Infectious ulnar artery aneurysm is a rare condition with no standardised treatment. Our patient was treated with a simple proximal ligature without excision of the aneurysm.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInteract Cardiovasc Thorac Surg
March 2003
Objectives: During cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CBP) there is a systemic inflammatory reaction, involving enhanced release of inflammatory cytokines and complement. However, few studies have analysed the levels of anti-inflammatory mediators and chemokines after CPB. In this study we investigated the complexity of the cytokine network particularly focusing on the balance between interleukin (IL)-10 and inflammatory cytokines and chemokines.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Tracheal resection is a valuable treatment option in patients with primary localized tumours and in selected patients with post-tracheostomy stenosis. The main symptom is dyspnoea on activity. Tracheal tumour is a rare condition with adenoid cystic carcinoma as the dominant malignant type, whereas papilloma is the most common benign lesion.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Mediastinitis after open heart operation is an infrequent, but life-threatening complication with a reported incidence rate between 1% and 4%. Hospital mortality is estimated at 10% to 35%. The aim of the present work was to study the systemic inflammatory reaction as judged by complement activation and cytokine and chemokines release in patients with mediastinitis after open heart operation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Two prospective randomized studies were undertaken to compare different suture closure techniques with respect to postoperative wound infection rates and cosmetic results after saphenous vein harvesting in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery.
Design: A total of 166 patients were included in the first study, in which 85 had their leg wounds closed with transcutaneous and 81 with intracutaneous suture. In the second study, 168 patients were selected to a non-invasive surgical zipper (n = 78) or intracutaneous suture (n = 90).
Objective: A prospective, randomized study was undertaken to compare a non-invasive surgical zipper to intracutaneous suture closure in open-heart surgery with respect to postoperative wound infection rate and cosmetic results.
Methods: A total number of 300 patients were included in the study, of which 150 had their skin wound closed with zipper and 150 with intracutaneous suture. The end-points were superficial and deep sternal wound infections within 6 weeks postoperatively.