The effects of tobacco smoking on the incidence and risk of intraoperative and postoperative complications in adults.

Introduction: Despite the warnings of health hazards of cigarette smoking, still one third of the population in industrial countries smoke. This review was conducted with the aim of exploring the effects of preoperative tobacco smoking on the risk of intra- and postoperative complications and to identify the value of preoperative smoking cessation.

Methods: The databases that were searched included The Cochrane Library Database, Medline, and EMBASE.

Nursing role in monitoring during cardiopulmonary resuscitation and in the peri-arrest period: a review.

Objective: The study objective was to present a comprehensive literature review on the monitoring of patients with cardiac arrest (CA) and the nursing contribution in this crucial situation. Monitoring techniques during cardiopulmonary resuscitation and in the peri-arrest period (just before or after CA) are included.

Methods: Approaches used to access the research studies included a comprehensive search in relevant electronic databases (Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, Cochrane Review, British Nursing Index) using relevant keywords (eg, cardiac arrest, resuscitation, monitoring, nurse, survival, outcome).

Cavernous hemangioma of the rib: a rare diagnosis.

Hemangioma of the rib is an uncommon benign vascular tumour. A case of rib hemangioma in a 29-year-old woman is presented. Chest roentgenogram and computed tomography revealed a mass along the inner surface of the 7th left rib with bone destruction.

Nitric oxide, ammonia, and CRP levels in cirrhotic patients with hepatic encephalopathy: is there a connection?

Goals: Comparison of nitric oxide (NO) levels in cirrhotic patients with and without hepatic encephalopathy (HE), evaluation of possible correlation between HE and other clinical or laboratory characteristics, and estimation of utilization of NO levels in clinical practice.

Background: HE is a neuropsychiatric complication of cirrhosis. The exact pathogenetic mechanisms underlying the presence of HE are not known.

Preoperative diagnosis of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding due to a GIST of the jejunum: a case report.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) are rare mesenchymal neoplasms affecting the digestive tract or nearby structures within the abdomen. We present a case of a 66-year-old female patient who presented with obscure anemia due to gastrointestinal bleeding and underwent exploratory laparotomy during which a large GIST of the small intestine was discovered. Examining the preoperative results of video capsule endoscopy, computed tomography, and angiography and comparing them with the operative findings we discuss which of these investigations plays the most important role in the detection and localization of GIST.

Hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis due to deferasirox in a patient with beta thalassemia major.

Objective: To report a case of hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis in a patient with beta thalassemia major secondary to treatment with deferasirox due to iron overload.

Case Summary: A 58-year-old white female with beta thalassemia major was admitted with fever, fatigue, abnormal liver function test results, and hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis (lactate dehydrogenase 494 U/L, aspartate aminotransferase 167 U/L, alanine aminotransferase 250 U/L, gamma-glutamyl transferase 102 U/L, total bilirubin 3.79 mg/dL, direct bilrubin 2.

Preoperative diagnosis of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding due to a GIST of the jejunum: a case report.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumours are rare mesenchymal neoplasms affecting the digestive tract or nearby structures within the abdomen. We present a case of a 66-year-old female patient who presented with obscure anemia due to gastrointestinal bleeding and underwent exploratory laparotomy during which a large gastrointestinal stromal tumour of the small intestine was discovered. Examining the preoperative results of video capsule endoscopy, computed tomography, and angiography and comparing them with the operative findings we discuss which of these investigations plays the most important role in the detection and localization of gastrointestinal stromal tumours.

Management of metastatic bone pain with repeated doses of rhenium 186-HEDP in patients under therapy with zoledronic acid: a safe and additively effective practice.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare pain response and hematologic toxicity between single and multiple therapies with (186)Re-HEDP under zoledronic acid in patients suffering from painful osseous metastases from prostate or breast cancer.

Materials And Methods: Forty-five (45) patients received multiple therapies of (186)Re-HEDP (n = 77), under a stable regimen of analgesics and zoledronic acid, far off other therapeutic manipulations, and with no extraosseous disease progression. Hematologic status and pain indices were followed up regularly.

Large mass affecting retroperitoneal great vessels: a rare presentation of a cancer of unknown primary with diagnostic dilemma and challenged surgical intervention.

Introduction: Cancers of unknown primary site (CUPs) consist of a clinical entity which accounts for 3-5% of all solid tumor patients. They are metastatic solid tumors whose fundamental characteristic is the absence of identifiable site of the primary tumor.

Case Report: We report the case of a completely asymptomatic 34-year-old man with a palpated huge mass found incidentally in the left abdomen.

TNP-assisted fascial closure in a patient with acute abdomen and abdominal compartment syndrome.

