1/52. Morphologic analysis of a strand recovered from a prosthetic mitral valve: No evidence of fibrin.We report the first morphologic analysis of a linear mobile structure (strand) detected by transesophageal echocardiography on a bioprosthetic mitral valve and then recovered at surgery. Electron microscopy showed it to consist of a sparsely cellular component, with extracellular amorphous or fibrillary areas. collagen was largely responsible for the fibrillary appearance.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = near (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/52. rupture of the abdominal aorta in patients with ehlers-danlos syndrome.ehlers-danlos syndrome (EDS) is a heterogeneous inherited disorder of collagen synthesis. Type IV is frequently associated with major vascular catastrophes and challenges the vascular surgeon with its varied clinical presentation and the difficulty of vascular repair. rupture of the abdominal aorta is one of the most serious complications and is associated with nearly 100% mortality rate. We describe here three patients with type IV EDS.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = near (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/52. Immediate postoperative thrombolytic therapy: an aggressive strategy for neurologic salvage when cerebral thromboembolism complicates carotid endarterectomy.A 42-year-old man with a high-grade left internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis demonstrated on a duplex scan was referred to us. A cerebral arteriogram confirmed a greater than 90% left internal carotid stenosis, but with the unexpected finding of a moderate amount of thrombus in the proximal ICA. He underwent emergent left carotid endarterectomy, but during the operation, only a small amount of thrombus was identified as adherent to the atherosclerotic plaque. he awakened in the operating room with a dense right hemiplegia and aphasia. Immediate reexploration demonstrated a patent endarterectomy site, a distal thromboembolectomy was performed without extraction of thrombus, and urokinase (250,000 Units) was infused into the distal ICA. He reawakened with an unchanged right hemiplegia and aphasia. The patient then underwent an urgent postoperative carotid and cerebral arteriogram that demonstrated an embolus to the middle cerebral artery. he was treated with the superselective infusion of urokinase (500,000 Units), with almost complete resolution of the clot. Over the course of the next 48 hours, the patient made a nearly complete neurologic recovery, and he was discharged from the hospital with only a slight facial droop. At 2 months' follow-up he was completely neurologically healthy. To our knowledge this is the first reported case of urokinase administered in the immediate postoperative period in the angiography suite to treat a thromboembolus complicating a carotid endarterectomy.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = near (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/52. Transient cardiac standstill induced by adenosine in the management of intraoperative aneurysmal rupture: technical case report.OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: Intraoperative aneurysmal rupture represents a potentially catastrophic event. We describe the use of an intravenous adenosine bolus to induce transient cardiac asystole to control a severe intraoperative aneurysmal rupture. This treatment resulted in a brief period of severe hypotension, which enabled successful clipping of the aneurysm. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 55-year-old man was referred to our institution 7 days after experiencing a mild subarachnoid hemorrhage from a fusiform, multilobulated aneurysm of the anterior communicating artery. The patient was found to have multiple additional fusiform aneurysms as well as a large parietal arteriovenous malformation. INTERVENTION: A craniotomy was performed to clip the aneurysm, but surgical dissection was complicated by premature rebleeding that could not be controlled satisfactorily with tamponade or temporary arterial occlusion. Infusion of adenosine resulted in the rapid onset of profound hypotension, allowing for safe completion of the dissection and clipping of the aneurysm with a good outcome. There were no complications identified in relation to the use of adenosine. CONCLUSION: In the setting of severe intraoperative aneurysmal rupture, intravenous adenosine represents a potential means of achieving a near-immediate profound decrease in the blood pressure that may allow for safe completion of the dissection and aneurysm clipping.