Prophylactic furosemide infusion decreasing early major postoperative renal dysfunction in on-pump adult cardiac surgery: a randomized clinical trial.

Introduction: Acute renal dysfunction is a common complication of cardiac surgery. Furosemide is used in prevention, or treatment, of acute renal dysfunction. This study was conducted to evaluate the protective effects of intra- and early postoperative furosemide infusion on preventing acute renal dysfunction in elective adult cardiac surgery.

The correlation between preoperative erythrocyte sedimentation rate and postoperative outcome in adult cardiac surgery.

Introduction: Over the past decades, it has been recommended that preoperative assessment mainly relies on history and physical examination rather than unnecessary laboratory tests. In Iranian hospitals, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) has been routinely measured in most of the patients awaiting major surgery, which has in turn exacted heavy costs on the health system. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess the preoperative routine measurement of ESR in such patients.

Maternal and neonatal outcomes in pregnant patients with cardiac diseases referred for labour in northwest Iran.

Objective: To evaluate maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity rates in women with different types of significant heart diseases.

Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary heart care centre in Tabriz, Iran, and comprised 200 pregnant women between March 2007 and March 2012 who had different cardiac diseases and were admitted in labour wards first and then transferred to the heart center for child-bearing (vaginal delivery or caesarean section). They were categorised based on the underlying etiology into valvular heart disease, dilated cardiomyopathy, congenital heart disease and other etiologies.

Dexamethasone added to bupivacaine prolongs duration of epidural analgesia.

Background: Different additives have been used to prolong regional blockade. We designed a prospective, randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial to evaluate the effect of dexamethasone added to bupivacaine-fentanyl on the duration of postoperative analgesia via epidural catheterization.

Methods: Seventy two adult patients scheduled for elective abdominal or thoracic surgery under epidural anesthesia were randomly allocated into two groups to receive either bupivacaine (0.

Do nondiabetic patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting surgery require intraoperative management of hyperglycemia?

Objective: To study the effect of blood glucose (BG) control with insulin in preventing hyperglycemia during and after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery in nondiabetic patients.

Methods: In a randomized clinical trial, 120 nondiabetic patients who underwent elective CABG surgery were enrolled for study of whether the control of hyperglycemia was a need in such a surgery in a teaching heart hospital. The patients were randomly divided into study (n=60) and control (n=60) groups.

Cost-effectiveness of intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography in cardiac valve surgery.

Introduction: Being a unique diagnostic technique, transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) has influenced many different aspects of cardiac surgery including valve repair surgery. The cost-effectiveness of this method however is questioned considering the conditions of every region and country. In this study we aimed at answering the question if utilizing TEE throughout valve repair surgery could be cost-effective.