Coagulation factor XIII reduces postoperative bleeding after coronary surgery with extracorporeal circulation.

Background: One cause of diffuse bleeding after cardiac operations may be a low plasma concentration of coagulation Factor XIII, which is essential for coagulation but is not covered by standard coagulation monitoring.

Patients And Methods: In a prospective, randomized, double blinded study, 2500 units, 1250 units, and a placebo were administered in groups of 25 patients each, immediately after administration of protamine. Postoperative amount of blood loss and blood transfusion was recorded.

[Monitoring ischemia-/reperfusion syndrome in abdominal aortic aneurysm--conventional operation versus stent implantation].

From a biochemical point of view, our study corroborates the suggestion that implantation of a stent graft is less invasive than conventional surgery for infrarenal aortic aneurysm. In general, ischemia during open aortic surgery lasts shorter but affects a much greater part of the body than stent implantation. Eventration before, and more pronounced reperfusion following conventional repair cause marked intra-operative increases in TxB2, 6-keto-PGF1 alpha, and sICAM-1 levels.

Heat shock protein 60 expression in patients undergoing cardiac operations.

Aim: Cardiomyocytes respond to stress with the expression of different heat shock proteins (HSP). The mitochondrial HSP60 is known to be expressed by various stress factors, including ischemia and reperfusion. The aim of this study was to investigate if HSP60 is increased in human myocardium after cardiac surgery.

Does a postimplantation syndrome following endovascular treatment of aortic aneurysms exist?

The postimplantation syndrome (PIS) is a weakly defined condition that has been observed following endovascular treatment of aortic aneurysms; the postulated criteria include significant leukocytosis, fever, and/or coagulation disturbances. Among the factors that are supposed to contribute to this syndrome are contact activation by the stent covering with consecutive endothelial activation. Associated clinical parameters of a PIS were perioperatively monitored in the postoperative phase in a total of 69 patients with infrarenal aortic aneurysms treated with Y-stent grafts.