[Impact of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on the clinical course of acute pancreatitis and systemic inflammation response syndrome].

Feasibility of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) as an efficient and safe adjunct to the standardized treatment protocol and its possible immunomodulatory impact were assessed in the prospective and controlled study of 44 patients with diagnosed acute pancreatitis (AP). The course of the disease was accompanied by systemic inflammatory response syndrome (AIRS) in all the patients on admission. The impact of AP and HBO on homeostasis, the number of performed operations, mortality rates, the levels of two cytokines, intraabdominal pressure, and side effects caused by HBO were evaluated.

Anaesthesia workforce in Europe.

Background And Objective: The European anaesthesia workforce is facing increased demand and expansion of the labour market, which may likely exceed supply. This survey assesses the numbers and practice patterns of anaesthesiologists and studies migration and shortage of the anaesthesia workforce in Europe.

Methods: A questionnaire was sent to all national European anaesthesia societies.

The evolution of human resource needs in Europe.

The distribution of anaesthesia-related staff in Europe is characterized by a wide disparity between countries--and also within countries, between the rural regions and between large and small cities. The density of anaesthesiologists varies in different European areas--for example, 4.4 per 100,000 inhabitants in Ireland compared to 15.

[Treatment of terminal forms of icterohemorrhagic leptospirosis].

Complex therapy, using hemosorption in combination with hemodialysis and hyperbaric oxygenation, was suggested for the treatment of patients with terminal stages of icterohemorrhagic leptospirosis. Such complex therapy decreased the mortality rate of patients with terminal stages of icterohemorrhagic leptospirosis from 76-96% to 18-22% and reduced the in-hospital stay from 60-80 to 35-40 days.

[Absorptive-excretory function of isolated dog liver during its perfusion].

Twenty experiments were performed on mongrel dogs. The absorptive and excretory function of the liver in the intact organism and during its isolated perfusion through the portal vein with the use of extracorporeal circulation was studied by means of the bromsulfaline test. The absorptive function of the perfused liver proved to decrease by 50-60 per cent.

Intensive therapy for hepatic coma.

Of 45 patients observed in the ICU with severe acute hepatic insufficiency, 15 patients were in hepatic coma. All patients received combined treatment consisting of standard conservative methods (drug therapy) and surgical methods for temporary support of liver function (hemodialysis, exchange blood transfusion, pig liver perfusion). Intensive therapy which began during the early phase of hepatic coma enabled us to bring six patients out of the coma, four of whom completely recovered.

[Functional and biochemical parallels in two-stage devascularization of the liver].

Experiments were performed on mongrel dogs. Biochemical changes of the blood and functional disturbances in the organism were studied after a two-stage devascularization of the liver at different periods after the second stage, i.e.

Aspects of anaesthetic management of heterologous extracorporeal hepatic support in patients with acute liver failure.

Some anaesthetic aspects of heterologous extracorporeal hepatic support for patients with acute liver failure have been investigated in animals and men. Two types of anaesthesia during hepatectomy in pigs were performed in 20 experiments divided into two groups. A convenient anaesthetic technique was found to be the combined use of neuroleptanalgesics, gamma-OH, small doses of thiopental sodium and nitrous oxide--oxygen mixture.