of the first 2000 incidents reported to the Australian Incident Monitoring Study 120 (6%) occurred in the recovery room after general, regional or local anaesthesia. Over two thirds (69%) of these involved the respiratory system, 19% were cardiovascular, 3% involved the central nervous system and 9% were miscellaneous in nature. These recovery room incidents were associated with significantly more adverse outcomes (56%) than incidents in the operating theatre (24%). The types and relative frequencies of these recovery room incidents were similar to those of serious recovery complications in a recent analysis of closed malpractice claims; this suggests that incident monitoring may be useful in the study and prevention of recovery room complications. Over three quarters (77%) of all recovery incidents (and 88% of respiratory incidents) were detected clinically; the remainder were first detected by a monitor. A theoretical analysis showed that over 95% of respiratory events, had they been allowed to evolve, would have been detected by pulse oximetry before organ damage occurred, emphasising the potential importance of pulse oximetry in reducing adverse outcome from any complication in the recovery ward which might be "missed" by clinical observation. The findings of this study underline the importance of having an adequate number of trained recovery nursing staff supported by the availability of a pulse oximeter for each patient at least until the return of protective reflexes and the ability to maintain adequate arterial saturation has been established.

Accidents↗

Scrutinizing incident reporting in anaesthesia: why is an incident perceived as critical?

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the present study was to measure the incidence and type of incidents that occurred in relation to anaesthesia and surgery during a 1-year period in six Danish hospitals. Furthermore, we wanted to identify risk factors for incidents, as well as risk factors for incidents being deemed critical. METHODS: A four-page questionnaire describing patient data, type of anaesthesia and surgery, and occurrence of incidents was filled in for all anaesthesias in the period, and subsequently processed. The incident reporting form incorporated 59 predefined adverse events. The occurrence of one or more of these events described the incident. When the reporting anaesthetist deemed that an incident had harmed the patient, that incident was defined as critical. RESULTS: A total of 64,312 anaesthesias were reported, and in 7754 of them one or more incidents occurred. A total of 8510 incidents occurred, 4077 of them were solely related to the anaesthetic procedure, 3702 described events related to physiological alterations in the patient (physiological incidents). Three hundred and twenty-three of the incidents were deemed critical. High ASA score, high age, abdominal surgery, urgent surgery, and complex anaesthetic procedure were significant risk factors for physiological incidents and critical incidents. We could not identify a simple subset of adverse events that could adequately be used to describe the critical incidents. However, complex incidents, i.e. incidents involving more than one adverse event, were more likely to be deemed critical than simple incidents. CONCLUSION: The incidence of incidents was 12.1%, and the incidence of critical incidents was 0.5%. Incidents were more likely to be deemed critical in patients with an ASA score of III and above undergoing urgent surgery.

Anesthesia Department, Hospital↗

Major incidents in Britain over the past 28 years: the case for the centralised reporting of major incidents.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To describe the incidence and epidemiology of major incidents occurring in Britain over the past 28 years. METHODS: Major incidents were identified through a MEDLINE search, a hand search of journals and government reports at the Home Office Emergency Planning College, newspaper reports, a postal survey of ambulance emergency planning officers, and through requests for information posted on the internet. MAIN RESULTS: Brief incidents profiles from 108 British major incidents are presented. Most major incidents pass unreported in the medical literature. On average three to four major incidents occur in Britain each year (range 0-11). Sixty three of 108 (59.2%) of incidents involve public transportation. The next two largest groups are civil disturbance 22 of 108 (20.3%) and industrial accidents 16 of 108 (14.8%). Although incidents at sports stadiums are rare they produce large numbers of casualties. The data currently available on major incidents are difficult to find and of questionable accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of data makes planning for major incidents and exercising major incident plans difficult. Casualty incident profiles (CIPs) may assist major incidents exercises and planning. CIPs from future major incidents should be collated and made available to all major incident planners.

Accidents, Occupational↗

The Australian Incident Monitoring Study: an analysis of 2000 incident reports.

