Annals of surgery
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Ebstein's anomaly is a complex malformation that has been treated by various surgical techniques, with variable results, since 1958. In 1972, the authors developed a repair that consisted of plication of the free wall of the atrialized portion of the right ventricle, posterior tricuspid anuloplasty, and right atrial reduction. ⋯ Not all patients are candidates for this procedure, however, because of significant abnormalities of the anterior leaflet such as inadequate size or attachment of the free edge of the leaflet to the ventricular wall. This report describes a ten-year experience with surgical repair of Ebstein's anomaly.
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Four hundred and twenty-seven patients with severe blunt chest trauma were treated resulting in (1) flail chest, (2) pulmonary contusions, (3) pneumothorax, (4) hemothorax, or (5) multiple rib fracture. The need for endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation was determined selectively by standard clinical criteria. Avoidance of fluid overload and vigorous pulmonary toilet was attempted in all patients. ⋯ Half of the flail chest patients were intubated, but 69.5% were intubated less than three days. Twenty per cent of the patients with pulmonary contusion required mechanical ventilation, usually for less than three days. This study demonstrates that patients with severe blunt chest trauma can be managed safely by selective intubation and mechanical, ventilation and that the incidence of complications associated with controlled mechanical ventilation can be greatly reduced.
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Twenty-two patients at high risk to reject renal allografts have been treated with fractionated total lymphoid irradiation (FTLI) prior to transplantation of primary (2), secondary (16) or teritary (4) renal allografts. All patients undergoing retransplantation had rapidly rejected previous grafts. At 24 months following transplantation, 72% of grafts were functioning in the TLI group compared with a 38% graft function in an historical control group of recipients receiving secondary or tertiary grafts and treated with conventional immunosuppression. ⋯ In vitro assessment of immune function demonstrated marked peripheral T cell depletion and loss of in vitro responsiveness to mitogen and allogeneic stimulation following FTLI. The administration of donor bone marrow at the time of transplantation did not produce chimerism. The results suggest that when properly utilized FTLI can produce effective adjunctive immunosuppression for clinical transplantation.