Conservative management of trachea-to-innominate artery transfixion with a guidewire during percutaneous tracheostomy: a case report.

Background: Tracheostomy is a standard procedure in critically ill patients requiring mechanical ventilation or airway protection for extended periods. The main cause of death is haemorrhage, most commonly owing to a trachea-to-innominate artery fistula, usually requiring surgical treatment.

Case Presentation: Here we report the case of an 83-yr-old woman with a subarachnoid haemorrhage, who incurred a trachea-to-innominate artery transfixion following percutaneous tracheostomy, successfully and conservatively managed by interventional radiology.

Manufacturing and microscopical characterisation of polyurethane nerve guidance channel featuring a highly smooth internal surface.

The present study demonstrates the possibility of manufacturing polyurethane [ChronoFlex (CF)] nerve guidance channels (NGCs) featuring a highly smooth internal surface. Comparative SEM and AFM observations prove marked differences between the internal surface microgeometry of Silastic and CF channels. SEM of CF samples shows a surface with no detectable roughness, while Silastic channels show transversal rows along the entire surface.

[Effect of surgical stress on TSH and on the extra-thyroid metabolism of T4 (preliminary experiment)].

The effect of the surgery on the TSH and on the extra thyroid T4 metabolism was studied in thirty euthyroid patients. The TSH showed a light increase thirty minutes after the skin cut. There were no remarkable changes of T4 serum levels, while the serum triiodothyronine concentration fell during and after the operation, with a concomitant rise in reverse triiodothyronine.

[Effect of TRH on growth hormone (GH) release induced with ACTH].

We examined 14 volunteers subjects sound and exempt from en docrine disease. The rapid injection of 0,25 mg of ACTH (Synacten) was followed by a distinct increase of plasma Hormone (GH) within 30 or 60 min in 12 of 14 normal volunteers. The test were the 12 "responders after previous subministration of 200 g of TRH and the GH response was totally abolished.