The American surgeon
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The American surgeon · Feb 2001
Review Case ReportsPseudohyperkalemia secondary to postsplenectomy thrombocytosis.
Hyperkalemia is a regularly encountered electrolyte abnormality. Less commonly recognized is pseudohyperkalemia. In vitro clotting results in the release of potassium from the formed elements of blood; this falsely elevates the serum potassium concentration. ⋯ The serum potassium showed a concomitant rise with the evolution of the patient's postsplenectomy thrombocytosis. This is a case report of our patient and a literature review of this rarely reported and underestimated cause of a potentially serious electrolyte abnormality. We found through our patient that pseudohyperkalemia does occur in the postsplenectomy population and that this should be included in the differential diagnosis of any patient with an elevated serum potassium level and thrombocytosis.
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The American surgeon · Jan 2001
Case Reports Comparative StudyComparison of safety and cost of percutaneous versus surgical tracheostomy.
Tracheostomy continues to be a standard procedure for the management of long-term ventilator-dependent patients. Traditionally the procedure has been performed by surgeons in the operating theater using an open technique. This routine practice has recently been challenged by the introduction of bedside percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT), which has been reported to be a cost-effective alternative. ⋯ Several other studies have recommended that bronchoscopy during PDT provides additional safety; however, in our series all three major complications took place during bronchoscopy-assisted percutaneous procedures. Our series suggests that PDT carries an appreciable risk of major complications. Careful patient selection and additional experience with the procedure may decrease complication rates to an acceptable level.
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Cervical aerodigestive trauma is rare and most centers have a limited experience with its management. The purpose of this review was to study the epidemiology, diagnosis, and problems related to the early evaluation and management of these injuries. This was a retrospective study based on trauma registry and on chart, operative, radiological, and endoscopic reports. ⋯ Airway compromise was a common problem in the emergency room. Loss of airway after rapid sequence induction is a potentially lethal complication and the trauma team should be ready for a surgical airway. Repair of laryngotracheal injuries without a protective tracheostomy is safe in selected cases.
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The American surgeon · Jan 2001
Biography Historical ArticleLeonardo da Vinci: anatomist and physiologist.
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The American surgeon · Dec 2000
Effects of empiric antibiotic administration for suspected pneumonia on subsequent opportunistic pulmonary infections.
Optimal guidelines for empiric antibiotic (EAB) therapy in cases of suspected post-traumatic ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) are not well defined. EAB administration is thought to increase the incidence of opportunistic organisms; however, culture-directed (as opposed to empiric) treatment may delay antibiotic administration with possible adverse consequences. Our goal was to examine the impact of EAB administration on the incidence of subsequent VAP and opportunistic organisms in a series of critically injured patients with sepsis syndrome. ⋯ Twenty-one of the 23 opportunistic VAPs at subsequent FOBs had received EAB before the first FOB compared with four of seven nonopportunistic organisms (P = 0.06). Administration of EAB does not impact the incidence of subsequent VAP. However, EAB may be related to the development of subsequent opportunistic pulmonary infections.