Influence of postoperative fluid management on pulmonary function after esophagectomy.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a restrictive vs. a liberal postoperative fluid therapy guided by intrathoracic blood volume index (ITBVI) on hemodynamic and pulmonary function in patients undergoing elective esophagectomy. Perioperative fluid therapy may influence postoperative physiology and morbidity after esophageal surgery.

Analysing the serum levels of tumour markers and primary tumour data in stage III melanoma patients in correlation to the extent of lymph node metastases--a prospective study in 231 patients.

Background: Serum tumour markers correlate with biological tumour behaviour and prognosis of patients. We collected prospective data of melanoma patients in tumour stage III before radical lymph node dissection.

Materials And Methods: Between 2003 until 2007 we collected 231 tumour stage III patients and analysed the preoperative serum tumour markers S100 (S100 calcium binding protein), NSE (Neuron specific enolase, Enolase 2), Albumin, LDH (Lactate dehydrogenase) and CRP (C-reactive protein) and evaluated the correlation to clinical and pathological data.

Continuous local analgesic therapy reduces pain after radical inguinal/iliacal lymph node dissection.

Background: To optimize postoperative pain therapy after a radical inguinal/iliacal lymph node dissection (RILND), we investigated the influence of a continuous application of a local anaesthetic via a subfascial wound catheter in the abdominal wall in addition to a standardized systemic analgesia.

Materials And Methods: Between July 2007 and December 2009, 50 patients with stage III/IV of melanoma disease received, in an observational study, a systemic analgesic therapy. Of these patients, 30 were additionally treated with a subfascial catheter.

Postoperative surgical complications after radical axillary lymph node dissection in melanoma disease result in increased pain.

Postoperative pain is one of the major problems caused by the operative trauma. We recorded the postoperative pain of patients who underwent a radical axillary lymph node dissection (RALND) to evaluate the quality of our standardized perioperative pain management program and the influence of surgical complications. Between August 2003 and December 2007, we registered the postoperative level of pain of 111 patients who underwent a therapeutic RALND, using a visual analog scale (VAS).

Influence of surgical complications on the level of pain after radical inguinal/iliacal lymph node dissection.

Background: We collected the data of 288 patients with malignant skin tumours. We analysed the postoperative pain assessed by a visual analogue scale (VAS) to evaluate the quality of our standard peri-operative pain therapy after a radical inguinal and iliacal lymph node dissection (RILND) as well as the influence of postoperative surgical complications on the level of pain.

Materials And Method: The postoperative level of pain of 85 patients with malignant skin tumours who underwent a RILND between August 2003 and December 2007 was recorded prospectively.