The Australian Patient Safety Foundation was formed in 1987; it was decided to set up and co-ordinate the Australian Incident Monitoring Study as a function of this Foundation; 90 hospitals and practices joined the study. Participating anaesthetists were invited to report, on an anonymous and voluntary basis, any unintended incident which reduced, or could have reduced, the safety margin for a patient. Any incident could be reported, not only those which were deemed "preventable" or were thought to involve human error. The Mark I AIMS form was developed which incorporated features and concepts from several other studies. All the incidents in this symposium were reported using this form, which contains general instructions to the reporter, key words and space for a narrative of the incident, structured sections for what happened (with subsections for circuitry incidents, circuitry involved, equipment involved, pharmacological incidents and airway incidents), why it happened (with subsections for factors contributing to the incident, factors minimising the incident and suggested corrective strategies), the type of anaesthesia and procedure, monitors in use, when and where the incident happened, the experience of the personnel involved, patient age and a classification of patient outcome. Enrollment, reporting and data-handling procedures are described. Data on patient outcome are presented; this is correlated with the stages at which the incident occurred and with the ASA status of the patients. The locations at which the incidents occurred and the types of procedures, the sets of incidents analysed in detail and a breakdown of the incidents due to drugs are also presented.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Accidents↗

Cancer incidence in atomic bomb survivors. Part IV: Comparison of cancer incidence and mortality.

This report compares cancer incidence and mortality among atomic bomb survivors in the Radiation Effects Research Foundation Life Span Study (LSS) cohort. Because the incidence data are derived from the Hiroshima and Nagasaki tumor registries, case ascertainment is limited to the time (1958-1987) and geographic restrictions (Hiroshima and Nagasaki) of the registries, whereas mortality data are available from 1950-1987 anywhere in Japan. With these conditions, there were 9,014 first primary incident cancer cases identified among LSS cohort members compared with 7,308 deaths for which cancer was listed as the underlying cause of death on death certificates. When deaths were limited to those occurring between 1958-1987 in Hiroshima or Nagasaki, there were 3,155 more incident cancer cases overall, and 1,262 more cancers of the digestive system. For cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx, skin, breast, female and male genital organs, urinary system and thyroid, the incidence series was at least twice as large as the comparable mortality series. Although the incidence and mortality data are dissimilar in many ways, the overall conclusions regarding which solid cancers provide evidence of a significant dose response generally confirm the mortality findings. When either incidence or mortality data are evaluated, significant excess risks are observed for all solid cancers, stomach, colon, liver (when it is defined as primary liver cancer or liver cancer not otherwise specified on the death certificate), lung, breast, ovary and urinary bladder. No significant radiation effect is seen for cancers of the pharynx, rectum, gallbladder, pancreas, nose, larynx, uterus, prostate or kidney in either series. There is evidence of a significant excess of nonmelanoma skin cancer in the incidence data, but not in the mortality series. Cancers of the salivary gland and thyroid are also in excess in the incidence series, but they were not evaluated in the earlier mortality analyses. For all solid tumors the estimated excess relative risk at 1 Sv (ERR1Sv) for incidence (ERR1Sv = 0.63) is 40% larger than the excess relative risk (ERR) based on mortality data from 1950-1987 in all Japan (ERR1Sv = 0.45). The corresponding excess absolute risk (EAR) point estimate is 2.7 times greater for incidence than mortality. For some cancer sites, the difference in the magnitude of risk between incidence and mortality is greater. These differences reflect the greater diagnostic accuracy of the incidence data and the lack of full representation of radiosensitive but relatively nonfatal cancers, such as breast and thyroid, in the mortality data. Analyses of both incidence and mortality data are needed since the two end points provide complementary information for risk assessment.

Adolescent↗

Worldwide increase in incidence of Type I diabetes--the analysis of the data on published incidence trends.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Several reports on the incidence of Type I (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus have suggested that the incidence is increasing. The aim of this study was to find out whether the incidence is increasing globally or restricted to a selected populations only and to estimate the magnitude of the change in incidence. METHODS: During 1960 to 1996 37 studies in 27 countries were carried out. To fulfil the inclusion criteria the study periods ranged from 8-32 years. The temporal trend was fitted by linear regression, with the logarithm of the age-standardized incidence as the dependent variable and the calendar year as the independent variable. Then, the regression coefficient (x 100%) is approximately the average relative increase in incidence per year (as percentage). RESULTS: Results from the pooled data from all 37 populations showed that the overall increase in incidence was 3.0% per year (95% CI 2.6; 3.3, p = 0.0001). The statistically significant increase was found in 24 of 37 populations including all high incidence (> 14.6 per 100000 a year) populations. The relative increase was, however, steeper in the populations with a lower incidence. The correlation between logarithm of the incidence and the increase in incidence was r = -0.56, p = 0.0004. CONCLUSION/INTERPRETATION: The incidence of Type I diabetes is increasing worldwide both in low and high incidence populations. By the year 2010 the incidence will be 50 per 100000 a year in Finland and also in many other populations it will exceed 30 per 100000 a year.

