The Annals of thoracic surgery
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Thoracic versus lumbar epidural fentanyl for postthoracotomy pain.
Thirty patients were prospectively randomized to receive either thoracic or lumbar epidural fentanyl infusion for postthoracotomy pain. Epidural catheters were inserted, and placement was confirmed with local anesthetic testing before operation. General anesthesia consisted of nitrous oxide, oxygen, isoflurane, intravenous fentanyl citrate (5 micrograms/kg), and vecuronium bromide. ⋯ The infusion rate needed to maintain a visual analogue scale score of less than 4 was lower in the thoracic group (1.55 +/- 0.13 micrograms.kg-1 x h-1) than in the lumbar group (2.06 +/- 0.19 microgram.kg-1 x h-1) during the first 4 hours after operation (p < or = 0.05). The epidural fentanyl infusion rates could be reduced at 4, 24, and 48 hours after operation without compromising pain relief. Four patients in the lumbar group required naloxone hydrochloride intravenously.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Aprotinin in pediatric cardiac operations: platelet function, blood loss, and use of homologous blood.
Excessive hemorrhage secondary to cardiopulmonary bypass may be encountered after pediatric cardiac operations. Platelet dysfunction appears to be especially responsible for this problem. The proteinase inhibitor aprotinin is suggested to possess platelet preservation properties and reduce blood loss in this situation. ⋯ Treatment with aprotinin did not improve platelet function (maximum aggregation and maximum gradient of aggregation) in any group. On the first postoperative day, maximum aggregation in the small children exceeded baseline values, whereas in both groups of children > 10 kg baseline values had almost been established. Postoperative blood loss was not reduced by treatment with aprotinin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Using transesophageal echocardiography during open heart operations, we found another form of retained intracardiac air, "pooled air," in addition to the form of "bubbles" that had been reported by other authors. The pooled air was detected in all of 13 patients (100%); it was located at the right upper pulmonary vein in 13 (100%), left ventricular apex in 9 (69.2%), left atrium in 8 (61.5%), right coronary sinus of Valsalva in 8 (61.5%), left atrial appendage in 4 (30.8%), and left upper pulmonary vein in 3 (23.1%). ⋯ Because intracardiac air rapidly changes its locations and appearances, continuous monitoring is important, especially at weaning from bypass. The long-axis view of the heart is useful not only for detecting and locating the air, but also for guiding and evaluating the procedures to remove air.
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Lidocaine addition to crystalloid cardioplegic solution for prevention of reperfusion ventricular fibrillation after the release of the aortic cross-clamp was studied in 50 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting and in 30 patients undergoing mitral or aortic valve replacement. Twenty-six of the patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting received lidocaine, 100 mg/L of cardioplegia, whereas a control group of 24 patients received cardioplegia without lidocaine. ⋯ In the valve group, lidocaine cardioplegia also reduced significantly the incidence of reperfusion ventricular fibrillation from 93% to 42%. In both groups, lidocaine cardioplegia decreased the number of direct-current countershocks required to defibrillate the heart, with no significant increase in the incidence of high-grade atrioventricular block.
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Comparative Study
Renal dysfunction and intravascular coagulation with aprotinin and hypothermic circulatory arrest.
High-dose aprotinin was used in 20 patients undergoing primary or repeat operations on the thoracic or thoracoabdominal aorta using cardiopulmonary bypass and hypothermic circulatory arrest. The activated clotting times immediately before the establishment of hypothermic circulatory arrest exceeded 700 seconds in all but 1 patient. Three patients (15%) required reoperation for bleeding. ⋯ None of these 20 patients required reoperation for bleeding. Although aprotinin has been shown to reduce blood loss in patients having cardiac operations employing cardiopulmonary bypass, this benefit was not attained in this group of patients with thoracic aortic disease in whom hypothermic circulatory arrest was used. Use of aprotinin in elderly patients undergoing these procedures was associated with an increased risk of renal dysfunction and failure, and of myocardial infarction and death.