Outcomes and mortality in parturient and non-parturient patients with peripartum cardiomyopathy: A national readmission database study.

Background: Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) affects young females and mortality occurs after the peripartum period. Hospital readmissions for patients discharged with PPCM are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate differences in readmission rates, risk factors, and mortality in women with PPCM.

Microparticle Release During Normal Cesarean Delivery.

Coagulation increases during pregnancy and peaks during parturition. We hypothesized that an increase in microparticle (MP) levels in plasma occurs around the time of placental separation and subsides over several hours. We performed a prospective observational pilot study to investigate plasma MP levels in healthy parturients immediately before and after cesarean delivery.

Pain and Analgesia During Labor and Delivery Between 16 0/7 and 22 6/7 Weeks of Gestation.

Objective: To describe severity of pain during labor at previable estimated gestational age and to determine the effectiveness of various methods of analgesia in this population.

Methods: In this retrospective review of the records of women undergoing induction or augmentation of labor between 16 0/7 and 22 6/7 weeks of gestation, we examined pain scores (numeric rating scale 0-10) documented throughout labor and analgesia method (none, systemic, or neuraxial). We compared relevant patient and labor characteristics such as gestational age, fetal weight, time interval from induction to delivery as well as pain data including analgesia type and pain scores before and after analgesia.

Cranial nerve VI palsy after dural-arachnoid puncture.

In this article, we provide a literature review of cranial nerve (CN) VI injury after dural-arachnoid puncture. CN VI injury is rare and ranges in severity from diplopia to complete lateral rectus palsy with deviated gaze. The proposed mechanism of injury is cerebrospinal fluid leakage causing intracranial hypotension and downward displacement of the brainstem.

Preanesthesia evaluation for ambulatory surgery: do we make a difference?

Purpose Of Review: Ambulatory surgery is considered low risk; however, both surgery-related and patient-related factors combine to determine the overall risk of a procedure. The preanesthesia evaluation is useful to gather information and determine whether additional testing or medical optimization is necessary prior to surgery with the goal to prevent adverse events and improve outcomes.

Recent Findings: Recent literature focused on the preanesthesia evaluation provides guidelines for patient-centered testing.

Taking the septic patient to the operating room.

The acutely septic patient is a multifaceted challenge for the anesthetist. Unlike most elective surgery patients, acutely septic patients have severe systemic disease before the physiologic insults of anesthesia and surgery. The decision to operate is usually informed by the urgent or emergent need to correct a severe surgical problem and weighed against the higher risks of morbidity and mortality from the procedure itself.

Bilateral total knee arthroplasty increases the propensity to trip on an obstacle.

Tripping over an obstacle is the most frequent cause of falls. We examined the effects of total knee arthroplasty on obstacle avoidance success rates in older adults. Obstacle avoidance success rates, body mass index, visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, depth perception, and single-leg stance duration were evaluated in 29 subjects who had bilateral total knee arthroplasties (age range, 72.

Chromophoric spin-labeled beta-lactam antibiotics for ENDOR structural characterization of reaction intermediates of class A and class C beta-lactamases.

The chromophoric spin-label substrate 6-N-[3-(2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-1-oxypyrrolin-3-yl)-propen-2-oyl]penicillanic acid (SLPPEN) was synthesized by acylation of 6-aminopenicillanic acid with the acid chloride of 3-(2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-1-oxypyrrolinyl)-2-propenoic acid and characterized by physical methods. By application of angle-selected electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR), we have determined the molecular structure of SLPPEN in solution. SLPPEN exhibited UV absorption properties that allowed accurate monitoring of the kinetics of its enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis.