Seminars in cardiothoracic and vascular anesthesia
-
Semin Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth · Sep 2019
Comparative StudyFibrinolytic Shutdown Is Associated With Intraoperative Thrombosis and Hemorrhage During Visceral Transplant.
Background and Objective. End-stage liver disease is characterized by a precarious imbalance of hemostasis. Detrimental consequences of hypofibrinolysis, also known as fibrinolytic shutdown, have been recently demonstrated, and its significance in visceral (ie, an allograft that contains the intestine) transplant remains unknown. ⋯ Logistic regression identified pretransplant platelet count as a risk factor for fibrinolytic shutdown (odds ratio = 0.992, 95% confidence interval = [0.984-0.998]; χ2 = 7.8, P = .005). Conclusions. This study highlights fibrinolytic shutdown as a dominant and clinically important feature of the hemostatic imbalance in recipients undergoing visceral transplantation.
-
Semin Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth · Sep 2019
Case ReportsTracheal Injury Prior to Sternotomy: A Cautionary Tale.
Tracheal laceration during cardiac surgery is a rarely reported form of iatrogenic tracheal injury. During dissection prior to sternotomy, the interclavicular ligament must be divided. This structure overlies the proximal trachea, predisposing the trachea to injury at this location. ⋯ The incidence, mechanism, and ideal management of sternotomy-related tracheal injury, though a life-threatening complication, is rarely described in the literature. Consensus is lacking regarding the necessity and timing of tracheal repair versus conservative management, whether to proceed with the initially planned procedure, and the optimal timing of airway exchange in the event of endotracheal tube cuff rupture. In this article, we present the management of a full-thickness thermal tracheal injury due to electrocautery, resulting in a large air leak treated with delayed endotracheal tube exchange and tracheal repair after cardiopulmonary bypass.
-
Semin Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth · Sep 2019
Intrathecal Morphine Administration Does Not Affect Survival After Liver Resection for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
Introduction. Opioids may influence tumor recurrence and cancer-free survival in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The relationship between intrathecal morphine administration, tumor recurrence, and patient survival after hepatectomy for HCC is unknown. ⋯ Multivariate analysis revealed a significant association between intrathecal morphine and 5-year survival. This association did not persist after propensity matching. The association between intrathecal morphine and HCC recurrence and survival remains unclear and prospective work is necessary to determine whether an association exists.