Adolescent↗

Incidence of physician-diagnosed asthma in adults--a real incidence or a result of increased awareness? Report from The Obstructive Lung Disease in Northern Sweden Studies.

Only limited data are available about the incidence of asthma based on longitudinal prospective studies. Further, the results from different studies on incidence vary considerably depending on the age composition of the cohorts under study, the used methods and the criteria for disease. Also among adults high incidence rates have been reported during recent years. The aim of this study was to examine to what extent the incidence of physician-diagnosed asthma could be explained by a real incidence of the disease, and to what extend by an increased diagnostic activity or altered diagnostic praxis. Another aim was to study risk factors for asthma based on incident cases. Three cross-sectional surveys have been performed in the same population sample living in the northern-most province of Sweden, Norrbotten. The first survey was performed in 1986, and 5698 subjects, 86% of those invited, responded to a postal questionnaire. Of these, 4754 subjects (83%) participated at the third survey in 1996. After exclusion of all subjects who had reported that they had asthma in 1986, or had been classified as having asthma in 1986, 68 men and 98 women (P=0.02) reported in 1996 that they had been diagnosed as having asthma by a physician. Thus, the cumulative incidence for the 10-year period was 3.2% among men and 4.5% among women. After correction for subjects who already in 1986 had reported symptoms common in asthma, or had been classified as having chronic bronchitis, 97 subjects with incident asthma remained, which corresponded to an annual incidence rate among men of 1.7 and among women of 2.9/1000 persons year(-1) (P=0.1). Clinical examinations confirmed asthma in a large majority of these 97 subjects. Significant risk factors were family history of asthma, both ex- and current smoking, and female sex. The socio-economic groups manual workers and assistant non-manual employees were associated with incident asthma, although not significantly. The increasing prevalence of asthma among adults during recent 10-20 years may to a considerable extent be explained by an increased diagnostic activity or altered diagnostic praxis. Use of different methods when measuring incidence may in part explain the extremely diverging incidence rates of asthma found in different studies.

Aged↗

The fall in incidence of prostate carcinoma. On the down side of a prostate specific antigen induced peak in incidence--data from the Utah Cancer Registry.

BACKGROUND: In the 1980s, prostate specific antigen (PSA) came into wide use as a prostate carcinoma screening and detection method in the United States. Following the introduction of PSA, the age-adjusted incidence of prostate carcinoma reported by the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program in the United States rose rapidly (from 84.4/100,000 in 1984 to 163/100,000 in 1991). When an increase in incidence is observed following the introduction of a screening method, a subsequent decrease in incidence may be expected as prevalent cases are removed from the population (a cull effect). Incidence rates may also fall due to factors such as decreased intensity of screening. The Utah Cancer Registry data were examined for a decrease in prostate cancer incidence. METHODS: We tracked age-adjusted prostate carcinoma incidence trends from the population-based Utah Cancer Registry and compared them with rates from the SEER national registry. RESULTS: A rapid and highly correlated rise in prostate carcinoma incidence has been observed in both SEER and Utah incidence rates between 1988 and 1991, the last year for which SEER data are available. In 1992, Utah incidence rates peaked at 236.2 per 100,000. In 1993 and 1994, Utah incidence rates fell to 195.0, and an estimated 164.0 per 100,000, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Population-based data from the Utah Cancer Registry indicates that the incidence of prostate carcinoma is decreasing rapidly after a similarly rapid increase.

Age Factors↗

Nurses' health study: log-incidence mathematical model of breast cancer incidence.

