Effect of cerebrospinal fluid drainage pressure in descending and thoracoabdominal aortic repair: a prospective multicenter observational study.

Purpose: Cerebrospinal fluid drainage (CSFD) is recommended during open or endovascular thoracic aortic repair. However, the incidence of CSFD complications is still high. Recently, CSF pressure has been kept high to avoid complications, but the efficacy of CSFD at higher pressures has not been confirmed.

[Two Cases of Large Gynecological Tumor Complicated by Preoperative Deep Vein Thromboembolism and Pulmonary Thromboembolism-Should We Use Inferior Vena Cava Filters ?-].

We experienced two cases of large gynecological tumor resection with co-existing deep vein thrombo- embolism (VTE) and pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE). Despite perioperative anticoagulation, one of the two patients developed dyspnea with massive PTE postoperatively, although the other patient did not have any postoperative complications. To prevent fatal mas- sive PTE, temporary inferior vena cava (IVC) filter might have been effective during perioperative period in these cases.

Wide discrepancies in activated clotting times measured by two devices were detected for a patient with lupus anticoagulant in a cardiac surgery.

Introduction:: For a patient with lupus anticoagulant (LA), activated coagulation time (ACT) was measured with two different types of devices (HEMOCHRON 801 and HEMOCHRON Jr).

Case Report:: ACTs during heparinization measured with the HEMOCHRON 801 were over the range of measurement, while those with the HEMOCHRON Jr. reflected an almost normal response to heparin.

[Mechanobiology and the Heart].

Mechanobiology has been focusing on biological research regarding mechanisms of muscle force generation, or recently sensing and response to the force applied to the tissue or each cell. Therefore, the heart has been one of the target organs and studied extensively for a long time since late 19th century. Its force-length relationship was demonstrated as the Starling's law of the heart, which is one of the most important findings in mechanobiology.

Nitrogen accumulation during closed circuit anesthesia depends on the type of surgery.

Study Objective: The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that the amount of nitrogen that accumulates within the closed breathing system would be greater during open abdominal surgery than during superficial surgery with small wounds.

Design: Prospective, comparative study.

Setting: Operating rooms of a university hospital.

The effect of tramadol on serum cytokine response in patients undergoing pulmonary lobectomy.

Study Objective: To investigate the effect of tramadol on the production of serum interleukin (IL) 6, IL-10, and IL-2 and soluble (s) IL-2 receptor (R), thereby evaluating its effects on the proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory responses and immune function in cancer patients undergoing conventional pulmonary lobectomy.

Design: Randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study.

Setting: University hospital.

The bispectral index predicts responsiveness to verbal commands in patients emerging from nitrous oxide anesthesia supplemented with a subhypnotic concentration of isoflurane.

Purpose: Nitrous oxide (N2O) administered alone has minimal effects on the bispectral index (BIS), an electroencephalogram-derived parameter of hypnosis. However, because this gas is commonly supplemented with a volatile anesthetic, we sought to determine how it would affect the BIS when coadministered with a low concentration of isoflurane.

Methods: Twelve patients were anesthetized with 70% N2O + 0.

Determination of right ventricular function by transesophageal echocardiography: impact of proximal right coronary artery stenosis.

Study Objective: To investigate whether transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) can provide accurate information on right ventricular (RV) function in patients with right coronary artery (RCA) stenosis, given that a decrease in blood supply from the RCA may invalidate the use of single 2-D echocardiography imaging plane as a guide to RV function.

Design: Prospective, nonblinded study.

Setting: University hospital.