Clinical significance of assessing cerebral blood volume by time-domain near-infrared spectroscopy in children with congenital heart disease.

Background: Despite providing cerebral tissue oxygen saturation (StO ), the lack of quantitative information for continuous wave near-infrared spectroscopy (CW-NIRS) is an obstacle in evaluating cerebral hemodynamic conditions. Time-domain NIRS (TD-NIRS) provides both StO and cerebral blood volume and has recently become clinically available.

Aim: To investigate if the additional monitoring of cerebral blood volume by TD-NIRS facilitates the understanding of cerebral hemodynamic conditions in patients with congenital heart disease.

[Case report of endotracheal intubation using AirWay Scope (Pentax-AWS) in a Forestier's disease patient].

A Forestier's disease patient was scheduled for endoscopic mucosal resection under general anesthesia, because of his hypoxic episode during gastric endoscopy. Endotracheal intubation was planned while awake, because he was suspected as a case of difficult airway. By using AWS, we could easily confirm his larynx and aditus of trachea in spite of his narrow pharynx caused by Forestier's disease.

[Airtraq optical laryngoscope].

Background: We described an early experience of Airtraq laryngoscope in 20 patients receiving general anesthesia.

Methods: In all, 2 staff anesthesiologists, 3 anesthesia residents and 10 non-anesthesia residents performed endotracheal intubation with 14 polyvinyl chloride tubes with inside diameter of 7-8 mm, 5 double lumen 37-F tubes and 1 preformed nasotracheal tube.

Results: Every endotracheal intubation was achieved at the first trial, and the mean time to secure the airway was 46 +/- 18 seconds.

Clinical features of third open-heart valve surgery at the same valve position.

Objective: Recently, there has been an increase in case of repeated open-heart valve surgery and the clinical results of the second surgery are only slightly worse than those of the first surgery. However, clinical results of the third open-heart valve surgery at the same position are rarely reported. Clinical features of third open-heart valve surgery at the same position are discussed in this study.