Severity of disability due to occupational low back injury after lumbar laminectomy for degenerative disc disease

Article Abstract:

Most patients who undergo back surgery will return to some form of employment, but these individuals may be at higher risk for occupational low back injury than employees who have not had previous back surgery. A study was undertaken of 32 postal workers who had recovered from lumbar laminectomies (surgical removal of part of one or more back bones to relive compression of the spinal cord), and were hired for jobs that might require heavy physical labor. Each previously injured worker was matched by sex, age, hiring date, and job classification to 192 control subjects. The workers were followed for a period of two years following injury to determine the amount of time lost from work. Eight of the patient group, and 12 of the control group sustained low back injury during this follow-up period. The injury caused those in the patient group an average disability that was 12 times longer when compared with the injured subjects in the control group. Three of the eight patients (38 percent) required surgery; none of the control group needed surgery. Three patients remain disabled; all of the injured controls returned to work. The odds ratio for occupational back injury in the patient group was 5.9 when compared with the control group. It is suggested that there is a need to provide workers who are returning from back surgery with job assignments that will be less likely to result in additional injury. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Injuries, Complications and side effects, Surgery, Disability evaluation, Back, Lumbosacral region, Laminectomy

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Formaldehyde asthma: challenge exposure levels and fate after five years

Article Abstract:

In this study two renal dialysis unit nurses who had been shown in the past to have formaldehyde asthma were studied for a second time using inhalation provocation tests. The tests showed that the asthmatic response may continue if low levels of exposure are continued, but there may be no further asthmatic response if exposure is completely stopped.

Physiological aspects, Asthma, Formaldehyde

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