BACKGROUND: In 1983, Pike et al. developed a mathematical model to quantify the effects of reproductive risk factors on the incidence of breast cancer. In 1994, we modified that model to correct some deficiencies in the original model, including a lack of terms for spacing of births and an inability to easily accommodate births after age 40 years. Our extended Pike model, while improving on the original, still has serious disadvantages, such as difficulty in translating model parameters into relative risks (RRs) and an incomplete fit to data that slightly overestimated incidence for premenopausal women with an early age at first birth and that underestimated incidence for post-menopausal women with a late age at first birth. PURPOSE: We undertook both the development of a new mathematical model to quantify the effects of reproductive risk factors on breast cancer incidence and validation of the model. METHODS: A new log-incidence model of breast cancer incidence was developed using nonlinear regression methods, and a study population consisting of 89,132 women in the Nurses' Health Study from which a total of 2249 incident cases of breast cancer were identified. Subjects were followed from the return of the 1976 Nurses' Health Study questionnaire until June 1, 1990, or until the last questionnaire was returned, until the development of any cancer, or until death, yielding 1,148,593 person-years of follow-up. The log-incidence models were fitted using iteratively reweighted least squares analysis. RESULTS: The log-incidence model provided a better fit to that data than the extended Pike model, with parameter estimates interpretable in terms of RRs. This new model can be fitted using standard commercially available statistical software. In the model, younger parous women are generally at slightly higher risk than nulliparous women, which is true for both the observed and expected RRs, and older parous women, aged 55-64 years with an early age at first birth, are at lower risk than nulliparous women,while older women with a late age at first birth are at substantially higher risk than nulliparous women. CONCLUSION: Log-incidence models, such as this one, provide an efficient framework for modeling the effect of lifestyle risk factors on breast cancer incidence that may be specifically targeted to certain time periods of a woman's reproductive life.

Adult↗

The Australian Incident Monitoring Study. Which monitor? An analysis of 2000 incident reports.

The role of monitors in patients undergoing general anaesthesia was studied by analysing the first 2000 incidents reported to the Australian Incident Monitoring Study; 1256 (63%) were considered applicable to this study. In 52% of these a monitor detected the incident first; oximetry (27%) and capnography (24%) detected over half of the monitor detected incidents, the electrocardiograph 19%, blood pressure monitors 12%, a low pressure (circuit) alarm 8%, and the oxygen analyser 4%. Of the other monitors used, 5 first detected 1-2% of incidents, and the remaining 8 less than 0.5% each. The oximeter would have detected over 40% of the monitor detected incidents had its more informative modulated pulse tone always been relied upon instead of the "bleep" of the ECG. A theoretical analysis was then carried out to determine which of an array of 17 monitors would reliably have detected each incident had each monitor been used on its own and had the incident been allowed to evolve. To facilitate "scoring" of monitors, the incidents were categorized empirically into 60 clinical situations; 40% of applicable incidents were accounted for by only 5 clinical situations, 60% by 10 and nearly 80% by 20. 98% were accounted for by the 60 situations. A pulse oximeter, used on its own, would theoretically have detected 82% of applicable incidents (nearly 60% before any potential for organ damage). These figures for capnography are 55% and 43% and for oximetry and capnography combined are 88% and 65%, respectively. With the addition of blood pressure monitoring these become 93% and 65%, and of an oxygen analyser, 95 and 67%. Other monitors, including the ECG, each increase the yield by by less than 0.5%. The international monitoring recommendations and those of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists are thoroughly vindicated by the patterns revealed in this study. The priority sequence of monitor acquisition for those with limited resources should be stethoscope, sphygmomanometer, oxygen analyser if nitrous oxide is to be used, pulse oximeter, capnograph, high pressure alarm, and, if patients are to be mechanically ventilated, a low pressure alarm (or spirometer with alarm); an ECG, a defibrillator, a spirometer and a thermometer should be available.

Accidents↗

Analysis of medication incidents and development of a Medication Incident Rate Clinical Indicator.

Most health service organisations depend solely upon spontaneous voluntary reporting of medication incidents and a wide variety of available denominators are used in order to calculate the Medication Incident Rate (MIR). This paper describes how nursing staff and clinical pharmacists reviewed medication incident data, revised and established new systems of reporting and developed a clinically useful, rate-based MIR Clinical Indicator. In order to make the MIR more meaningful, the frequency of occurrence of incidents was considered within the context of the total number of medications given to patients. This was achieved by undertaking a point prevalence audit of all inpatient medication charts (n=372) to determine the total number of doses of medication given to patients during a 24 hour period (n=3211). This value was then used as the denominator for the MIR indicator. During 1998, a total of 475 medication incidents were reported; the average number of incidents was 1.3 per 24 hours. The MIR per 1000 doses was calculated to be 0.4. In most cases (77%) the incident caused no harm to the patient and no change in treatment was required, and the most 'severe' category for any incident was that active treatment was required (3% of reported incidents). The most common type of incident was the omission of a dose of medication (50%). A wide range of drugs were involved in the incidents, most commonly morphine (3.4%). The authors consider that the development and use of the MIR Clinical Indicator has positively influenced clinical practice in some areas at the authors' hospital.

Databases, Factual↗

Increase of colon and rectal cancer incidence rates in Japan: trends in incidence rates in Miyagi Prefecture, 1959-1997.

