Diastolic Abnormalities Detected by Velocity Vector Imaging in the Presence of Coronary Ischemia: A Pilot Stress Echocardiographic Study.

Background: The ischemic cascade has long been known to begin with diastolic dysfunction before detectable systolic abnormalities. The advent of speckle-tracking imaging and velocity vector imaging (VVI) has provided accurate and reproducible interpretation of systolic abnormalities in numerous disease processes; however, this imaging tool has been only recently been proposed for detecting diastolic abnormalities.

Methods: We analyzed pre and poststress echocardiography images of ten patients using VVI.

Right Bundle Branch Block and Electromechanical Coupling of the Right Ventricle: An Echocardiographic Study.

Background: A growing body of evidence suggests that the presence of a right bundle branch block (RBBB) is a negative prognostic indicator in patients with and without preexisting heart disease. Even though electromechanical activation of the right ventricle (RV) in patients with RBBB and pulmonary hypertension (PH) has been investigated; a direct comparison of the presence of RBBB, on the duration of RV mechanical systole using echocardiography has not been studied.

Materials And Methods: In this retrospective study, we analyzed the echocardiograms of 40 patients by measuring the magnitude and timing of tricuspid annulus plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) and tricuspid annulus systolic velocity (TA S').

Will the addition of a sciatic nerve block to a femoral nerve block provide better pain control following anterior cruciate ligament repair surgery?

Two common forms of postoperative analgesia used in patients following an anterior cruciate ligament repair (ACLR) are the femoral nerve block (FNB) and the combined femoral-sciatic nerve block (FSB). The purpose of this study was to determine if the addition of the sciatic nerve block to the FNB is truly beneficial in ACLR patients requesting regional anesthesia for postoperative pain control. All subjects scheduled for an ACLR, requesting general anesthesia and preoperative placement of a peripheral nerve block (PNB), were randomized to receive an FNB or an FSB.

3-D telestration: a teaching tool for robotic surgery.

Background: Telestration is an important teaching tool in minimally invasive surgery (MIS). While robotic surgery offers the added benefit of three-dimensional (3-D) visualization, telestration technology does not currently exist for this modality. This project aimed to develop a video algorithm to accurately translate a mentor's two-dimensional (2-D) telestration into a 3-D telestration in the da Vinci visual field.

Mentoring console improves collaboration and teaching in surgical robotics.

Background: One of the most significant limitations of surgical robots has been their inability to allow multiple surgeons and surgeons-in-training to engage in collaborative control of robotic surgical instruments. We report the initial experience with a novel two-headed da Vinci surgical robot that has two collaborative modes: the "swap" mode allows two surgeons to simultaneously operate and actively swap control of the robot's four arms, and the "nudge" mode allows them to share control of two of the robot's arms.

Materials And Methods: The utility of the mentoring console operating in its two collaborative modes was evaluated through a combination of dry laboratory exercises and animal laboratory surgery.

Synthesis and Characterization of Water-Soluble 1,2-Bis(bis(hydroxyalkyl)phosphino)ethane Ligands and Their Nickel(II), Ruthenium(III), and Rhodium(I) Complexes.

The syntheses of the water-soluble, chelating phosphines 1,2-bis(bis(hydroxybutyl)phosphino)ethane (1, n = 3; DHBuPE) and 1,2-bis(bis(hydroxypentyl)phosphino)ethane (1, n = 4; DHPePE) are reported. These ligands (and, in general, other 1,2-bis(bis(hydroxyalkyl)phosphino)ethane ligands) can be used to impart water solubility to metal complexes. As examples of this, the [Ni(DHPrPE)(2)Cl]Cl (2), [Rh(DHPrPE)(2)][Cl] (3), and [Ru(DHBuPE)(2)Cl(2)][Cl] (4) complexes were synthesized; they are indeed soluble in water (>0.