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = near (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/52. Perioperative deaths: a further comparative review of coroner's autopsies with particular reference to the occurrence of fatal iatrogenic injury.INTRODUCTION: In previous triennial reviews of Coroner's perioperative autopsies conducted during the periods 1989 to 1991 and 1992 to 1994, it was observed that the necropsy incidence of such deaths rose from 2% to 2.6% (P < 0.05). Concurrently, the rate of iatrogenic deaths had nearly doubled from 15.2% to 28.8% (P < 0.02). These findings spurred a review of the subsequent triennium (1995 to 1997), in order to monitor the apparent rise in these trends and to study the frequency and occurrence of iatrogenic deaths in relation to the number of invasive procedures performed, as well as during emergency and elective procedures. MATERIALS AND methods: A retrospective (descriptive and comparative) study, comprising a clinico-pathological review of a series of 270 perioperative deaths (defined as deaths occurring during or after invasive therapeutic or diagnostic procedures, up to a week after discharge, and excluding cases of major trauma from suicides, homicides, as well as road and industrial accidents) reported to the Coroner, for which autopsies were conducted at the Department of forensic medicine from 1995 to 1997. RESULTS: The necropsy incidence of 4.4% (270/6074) represented a significant rise over the previous triennia (P < 0.01). As in previous years, there was a predominance of males (M:F = 1.65:1) and middle-aged to elderly patients (range 0 to 92 years, mean 55.8 years, median 63 years), most of whom had died after a variable, but usually brief, postoperative interval [0 to 97, 4.2, 1 day(s)] and a more variable period of hospitalisation (< 1 to 289, 12.6, 7 days). A total of 408 invasive procedures were performed, amounting to an average of 1.5 per patient; 101 patients (37.4%) underwent multiple (> 1) interventions, which were initially classified as elective procedures in 27 cases. There were 66 (24.4%) iatrogenic deaths, of which 2 (0.7%) were due to anaesthetic mishaps; 18/64 iatrogenic deaths, unrelated to anaesthesia, occurred after the first postoperative day. The proportions of such deaths amongst patients subjected to multiple interventions, or initial elective procedures, were more than twice as high as amongst those undergoing single procedures, and those initially classified as emergencies (35.6% versus 16.6% and 33.3% versus 13.2%, respectively; P < 0.01). Only 51/66 (77.3%) iatrogenic deaths received Coroner's verdicts of misadventure; no verdict of criminal negligence was recorded during the period in question. CONCLUSIONS: There appears to have been a steady increase in the number of perioperative deaths reported to the Coroner over the previous triennia (1989 to 1997) for which autopsies were conducted. While this observation may not denote an increase in perioperative morality rates per se, it may be indicative of an increasingly "aggressive" or defensive approach to the clinical management of seriously ill patients, particularly over the past decade. Although the rate of iatrogenic deaths appears to have stabilised, it is too early to say whether this apparent trend will persist in the future. It is perhaps not surprising that the risk of iatrogenic injury appears to increase with the number of interventions performed; however, it is not clear why initial, supposedly elective, interventions should be associated with an apparently greater risk of iatrogenic injury than those classified as emergency procedures. The substantial divergence between the autopsy finding of an iatrogenic death and the corresponding Coroner's verdict of misadventure may be comforting to clinicians, but certainly warrants further examination.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = near (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/52. Far lateral disc excision at L5-S1 complicated by iliolumbar artery incursion: case report.OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: Paramedial approaches to far lateral discs at the L5-S1 space joint have advantages but may also bring the surgical space closer to large branch arteries of the internal iliac artery. I report incursion into an iliolumbar artery that required laparotomy to control hemorrhage. Surgeons performing extraforaminal disc explorations at L5-S1 need to evaluate preoperative magnetic resonance imaging scans for an enlarged iliolumbar artery near the disc space. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: The patient presented with a right L5 radiculopathy and a far lateral disc at L5-S1, as indicated by analysis of her magnetic resonance imaging scan. INTERVENTION: A midline incision and an extraforaminal exposure were performed. Arterial bleeding occurred when an anular disc fragment was removed with a pituitary rongeur under direct vision with microscopic magnification. Emergency laparotomy demonstrated hemorrhage from a branch of the internal iliac artery 2 cm from its origin. CONCLUSION: Iliolumbar artery variants may be at the margins of extraforaminal disc exposure at L5-S1. Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging scans should be evaluated for this vasculature structure.