A Randomized Comparison of Plasma Levobupivacaine Concentrations Following Thoracic Epidural Analgesia and Subpleural Paravertebral Analgesia in Open Thoracic Surgery.

Background: The aim of this study was to compare plasma levobupivacaine concentrations in thoracic epidural and subpleural paravertebral analgesia.

Methods: Forty-four patients indicated for open lung resection had an epidural catheter inserted preoperatively or a subpleural catheter surgically. A bolus of 0.

Immediate Removal of an Entrapped Central Venous Catheter Guide Wire.

Extravasal guide wire entrapment due to fraying during central venous catheter placement using the Seldinger technique is a rare complication, which should be resolved as soon as possible. A 68-year-old male was scheduled for open right-side decortication. After the induction of general anesthesia, an attempt was made to place a central venous line in the right subclavian vein.

Air Embolism into Superior Mesenteric Artery Following Replacement of Ascending Aorta for Aortic Dissection - A Rare and Fatal Case.

We report an unusual case of fatal air embolism into the superior mesenteric artery in a patient, who underwent replacement of the ascending aorta for aortic dissection type A. CT performed twice on the first postoperative day showed abundant air in the superior mesenteric artery and its branches (but not in the portal-venous system) indicating air embolism with no signs of bowel necrosis. On the second postoperative day, the patient underwent extensive bowel resection due to bowel ischemia and died on the third postoperative day on MODS/SIRS.

Older age and type of surgery predict the early inflammatory response to hip trauma mediated by interleukin-6 (IL-6).

Hip trauma and surgery are associated with systemic inflammatory reaction. However, little evidence exists about the role of IL-6. In order to assess the inflammatory response, we evaluated white blood cell (WBC) count, C-reactive protein (CRP) and IL-6 dynamics in sequential pre- and postsurgical samples collected from 125 elderly patients (mean age 78+/-9 years) undergoing osteosynthesis (OS) for extracapsular hip fractures (n=69), hemiarthroplasty (HA) or urgent total hip arthroplasty for intracapsular fractures (UA) (n=35), and elective total hip arthroplasty for osteoarthrosis (OA) (n=21).