Ophthalmological, ENT complications in dissection lab – sharing experiences of medical students from Nepal

Abstract

Background:

Dissection is a crucial part of Anatomy, which helps future training in the clinical subjects like surgery. Formalin is used as a preservative substance for cadavers. The main objective of the research was to find out the ophthalmological and ENT associated clinical manifestations allied with formalin preserved cadaveric dissection among basic science medical students.

Methods:

A questionnaire-based study was carried out in the Basic Science Campus of Manipal College of Medical Sciences, Pokhara, Nepal.  The questionnaire included Ophthalmological, ENT and other clinical manifestations associated with dissection.

Results:

Response rate of the study was quite high (406 students, 97.83%) among which females 181, 44.58% and males were 225, 55.41%. ENT and ophthalmological manifestations like Lacrimation 62.1%, Ocular irritation 58.6% and Running or congested nose 42.1% were the commonest problems reported during dissection of the cadavers. Males had [OR 1.403 (0.941, 2.091)] times Running or congested nose than females during dissection. Male student also experienced disturbance sight, [OR 1.48 (0.930, 2.356)] times more compared to females.

Conclusion:

Different clinical manifestations were relatively less comparing with other medical colleges. This is practically impossible to remove preservative substances from the dissection lab entirely, but adopting suitable measures can change the scenario. Ventilation Improvement, installation of exhaust ventilation dissection tables is more effective in this context. Giving short breaks in dissection sessions, protective measures like, activated carbon mask and rubber glove for sensitive students will be helpful.