Neuromonitoring of the Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Reduces the Rate of Bilateral Vocal Cord Dysfunction in Planned Bilateral Thyroid Procedures.

Purpose: Bilateral vocal cord dysfunction (bVCD) is a rare but feared complication of thyroid surgery. This long term retrospective study determined the effect of intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) of the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) during thyroid surgeries with regard to the rate of bVCD and evaluated the frequency as well as the outcome of staged operations.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of prospectively documented data (2000-2019) of a tertiary referral centers' database.

Increased platelet, leukocyte and endothelial microparticles predict enhanced coagulation and vascular inflammation in pulmonary hypertension.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is associated with platelet activation, vascular inflammation and endothelial dysfunction leading to often life threatening thrombo-embolic complications. Microparticles (MPs) are cell vesicles with strong coagulatory and inflammatory effects being released during cell activation and apoptosis. As there are currently no established surrogate markers predicting platelet activation and pro-coagulation in PH patients, the aim of the study was to analyze different pro-coagulatory MP populations that might be related to thrombo-embolic complications in PH patients.

Enhanced microparticles in ventricular assist device patients predict platelet, leukocyte and endothelial cell activation.

Platelet dysfunction followed by thromboembolic as well as bleeding complications are severe events in patients with ventricular assist devices (VADs). Microparticles (MP) are cell vesicles with inflammatory and coagulatory potency that are released by cells during activation and can be used as specific cell activation markers. The aim of the study was to establish MP as surrogate markers for platelet, leukocyte and endothelial activation in VAD patients predicting platelet activation and vascular inflammation.