Topical negative pressure was applied to prevent abdominal compartment syndrome in a patient following surgery for an acute abdomen. It delayed fascial closure, protected the underlying bowel and facilitated abdominal re-entry.

Oncocytoma of the lacrimal gland diagnosed initially by fine-needle aspiration cytology.

Oncocytomas are benign tumors that infrequently involve ocular adnexa. We describe a case of oncocytoma of the lacrimal gland which was initially diagnosed by fine-needle aspiration cytology. An 83-year-old patient presented to the cytology laboratory with a peripunctal mass in the right eye.

Bilateral polyorchidism associated with intraabdominal cryptorchidism: a case report.

Objective: The aim of this study was to present a rare congenital anomaly of polyorchidism and to review the current management.

Clinical Presentation And Intervention: We report the case of a 19-year-old man who was referred for the treatment of an indirect left inguinal hernia. The ultrasound demonstrated a testis on the right side with an additional mass.

Bilateral pneumothorax, lung cavitations, and pleural empyema in a cocaine addict.

A case of bilateral pneumothorax, lung cavitations, and pleural empyema in a cocaine user is described. The patient was treated by left tube thoracostomy and right lower lobectomy. The postoperative course was uneventful.

Abdominal wall endometriosis: report of two cases.

Endometriosis is the abnormal existence of functional uterine mucosal tissue outside the uterus. It is a usual disorder of women in reproductive age, which is mainly located in the female genital tract. We report the cases of two women with endometriosis of the abdominal wall; the first one in the rectus abdominis muscle and the second one in the surgical scar of previous caesarian incision.

Recurrent Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction in a patient with Q fever pneumonia: a case report.

Q fever is a zoonotic disease caused by coxiella burnetii. The Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction (JHR) is associated with the antibiotic treatment of certain bacterial infections. We report a very rare case of a 36-year-old male with Q fever pneumonia that resulted in recurrent ARDS and presented the JHR during his treatment.

Acute renal failure and rhabdomyolysis in a patient with infectious mononucleosis: a case report.

We report a very rare case of acute renal failure and rhabdomyolysis in an Intensive Care treated 20-years-old male with upper airway obstruction due to Epstein-Barr infection.In our opinion this was a manifestation of the very rare and potentially lethal propofol infusion syndrome and not a direct complication of the underlying infection, although renal biopsy was not performed in our patient.

Diagnosis and surgical approach of popliteal artery entrapment syndrome: a retrospective study.

Background: Popliteal artery entrapment syndrome (PAES) is a rare but potentially limb threatening peripheral vascular disease occurring predominantly in young adults. This study is a retrospective review of 49 limbs in 38 patients with PAES treated surgically over an 8-year period.

Patients And Methods: From 1995 to 2002, 38 patients with a mean age of 21 years (range, 18-29 years) underwent surgery for PAES at a single institution.

Spontaneous rupture of splenic artery aneurysm in pregnancy: a case report.

Splenic artery aneurysms (SAA) occur predominantly in women, and the majority of them are asymptomatic until rupture. Over half of those that rupture occur during pregnancy. Spontaneously ruptured SAA during pregnancy is always a life-threatening surgical entity for both the mother and the fetus.

Gallbladder cancer.

Background: Gallbladder cancer (GC) is a relatively rare but highly lethal neoplasm. We review the epidemiology, etiology, pathology, symptoms, diagnosis, staging, treatment, and prognosis of GC.

Method: A Pubmed database search between 1971 and February 2007 was performed.

Rubeola keratitis: a photographic study of corneal lesions.

Purpose: Detailed description of the morphology of rubeola keratitis lesions is missing from textbooks and published reports. We performed a detailed analysis of rubeola keratitis lesions by using a photographic slit lamp and ophthalmic dyes.

Methods: Thirty-four eyes of 17 male young adult patients with rubeola keratitis were examined.

Synchronous bilateral seminoma: report of a case and literature review.

Bilateral occurrence of a primary testicular tumor is unusual. The reported incidence of bilateral germ cell tumors of the testes has been between 0.5 and 7% and the majority of these cancers (90%) are metachronous.

Acute limb compartment syndrome: a review.

Acute limb compartment syndrome (LCS) is a limb-threatening and occasionally life-threatening condition caused by bleeding or edema in a closed muscle compartment surrounded by fascia and bone, which leads to muscle and nerve ischemia. Well-known causative factors are acute trauma and reperfusion after treatment for acute arterial obstruction. Untreated compartment syndrome usually leads to muscle necrosis, limb amputation, and, if severe, in large compartments, renal failure and death.