An increase in exhaled CO concentration in systemic inflammation/sepsis.

Despite recent progress in Critical Care Medicine, sepsis is still a major medical problem with a high rate of mortality and morbidity especially in intensive care units. Oxidative stress induced by inflammation associated with sepsis causes degradation of heme protein, increases microsomal free heme content, promotes further oxidative stress and results in cellular and organ damage. Heme-oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is a rate-limiting enzyme for heme breakdown.

A unique complication of the retrograde approach in angioplasty for chronic total occlusion of the coronary artery.

The retrograde approach for chronic total occlusion of coronary arteries is a new treatment strategy, although its attendant complications have not yet been fully appreciated. We report a case of isolated left ventricular cardiac tamponade caused by guidewire-induced perforation of the septal branch during the retrograde approach, which was subsequently diagnosed by computed tomography (CT) and which required surgical drainage. Guidewire-induced perforation of the septal branch was successfully treated by autologous subcutaneous tissue embolization of the perforated coronary artery.

Progress in the retrograde approach for chronic total coronary artery occlusion: a case with successful angioplasty using CART and reverse-anchoring techniques 3 years after failed PCI via a retrograde approach.

After the introduction of the retrograde approach in percutaneous coronary intervention for chronic total occlusion (CTO), different kinds of strategies and techniques have been developed in order to achieve final success. However, it has not been fully demonstrated whether these strategies and techniques can really improve the final result. We observed one case, for which the initial attempt of the retrograde approach for a CTO lesion was unsuccessful despite the successful approach of a retrograde guidewire to the lesion, and with the second retrograde approach 3 years later being eventually successful by using various kinds of strategies and techniques.

[Anesthetic management in a child with epidermolysis bullosa undergoing esophageal dilatation].

We experienced the anesthetic management of a child with epidermolysis bullosa undergoing esophageal dilatation. Anesthesia was induced with oxygen/nitrous oxide mixture and sevoflurane. Oral tracheal intubation was with a lubricated laryngoscope blade using vecuronium 0.