Articles: surgery.
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The maternal mortality ratio in New York City during the 3-year period of 1981-1983 was 36.1 deaths per 100,000 live births. Eight (7%) of 120 deaths occurred more than 42 days after termination of the pregnancy. Eighteen (15%) of the cases involved white, non-Hispanic women, 66 (55%) were black, and 32 (27%) were Hispanic. ⋯ Increasing age and parity were associated with greater maternal mortality ratios. The leading causes of pregnancy-associated mortality were found to be ectopic pregnancy, pulmonary embolism, anesthetic complications, amniotic fluid embolism, intracranial hemorrhage, hypertensive diseases of pregnancy, infection, and cardiac disease. Abortion-related mortality was about nine times less than the maternal mortality ratio, and the cesarean death-to-case rates could be considered roughly comparable to overall maternal mortality.
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Extraoral tape fixation of the orotracheal tube for general anesthesia is a major problem in maxillofacial surgery. First of all, surgical access to the perioral and nasal region is handicapped by the tape covering and distracting the skin, especially in those cases where no nasotracheal intubation is possible; furthermore, blood, saliva, and disinfectant fluid interfere with reliable adhesion of the tape. A method of intraoral dental fixation of the orotracheal tube by a rubber dam fixation clamp is presented. The rubber dam isolates teeth against the oral cavity, providing a dry operative field to the dentist. The set of clamps, each designed according to the individual anatomy of the different teeth, is usual in the dental trade. After intubation the selected clamp is placed on the tooth by means of the forceps. The tube is laid on the clamp and tied on by a silk thread (2 x 0), which is inserted through the clamp's holes. We recommend fixation to the teeth in the mandible to avoid tension load, which could strain teeth in the maxilla; as far as possible only teeth without any impairment (e.g. loosening) should be selected. ⋯ The method of intraoral dental fixation of the orotracheal tube by a rubber dam clamp offers the following advantages: (1) the surgeon, especially the maxillofacial surgeon, has a good view of the perioral region and free access for surgery; there is (2) no skin distraction or irritation by tape; there is (3) reliable tube fixation even for patients with allergy to adhesive materials; there is (4) no solution of tape fixation by blood, saliva, or disinfectant fluid; and (5) silk sutures cannot be subjected to strain when solving tape fixation.