Peri-operative blood transfusion in elective major surgery: incidence, indications and outcome - an observational multicentre study.

Background: Patients' demographic and epidemiological characteristics, local variations in clinicians' knowledge and experience and types of surgery can influence peri-operative transfusion practices. Sharing data on transfusion practices and recipients may improve patients' care and implementation of Patient Blood Management (PBM).

Materials And Methods: This was a multicentre, prospective, observational, cross-sectional study that included 61 centres.

Risk factors of breast cancer-related lymphedema.

Introduction: Secondary lymphedema is one of the major important long-term complications of breast cancer treatment. The aim of this study is to determine patient- and treatment-related risk factors of lymphedema in breast cancer patients.

Patients And Methods: Patients, who had been operated on for primary breast cancer at Akdeniz University Hospital and followed regularly between August 1984 and December 2009 were included in the study.

Acute tracheobronchial injuries: early and late term outcomes.

Background: To evaluate the early and long-term outcomes of acute tracheobronchial injuries (TBI).

Methods: Twelve patients (10 males, 2 females; mean age 28; range 10 to 65 years) diagnosed as tracheobronchial injury and managed during between December 1997 and December 2004 were evaluated retrospectively. Clinical presentation, diagnostic evaluation, associated traumas, surgical management and outcome were reviewed.

In vitro effects of opioids on pregnant uterine muscle.

Opioids are often used for obstetric analgesia. Ideal obstetric analgesia is attained with optimal pain relief and minimal risk for the parturient. Therefore, investigators in the present study explored the effects of different opioids on the myometrium of pregnant rats.

Systemic toxicity of tacrolimus given by various routes and the response to dose reduction.

Purpose: To evaluate the long-term systemic toxicity of tacrolimus (FK-506) administered by various routes, and to assess the effect of dose reduction on toxicity.

Methods: The study animals were 120 experimentally naive adult female Wistar rats weighing 200-250 g each. The rats were randomly divided into 10 equal groups (n=12 in each) and treated with tacrolimus administered topically (in drops, 0.

Patient-controlled epidural analgesia in labour: the addition of fentanyl or clonidine to bupivacaine.

In this study, we studied 45 healthy parturients with singleton vertex presentation. Patients were allocated randomly to receive either 0,125 % bupivacaine with 2 micro g/ml fentanyl or 0,125 % bupivacaine with 1,5 micro g/ml clonidine for epidural labour analgesia. A patient controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) pump was programmed as follows: basale infusion rate: 6 ml/h, demand bolus: 5 ml, lockout interval: 10 min.

Remifentanil/midazolam versus tramadol/midazolam use for colonoscopy.

One of the most commonly performed outpatient procedure is colonoscopy. The pain and anxiety is frequently associated with colonoscopy. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of remifentanil/midazolam, and tramadol/midazolam for iv sedation and analgesia during colonoscopy.