The dual etiology of ipsilateral shoulder pain after thoracic surgery.

Ipsilateral shoulder pain after thoracic surgery is a distressing problem and is associated with impairment of respiratory and shoulder function. The most suggested etiology for this shoulder pain is referred phrenic nerve pain. However, we have made clinical observations that suggest shoulder ligament strain as another cause of the shoulder pain.

Postoperative complications in obese and nonobese patients.

Background: Postoperative complications are undesirable and potentially common in the increasing obese population of surgical patients. There is a scarcity of recent and reliable studies comparing postoperative morbidity and mortality in obese and nonobese patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence, pattern, and severity of postoperative complications in obese and nonobese surgical patients.

Variable systolic pressure variation and dynamic hyperinflation due to an intrabronchial tumor.

Systolic pressure variation (SPV) is the cyclic change in systolic blood pressure secondary to positive-pressure ventilation. It is normally a good indicator of intravascular volume and often can be substituted for central venous pressure monitoring, but the reliability of SPV for this use depends on the multiple determinants of intrathoracic pressure remaining constant. We present a case in which an intrabronchial tumor caused dynamic hyperinflation of one lung.