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = near (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/52. diagnosis of progressive compression of the aortic true lumen with intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography during repair of dissection of thoracic aorta--a case report.We report an incident of progressive compression of the true lumen of aorta which happened immediately after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and was diagnosed with intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in a patient undergoing an emergent repair of type A aortic dissection under femoral perfusion. During the CPB period, intraoperative TEE revealed gradual expansion of the false lumen which nearly obstructed the true lumen of the dissected aorta. The possible mechanism was related with distension of the false lumen by a dominant flow from retrograde femoral perfusion of CPB. With the application of intraoperative TEE, we could easily detect the hemodynamic changes of thoracic aorta and find the real causes so as to solve the perfusion abnormalities.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = near (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/52. Blade crossing of a pure titanium clip applied to a cerebral aneurysm--case report.titanium aneurysm clips are superior to cobalt clips in radiological features, biocompatibility, and hypoallergenicity, but the mechanical characteristics are less advantageous. A 56-year-old man was referred to our department due to dizziness and slurred speech. cerebral angiography unexpectedly disclosed an aneurysm of the right middle cerebral artery. The patient underwent right frontotemporal craniotomy and neck clipping of the aneurysm with a commercially pure titanium clip. After application of the clip, the clip blades crossed and nearly sheared the wall of the aneurysm. The mechanical characteristics of titanium aneurysm clips require careful consideration because of possible clip malfunction.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = near (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/52. Endotracheal tube fire induced by electrocautery during tracheostomy--a case report.Airway fire resulting from ignition of the endotracheal tube (ETT) caused by electrocautery during tracheostomy is a severe and possibly fatal event, and should be avoided. An 88-year-old male because of respiratory failure received elective tracheostomy for ventilatory support on which prolonged dependence was anticipated. Unfortunately, flame was noted to jet out from the trachea incision just after a single burst of electrocautery to coagulate a bleeder in the trachea tissue nearby the incision. After primary management, including extinguishing the flame and evaluation of the tracheal injury by bronchoscope, a tracheostomy tube was inserted smoothly without causing hypoxemia or hemodynamic instability. The patient stood this ordeal of fire well without related sequelae and was returned from the intensive care unit (ICU) to the general ward two weeks later. From this accident, we recommend that, besides emphasis on lowering of the inspired oxygen concentration (FiO2) and careful use of electrocautery during the tracheostomy procedure, special attention should be paid to the integrality of ETT cuff. It serves as a barrier to prevent oxygen leaking out from the trachea to be exposed to the sparks of electrocautery while the surgical procedure is under way, and thus it plays a significant role in the avoidance of airway fire induced by electrocautery.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = near (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/52. Preliminary experience with a novel intraoperative fluorescence imaging technique to evaluate the patency of bypass grafts in total arterial revascularization.BACKGROUND: Early graft failure is a common cause of cardiac morbidity and mortality after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), and there is particular concern about graft patency in off-pump CABG. We describe our preliminary experience with a novel imaging technique (the SPY system), based on fluorescence of indocyanine green when exposed to near infrared light, for the intraoperative assessment of coronary graft patency. methods: Graft patency was assessed in patients undergoing off-pump and on-pump total arterial revascularization. The imaging technique requires injection of a 1-mL bolus of indocyanine green into the central venous line, followed by imaging with the SPY system. RESULTS: We assessed intraoperative graft patency in 213 conduits in 84 patients (mean, 2.54 grafts per patient), of which, 65 (77%) were done off-pump. It took approximately 3 minutes to image each graft. Skeletonized conduits provided better visualization than pedicled ones. fluorescence, confirming graft patency, was observed in all but four (1.9%) conduits in 4 (5%) patients. In these latter cases, graft revision was necessitated. CONCLUSIONS: fluorescence imaging of coronary grafts using the SPY is a uniquely simple, safe, noninvasive, and reproducible technique for intraoperative confirmation of graft patency. In 4 patients, it necessitated revision of the initial intraoperative procedure. Quantification of graft flow would enhance the value of the system.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = near (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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