"Fast-tracking" in patients undergoing coronary artery surgery with severely impaired left ventricular function.

Cost containment and efficient resource utilization are motivating anaesthesiologists to early tracheal extubation of cardiac surgical patients. Fast track cardiac anaesthesia is both safe and cost-effective. We studied 45 patients with LVEF = 40% who underwent coronary revascularization and were put on the same fast track principle as those with normal ventricular function.

Perioperative fluid management: comparison of high, medium and low fluid volume on tissue oxygen pressure in the small bowel and colon.

Background And Objective: Insufficient blood flow and oxygenation in the intestinal tract is associated with increased incidence of postoperative complications after bowel surgery. High fluid volume administration may prevent occult regional hypoperfusion and intestinal tissue hypoxia. We tested the hypothesis that high intraoperative fluid volume administration increases intestinal wall tissue oxygen pressure during laparotomy.

Supplemental oxygen and carbon dioxide each increase subcutaneous and intestinal intramural oxygenation.

Oxidative killing by neutrophils, a primary defense against surgical pathogens, is directly related to tissue oxygenation. We tested the hypothesis that supplemental inspired oxygen or mild hypercapnia (end-tidal PCO2 of 50 mm Hg) improves intestinal oxygenation. Pigs (25 +/- 2.

Effects of a circulating-water garment and forced-air warming on body heat content and core temperature.

Background: Forced-air warming is sometimes unable to maintain perioperative normothermia. Therefore, the authors compared heat transfer, regional heat distribution, and core rewarming of forced-air warming with a novel circulating-water garment.

Methods: Nine volunteers were each evaluated on two randomly ordered study days.

Supplemental perioperative fluid administration increases tissue oxygen pressure.

Background: Wound infections are common and serious surgical complications. Wound perfusion delivers oxygen, inflammatory cells, growth factors, and cytokines to injured tissues. Hypoperfused regions experience low oxygen tensions that do not support adequate oxidative killing or wound healing.