Circular External Fixator Removal in the Outpatient Clinic Using Regional Anaesthesia: A Pilot Study of a Novel Approach.

Introduction: External fixator (EF) devices are commonly used in the management of complex skeletal trauma, as well as in elective limb reconstruction surgery for the management of congenital and acquired pathology. The subsequent removal of an EF is commonly performed under general anaesthesia in an operating theatre. This practice is resource-intensive and limits the amount of time available for other surgical cases in the operating theatre.

The clinical profile of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Seven cases of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, presenting in a cardiological practice over a period of three years, are documented to illustrate the clinical spectrum of this disease. Frequently this disorder presents with symptoms resembling those of ischaemic heart disease accompanied by left ventricular hypertrophy without obvious cause. It is often familial.

Pericarditis during infection with Mycoplasma pneumoniae.

A 37-year-old woman was found to have pericarditis during the course of a Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection which also produced primary atypical pneumonia. Intrafamily spread of the infection was observed, with varying clinical manifestations. The case is described because there appears to be little information on mycoplasma pericarditis.

Uptake and release of immunoreactive insulin in coronary circulation in man: studies at rest, during exercise, and during glucose and insulin infusions.

Significant uptake and release of immunoreactive insulin by the heart have been observed in man, and this is related to plasma insulin levels. Exercise and the fed state appear to affect the myocardial handling of insulin. The findings could not be related to myocardial carbohydrate metabolism, but could, during exercise, be related to myocardial lipid metabolism.

Chlorpropamide-induced hyponatraemia.

A case of hyponatraemia occurring in a 69-year-old diabetic woman taking chlorpropamide is reported. Increasing the dose of chlorpropamide aggravated the hyponatraemia, and the condition corrected itself when the chlorpropamide was withdrawn. It is believed, therefore, that, in the absence of any other cause for the hyponatraemia, chlorpropamide was the cause.