[Fewer blood transfusions after introduction of auto-transfusion system as part of hip- and knee-replacement surgery].

Objective: To establish the effect of the introduction of an auto-transfusion system on the number of homologous blood transfusions required as part of total hip- and knee-replacement surgery.

Design: Prospective observational study.

Methods: The number of homologous blood transfusions required after total hip or knee replacement was compared between a group of 195 patients before and a group of 176 patients after introduction of an auto-transfusion system.

A patient with hyperglycaemia and normal HbA Ic due to impaired glycation.

A diabetic Caucasian woman presented with discrepantly low HbA Ic values compared with her glycaemia. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis disclosed 80% HbA and 20% HbI Philadelphia (I6alpha2 lys --> glut). The calculated glycosylation gap from the fructosamine level was 1.

The influence of NSAIDs on coumarin sensitivity in patients with CYP2C9 polymorphism after total hip replacement surgery.

Objective: To determine the influence of NSAIDs on the international normalized ratio (INR) in patients with cytochrome P450 (CYP)-2C9 enzyme variants starting acenocoumarol (an oral coumarin) therapy during the first 7 days after total hip replacement surgery.

Methods: In this prospective study, an age-dependent protocol was used for the initiation of the acenocoumarol dose. Low-molecular-weight heparin was given for 5 days.

Endotoxin binding to platelets in blood from patients with a sepsis syndrome.

Endotoxin, the lipopolysaccharide cell wall constituent of Gram-negative bacteria, produces symptoms of the Gram-negative sepsis syndrome. By measuring endotoxin in blood from septic patients it may be possible to select a subpopulation of patients in which mortality can be prevented by treatment with anti-endotoxin antibodies. We evaluated the performance of an endotoxin-free blood-collection tube.