BACKGROUND: During recent decades, colorectal cancer incidence rates have been rapidly increasing in Japan. To investigate trends in colorectal cancer incidence rates, we analyzed incidence data during 39 years between 1959 and 1997 in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. METHODS: Using age-period-cohort models, we evaluated the effects of time period and cohort on colon and rectal cancer incidence. Model fitting was based on eleven 5-year age groups (30-34 to 80-84), eight 5-year time periods, and 18 overlapping birth cohorts of 10 years each. RESULTS: The analysis found a significant (p=0.04) and upward period effect on female colon cancer incidence, and a significant (p<0.01) and upward cohort effect on male colon cancer incidence. An upward period effect was also observed for male colon cancer incidence without significance. For rectal cancer incidence, a significant cohort effect was found among both males and females. CONCLUSIONS: In light of known risk factors of colorectal cancer, the effects of period and cohort might be related to the change in the prevalence of risk factors such as high intake of meat and animal fat, and obesity. The improved diagnostic procedures including the spread of cancer screening might be responsible for the period effect. Although the significant cohort effects may give a caution for a continuous increase of colorectal cancer incidence, the future trend may be influenced by the period-related factors. Successive monitoring of cancer incidence and prevalence of risk factors is required.

Adolescent↗

[Incidence of insulin dependent diabetes in youth in Israel in 1997: Israel IDDM Registry Study Group for incidence of diabetes between the ages of 0-17].

Recent reports from different countries have shown an increasing incidence of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM, type I diabetes). In Israel, several surveys of the incidence of IDDM have been conducted. During 1996, a national juvenile diabetes register was founded by specialists in endocrinology, and the Israel Center for Disease Control (ICDC). This is the first report of the national incidence of IDDM in the 0-17 year age group in Israel. New cases of juvenile diabetes were reported using an anonymous form. The ICDC was responsible for data collection, control and statistical analyses. During 1997, 162 new cases of diabetes mellitus were reported in the age group 0-17, 154 of them diagnosed as IDDM. The annual incidence in the total population of Israel in 1997 was 7.7/100,000. Age-specific incidence was 7.3/100,000 in boys and 8.1 in girls. A family history of IDDM was found in 14.3% of the cases. Incidence was higher for Jews (9.2/100,000) than Arabs (3.6/100,000). Among Jews, children whose fathers were born in Yemen had the highest incidence and those born to fathers born in Israel the lowest incidence. IDDM incidence rates for 1997 are higher than reported in previous surveys. It will be possible to draw conclusions regarding possible trends in incidence from data to be gathered in the next few years.

Adolescent↗

Incidence of herpes zoster, before and after varicella-vaccination-associated decreases in the incidence of varicella, 1992-2002.

BACKGROUND: Varicella zoster virus (VZV) causes varicella and, later in the life of the host, may reactivate to cause herpes zoster (HZ). Because it is hypothesized that exposure to varicella may boost immunity to latent VZV, the vaccination-associated decrease in varicella disease has led some to suggest that the incidence of HZ might increase. We assessed the impact that varicella vaccination has on the incidence of varicella and of HZ. METHODS: Codes for cases of varicella and of HZ in an HMO were determined in automated databases of inpatients and outpatients, on the basis of the Ninth Revision of the International Classification of Diseases. We calculated the incidence, during 1992-2002, of varicella and of HZ. RESULTS: The incidence of HZ remained stable as the incidence of varicella decreased. Age-adjusted and -specific annual incidence rates of varicella decreased steadily, starting with 1999. The age-adjusted rates decreased from 2.63 cases/1000 person-years during 1995 to 0.92 cases/1000 person-years during 2002; among children 1-4 years old, there was a 75% decrease between 1992-1996 and 2002. Age-adjusted and -specific annual incidence rates of HZ fluctuated slightly over time; the age-adjusted rate was highest, at 4.05 cases/1000 person-years, in 1992, and was 3.71 cases/1000 person-years in 2002. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings revealed that the vaccination-associated decrease in varicella disease did not result in an increase in the incidence of HZ. These early findings will have to be confirmed as the incidence of varicella disease continues to decrease.

Adolescent↗

Comparison of HIV type 1 incidence observed during longitudinal follow-up with incidence estimated by cross-sectional analysis using the BED capture enzyme immunoassay.

