Intraocular pressure during robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy: a prospective observational study.

Background And Objectives: Although previous reports have shown intraocular pressure changes during robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy, they did not discuss the time course of changes or the timing of the largest change. We conducted this study to quantify pressure changes over time in patients assuming the steep Trendelenburg position during robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy.

Methods: Twenty-one men were enrolled.

A question is "what are the optimal targets for anticoagulant therapies?".

A high mortality rate is found among septic patients with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Anticoagulants have been used for treating septic DIC especially in Japanese clinical settings; however, their effectiveness is quite controversial across studies. According to several randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses, antithrombin and recombinant thrombomodulin had no therapeutic benefit in the treatment of sepsis.

Low hematocrit levels: a risk factor for long-term outcomes in patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation after cardiovascular surgery. A retrospective study.

While low-risk patients who undergo elective surgery can tolerate low hematocrit levels, the benefits of higher hematocrit levels might outweigh the risk of transfusion in high-risk patients. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of perioperative hematocrit levels on mortality in patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV) after a cardiovascular surgery. This single-center retrospective cohort study was conducted on 172 patients who underwent cardiovascular surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass or off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting and required PMV for ≥72 hours in the intensive care unit (ICU) from 2008 to 2012 at the Yokohama City University Medical Center in Yokohama, Japan.

Pre-anesthetic ultrasonographic assessment of the internal jugular vein for prediction of hypotension during the induction of general anesthesia.

Purpose: Severe hypotension caused by anesthetic administration for anesthesia induction, which might cause ischemic stroke, myocardial injury, acute kidney injury and postoperative mortality, should be prevented. Anesthesiologists are familiar with ultrasound examination of the internal jugular vein (IJV). This study aimed to clarify whether ultrasonographic IJV evaluation just before induction could predict the occurrence of such hypotension.

[Boy with Coffin-Lowry syndrome associated with spinal cord injuries].

A 12-year-old male patient with Coffin-Lowry syndrome was scheduled for posterior cervical decompression and fusion for cervical spinal injuries. The patient had features of Coffin-Lowry syndrome including mental retardation, prominent forehead, a short nose with a wide tip, a wide mouth with full lips, short stature, microcephaly, and kyphoscoliosis. We anticipated major troubles related to anesthesia such as difficult ventilation and intubation, communication difficulty during induction and extubation, and difficulty in using a naso-pharyngeal airway.

Assimilate translocation and expression of sucrose transporter, OsSUT1, contribute to high-performance ripening under heat stress in the heat-tolerant rice cultivar Genkitsukushi.

High temperature reduces the grain quality of rice, a situation likely to become more frequent because of global warming. We studied the effects of high-temperature stress on grain quality of heat-tolerant cultivar 'Genkitsukushi' and heat-sensitive cultivar 'Tsukushiroman'. When day/night temperatures were 31/26 °C from heading until maturity, the grain quality of 'Genkitsukushi' was rated at the first inspection grade (high quality), whereas 'Tsukushiroman' showed a remarkable increase in the percentage of white immature kernels (low quality).

[Assessment of cardiac function by TEE].

Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is a useful tool for assessment of cardiac function in patients undergoing cardiac surgery or in patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery who have cardiovascular complications. Left ventricular (LV) function is composed of systolic function, diastolic function, preload and afterload. To assess systolic and diastolic function several methods are used, and we must use them based on the property of each parameter.

[Preoperative hypercoagulopathy in patients undergoing orthopedic lower extremity surgery].

Background: Plasma levels of D-dimer, soluble fibrin monomer complex (SFMC) and FDP were measured in 40 patients for orthopedic lower extremity surgery, using a recently established monoclonal antibody to clarify if these markers are good indicator of deep vein thrombosis(DVT).

Methods: Subjects were 20 patients for total hip arthroplasty (THA) or total knee arthroplasty (TKA) (group A) and 20 patients for hip fracture surgery (group F). D-dimer, SFMC and FDP were measured at induction of anesthesia.

[Use of gum elastic bougie for tracheal intubation: comparison of different tracheal tubes].

Background: Gum elastic bougie (GEB) is one of the most useful devices for patients whose tracheas are difficult to intubate during anesthetic induction. But no previous study has evaluated the effects of the types of the tracheal tube. We hypothesized that wire-reinforced tracheal tubes were superior to standard tracheal tubes in the success rate of tracheal intubation when using GEB.

[Perioperative changes of the coagulation markers in patients undergoing hip fracture surgery].

Background: Plasma levels of D-dimer, fibrin monomer complex (FMC) and FDP were measured in 10 patients who underwent hip fracture surgery, using a recently established monoclonal antibody to clarify if these markers are good indicators of deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

Methods: Subjects were 10 (4 male and 6 female) hip fracture patients, aged 87 +/- 6 years. D-dimer, FMC and FDP were measured at induction of anesthesia and 24 hours as well as 6 days after operation.

[Perioperative changes of blood coagulability evaluated by thromboelastography (TEG) in patients undergoing total knee and total hip arthroplasty].

Background: A large number of studies have examined the incidence of thromboembolic complications after orthopedic surgery of the lower extremity. We investigated the perioperative changes of coagulability following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) or total hip arthroplasty (THA) using thromboelastography (TEG), which could comprehensively assess the coagulation and fibrinolytic system.

Methods: Thirty patients scheduled for TKA (n= 10), THA (n= 10) and other lower extremity orthopedic surgery (control, n= 10) were studied.

[Case of spontaneous intracranial hypotension associated with depressed consciousness].

We experienced a case of spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) complicated with depressed consciousness after its treatment. A 56-year-old woman developed postural headache, and her MRI revealed bilateral chronic subdural hematoma (CSH). After treatment with epidural autolongous blood patch, her headache resolved completely.

[Effects of sevoflurane and propofol on evoked potentials during neurosurgical anesthesia].

Background: The effect of anesthetics on somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) and auditory brain stem response (ABR) has been a subject of intense reseach over the last two decades. In fact, volatile anesthetics have been repeatedly shown to decrease cortical amplitude in a dose-dependent fashion but the information regarding the effect of propofol is incomplete. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of sevoflurane and propofol on evoked potentials during comparable depth of anesthesia guided by bispectral index (BIS).

[Evaluation of cerebral oxygen balance during normothermic cardiopulmonary bypass using jugular oxygen saturation].

Background: Previous studies suggest that normothermic cardiopulmonary bypass(CPB) impairs cerebral oxygen balance. We studied the effect of normothermic CPB on cerebral oxygen balance evaluated by continuous measurement of oxygen saturation in the jugular vein (SjO2).

Methods: Eleven patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting with normothermic CPB were studied.

[Study of nausea and vomiting accompanying intravenous patient-controlled analgesia with fentanyl after cervical spine surgery].

Background: Serious side effects of postoperative analgesia with opioid drugs include nausea and vomiting.

Methods: We investigated the effects of various factors (patient background, anesthesia duration, and intraoperative drug use) on the frequency and degree of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) during the first 24 hours of intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) with fentanyl.

Results: PONV occurred in 34% of the male patients and 68% of the female, and in 31% and 58% of smokers and non-smokers, respectively.