The carotid endarterectomy: Experience with 260 cases and discussion of the indications

Summary During 1978 to 1989, 235 patients were operated upon with 260 procedures for cervical carotid endarterectomy. The patients were classified according to the presence or absence of ischaemic symptomatology, and for symptomatic patients, according to the reversibility or persistance of ischaemic symptoms. So the selection of patients was: reversible ischaemia 46%, stroke 29%, asymptomatic patients 25%. In the stroke group, no patient was operated on as an emergency, the endarterectomy was only performed after stabilization of the clinical state. Three subgroups were included in patients operated on for asymptomatic carotid stenosis: casual discovery 40%, treatment of the second carotid artery (previous endarterectomy for symptomatic contralateral stenosis) 34%, and treatment of the second carotid artery (previous ECIC by-pass for contralateral carotid occlusion) 26%. All patients were operated upon after angiographic exploration (femoral catheterisation in most cases), and after cerebral CT scan. The surgical technique included general anaesthesia, systematic shunting, endarterectomy after longitudinal arteriotomy, closure without patch. The operating microscope has been used since 1985.The surgical results were studied in terms of uneventful postoperative course (87%), reversible complications (8%) and long lasting complications (5%). The long lasting complications were of local origin (1%), of neurological origin (2%), of general origin (1%). Overall the operative outcome at 6 months was: return to previous clinical state 95%, neurological sequelae 2%, death 3%. In the patients operated on for asymptomatic carotid stenosis the overall outcome was: previous clinical state 97%, death 3%. The legitimacy of carotid endarterectomy procedure is discussed in relation to some recent pertinent literature.     

Do patients receive adequate pain control after discharge from the ED?

Studies on the effectiveness of pain management have uniformly concluded that health care providers underestimate or undertreat pain. In the emergency department (ED) in which this study was conducted, physicians receive formal didactic and bedside teaching on pain recognition and management in order to heighten the awareness of patient's need for pain control. The purpose of this study was to determine if this outpatient pain management of patients with acute, painful conditions is better than that reported in the medical literature. In this prospective study, 110 adult patients who had an acute, painful diagnosis were telephoned 48 hours after discharge from the ED and asked if they felt their pain at home was well controlled. Patient satisfaction with pain control was higher (91%) than that reported in the medical literature. Also, pain medication was provided more frequently by this study's ED (95%). Education on pain awareness and treatment is a way to improve pain management.     

Tubal patency and fertility outcome after expectant management of ectopic pregnancy

Objective: To study tubal patency and fertility outcome of patients with expectantly managed ectopic pregnancy (EP).

Design: A prospective study.

Setting: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Turku University Central Hospital, Turku, Finland.

Patient(s): Thirty patients who wanted to become pregnant again were treated successfully by expectant management of EP.

Intervention(s): Patients were examined with posttreatment hysterosalpingography, and they filled out a questionnaire about their subsequent pregnancies.

Main Outcome Measure(s): Free passage through open lumen showing tubal patency; number of full-term pregnancies and EPs revealing relative rate of subsequent fertility.

Result(s): A free passage through the diseased tube was seen in 93% of the cases (28 of 30). Two of the 24 patients (8.4%) who wanted to become pregnant had an obstruction in the diseased tube. One (4.2%) of them had a normal opposite tube and later had a normal pregnancy. The other (4.2%) had an obstruction in both tubes and subsequently had a repeat EP. One of the 6 patients had an EP (this patient did not want to become pregnant and did not use contraception). However, her posttreatment hysterosalpingography was normal. In total, the subsequent pregnancy rate was 88% (21 of 24), and the rate of repeat EP was 4.2% (1 of 24).

Conclusion(s): Patients who are treated with expectant management have a good long-term fertility outcome. Spontaneous regression of EP does not lead to increased harm or damage to the tube, i.e., the risk for repeat EP is low.     

The value of different methods of treatment of brain abscess in the CT era

Summary 67 cases of brain abscess were analyzed retrospectively. As 2 comatose patients died on admission before any treatment was started, the results are based on 65 treated patients. Different methods of treatment included: total removal in 36 patients, drainage in 14, aspiration in 6 and conservative treatment in 9. Management mortality was 18,5% and was almost not dependent on the method of treatment (except aspiration) being lowest in the drainage group. The mortality was significantly higher in patients with serious impairment of consciousness on admission.Follow-up examination after 1 to 11 years was performed in 47 out of 53 discharged patients and revealed in 25 of them (53%) full recovery. 10 additional cases (21%) are independent. The best early and long term results were obtained in patients by drainage and medical treatment.Chronic epilepsy developed in 34% of patients with supratentorial lesions. The risk of epilepsy was lowest in the group of patients treated by drainage.The authors present the opinion that removal of brain abscess is necessary only in exceptional cases.     

化学品环境管理与水生实验动物

从分析化学品的特性入手，在概述化学品的环境管理对水生实验生物需求和国内外水生实验生物发展现状的基础上，从加强化学品环境管理的科学基础建设出发，对我国水生实验生物的研究与发展的标准化、产业化、必要的资质认可及信息交流提出建议。     

Unusual Delayed Manifestation of a Penetrating Chest Trauma

Abstract Pericardial tamponade remains a diagnostic challenge to the clinician especially when the patient is well compensated hemodynamically. We report an unusual case who sought medical help 1 month after having been stabbed in his chest. An investigation revealed a perforation of the myocardium and a pericardial tamponade. The patient survived thanks to a large organized clot that plugged the perforation. The patient was exposed to increased risk due to delayed onset, recognition, and therapy of the tamponade. Most reports on this subject deal with acute pericardial tamponade. Only few cases of delayed pericardial tamponade have been reported. A review of the relevant literature and the therapeutic approaches are discussed.     

Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty in Spinal Trauma

Abstract Kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty have become recognized procedures for the treatment of vertebral fractures, especially in patients with osteoporosis. In most cases of osteoporotic spinal vertebral fracture in elderly patients, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) cement is used to fill the defect and stabilize the vertebral body. The techniques of vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty differ in the possibility of realignment and reconstruction of the vertebral body and spinal column. Long-term results in terms of integration of the cement and bioreactivity of the vertebral body are still lacking; so, these procedures are still no options in the treatment of younger patients. Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty show different success in the management of fresh traumatic spine fractures. The acute traumatic vertebral fracture has to be classified sensitively, to find the right indication for cement augmentation. Mild acute compression fractures can be treated by vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty, severe compression and burst fractures by combination of internal fixation and kyphoplasty. The indications for use of biological or osteoinductive cement in spinal fracture management must still be regarded as restricted owing to the lack of basic biomechanical research data. Such cement should not be used except in clinical studies.     

医院洁净手术室智能监控系统的设计与实现

随着信息技术和自动化技术的发展,实现手术室的智能监控有助于提高工作效率和确保手术安全进行.本文简要介绍了"医院洁净手术室智能监控系统"的设计理念及其相关功能,给出了系统的硬件配置和软件实现.