The BED capture enzyme immunoassay (BED CEIA) for recent infection was developed for the estimation of HIV-1 incidence in a population from a single cross-sectional survey. To evaluate performance, we applied the assay to specimen sets obtained from a longitudinal cohort study, the AIDSVAX B/B vaccine trial, in which there was an independent and conventional measure of observed incidence. The BED CEIA was performed on specimens obtained during follow-up for seroconversion conducted every 6 months for 3 years. There was excellent agreement between the observed and BED-estimated incidence for all the intervals. The cumulative, annualized incidence observed in the cohort was 3.10 new infections per 100 person-years (95% CI, 2.57-3.63). The corresponding BED-estimated incidence was 2.91 (2.30-3.53). We also estimated the effect of varied prevalence on a fixed incidence. Because some specimens from persons with longer-term infection are classified as recent by the assay, this can inflate the incidence estimate. We quantify this effect and discuss potential mitigation by excluding certain specimens on clinical grounds, by relying on trend differences rather than absolute incidence estimates, by secondary confirmatory testing, or by analytic adjustments for misclassification. Cross-sectional HIV incidence estimation circumvents many of the drawbacks associated with longitudinal cohort studies, but there are test-specific limitations that should be considered in the design of population surveys.

Algorithms↗

The Australian Incident Monitoring Study. Problems with ventilation: an analysis of 2000 incident reports.

A review of the first 2000 incidents reported to the Australian Incident Monitoring Study found 317 incidents which involved problems with ventilation. The major portion (47%) were disconnections; 61% of these were detected by a monitor. Monitor detection was by a low circuit pressure alarm in 37% but this alarm failed to warn of non-ventilation in 12 incidents (in 6 because it was not switched "on" and in 6 because of a failure to detect the disconnection). Failure of detection was usually with ventilator bellows descending in expiration. Complete failure to ventilate occurred in 143 incidents, most commonly because of a disconnection. Disconnection was associated, in one-third of the cases, with interference to the anaesthetic circuit by a third party and in nearly half with surgery on the head and neck. Leaks affected ventilation in 129 incidents, but in only 19 was ventilation totally lost; leaks associated with seal failure of the absorber were common. Misconnections occurred in 36 incidents, most commonly involving the scavenging system. The frequency of a complete failure to check an anaesthetic machine was greater when an induction room was involved than when only the operating theatre was the site of the incident. These incidents suggest that meticulous checking and monitoring for failure of ventilation, preferably using at least two separate, self-activating systems is highly desirable. The Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists' policy on low circuit pressure alarms, oximetry and capnography is vindicated by these reports.

Accidents↗

[Factors related to the slowdown in the reduction of the tuberculosis incidence rate in Osaka City--structure of the high incidence rate of tuberculosis in Osaka City analyzed by administrative-ward group, five-year period and age group].

The tuberculosis incidence rate in Osaka City is the highest in Japan. We analyzed the incidence rate in Osaka City in five-year period from 1978 to 1997, namely, 1978-1982 (period I), 1983-1987 (period II), 1988-1992 (period III), and 1993-1997 (period IV). Until the first half of 1980, the tuberculosis incidence rate in Osaka City had been dropping every year, but the rate of decline has been slowed substantially or even stopped since 1983. The incidence rate ratio of Osaka City compared with the national rate was 2.0 to 2.3 from 1970 to 1975, but it has been increasing from 1983 and is now higher than 3. We divided 24 wards of Osaka City into five groups based on selected employment indicators of population 15 years of age and over of 1995 National Census. Group A consists of two wards characterized by extremely high unemployment rate, Group B of four wards by high unemployment rate and high rate of manufacturing workers, Group C of six wards by high rate of non-manufacturing workers (tertiary industry workers), Group D of five wards by high rate of manufacturing workers, and Group E of seven wards by residential areas. The incidence rate of Group A had been declining during periods I and II but started to rise after period III. The rates of Group B and C had been declining from period I to II but the decline slowed down substantially even for every age class in periods III and IV. The incidence rates of Groups D and E have been falling. The incidence rate of the 50-69 year-old age group has been increasing substantially. The proportion of newly registered patients in Group A to all patients of Osaka City increased from 25.2% in period I to 32.7% in period IV. The number of newly registered patients of the 40-69 age class in Group A accounted for 45.1% of that in Osaka City in period IV. The slowdown in the reduction of the tuberculosis incidence rate has occurred not in all, but in only a few wards and it is a typical phenomenon of the middle-aged in those wards. It would be worth investigating whether a substantial decline in the tuberculosis incidence rate in Osaka City cannot be achieved by means of uniform control measures for all wards. Intensified tuberculosis control measures should focus on patients in specific wards and age groups.

Adolescent↗