Unilateral bronchospasm during pleurodesis in an asthmatic patient.

A case of unilateral bronchospasm during pleurodesis in a patient with a history of recurrent pneumothorax and asthma is presented. The etiology of this event is not clear; however, it likely includes reflex parasympathetic bronchoconstriction due to physical stimulation of the pleural surface during pleurodesis. Treatment involved independent lung ventilation, corticosteroids, and aminophylline.

Transcarinal aspiration of a mediastinal cyst to facilitate anesthetic management.

Marked airway obstruction and interference with gas exchange was encountered following institution of general anesthesia for resection of a cystic subcarinal mass. Intraoperative bronchoscopy revealed marked airway compression. The cyst was decompressed using a transbronchial needle through a fiberbronchoscope.

Pancreas transplantation at Mayo: II. Operative and perioperative management.

Better perioperative and operative management techniques have contributed to an improvement in the success rate of pancreas transplantation. Because of a shortage of donor organs, the criteria for acceptability of the allograft have been liberalized, and the development of techniques such as combined liver and pancreas procurement has increased allograft availability. Major advances have been made in organ preservation.

Pancreas transplantation at Mayo: I. Patient selection.

From October 1987 to December 1988, 59 patients underwent assessment for combined kidney and pancreas transplantation or pancreas transplantation after receiving a kidney allograft. We report our criteria for accepting candidates for transplantation, the results of the selection process, and the clinical and laboratory profile of those patients who underwent transplantation. Of the overall group, 22 patients (37%) were approved medically, 3 of whom were awaiting financial approval.

Plasma glucose concentrations during liver transplantation.

We reviewed the intraoperative plasma glucose concentrations in 100 consecutive patients who underwent orthotopic liver transplantation. The plasma glucose concentration increased significantly (P less than 0.05) from 110 +/- 46 mg/dl (mean +/- SD) to 204 +/- 60 mg/dl during the preanhepatic phase of transplantation (phase I).