Surgery
-
Hemorrhagic shock and sepsis are usually studied separately or in rodents. This study combined the two insults in a large animal model. ⋯ Most responses to LPS were similar after hemorrhagic shock or a sham operation, which is inconsistent with the concept of "priming." LPS-evoked increases in plasma TNF were blunted after shock, probably because of trauma-induced immune dysfunction. A combined shock plus septic challenge in a large animal model may be valuable for investigating the pathogenic mechanism in human beings.
-
Comparative Study
Comparison of transcutaneous oximetry and laser Doppler flowmetry as noninvasive predictors of wound healing after excision of extremity soft-tissue sarcomas.
We wished to determine whether transcutaneous oximetry or laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) could identify patients at risk for wound failure after conservative, limb-sparing surgery for extremity sarcomas. ⋯ This study showed that measurement of tcPO2 during oxygen inhalation can accurately predict wound healing in patients after excision of an extremity sarcoma.
-
Spontaneous rupture of a hyperplastic parathyroid gland or adenoma resulting in extracapsular hemorrhage is extremely rare. ⋯ Traumatic rupture of an enlarged parathyroid gland is a distinct and potentially lethal cause of unexplained cervical or mediastinal hemorrhage after blunt neck trauma. Failure to consider the diagnosis may result in delayed operative intervention with persistent hemorrhage resulting in airway compromise.
-
The purpose of this study was to determine the most efficient preoperative laboratory screening for elective surgery. ⋯ Routine preoperative laboratory testing is neither useful nor cost-effective. Appropriate preoperative laboratory testing can be based on age, gender, concomitant medical diseases, and type of operation to be performed.
-
Coccygodynia is an uncommon condition of diverse causes. A few cases were attributed to so-called pericoccygeal glomus tumors. However, the pericoccygeal soft tissues normally contain numerous small glomus bodies and a larger one known as the glomus coccygeum, which can reach several millimeters in diameter. Most reported cases of alleged pericoccygeal glomus tumors represent normal, incidentally discovered coccygeal glomus bodies. Recently, an intracoccygeal glomus tumor was reported as a cause of coccygodynia. However, we suspected that glomera can also occur normally within the coccyx itself. ⋯ Pericoccygeal and intracoccygeal glomus bodies are normal findings in humans at all ages. They should not be mistaken for tumors, and their role in the pathogenesis of coccygodynia is questionable.