Liver transplantation: vascular complications

Transplantation has become the method of choice for treatment of patients with irreversible severe liver dysfunction. Vascular thrombosis or stenosis, biliary obstruction, hemorrhage, posttransplantation neoplasm, and rejection are some of the most common potential complications. Most complications cause significant morbidity and mortality after liver transplantation. The appearance of vascular complications in posttransplantation patients is illustrated in this article.     

Heart transplantation in children: indications, complications, and management considerations.

Heart transplantation in children has increased in the last 5 years because of the availability of cyclosporine and improved surgical techniques. The primary indications for transplantation in children are dilated cardiomyopathy and complex congenital heart disease. The major complications affecting morbidity and mortality are infection and rejection. However, the development of accelerated coronary artery disease represents a serious complication limiting long-term survival. Successful rehabilitation and long-term survival depend on careful selection of potential recipients, application of stringent medical and psychosocial criteria, operative technique, comprehensive medical surveillance, and thorough and effective patient and family education.     

肝移植的研究进展及常见并发症处理

背景：肝移植是治疗终末期肝病的有效手段,如何减少肝移植相关并发症以及如何对其并发症选择有效的治疗方法是目前肝移植领域中的重点问题。目的：探讨肝移植的可行性、适应证、禁忌证及移植后并发症的防治等。方法：应用计算机检索CNKI和Pubmed数据库中1999-01/2011-07关于肝移植的相关文章,以＂肝移植,排斥反应,并发症＂为中文关键词,以＂liver transplantation,rejection,complication＂为英文关键词进行检索。选择文章内容与肝移植技术手段及并发症防治相关文献,同一领域文献则选择近期发表或发表在权威杂志文章。初检得到206篇文献,根据纳入标准选择新近的19篇文章进行综述。结果与结论：肝移植数量、质量逐年提高,存活率逐年提高,移植后并发症逐年下降,国内肝移植已进入国际先进行列,终末期肝硬化是目前肝移植的首要适应证,活体肝移植解决供肝不足导致患者在等待肝移植时死亡的问题。随着分子生物学、免疫学、麻醉等医学相关学科,肝移植指征、移植技术改进,肝移植取得了巨大的发展,但目前仍存在很多问题亟待解决。     

肝移植的研究进展及常见并发症处理

背景:肝移植是治疗终末期肝病的有效手段,如何减少肝移植相关并发症以及如何对其并发症选择有效的治疗方法是目前肝移植领域中的重点问题。目的:探讨肝移植的可行性、适应证、禁忌证及移植后并发症的防治等。方法:应用计算机检索CNKI和Pubmed数据库中1999-01/2011-07关于肝移植的相关文章,以肝移植,排斥反应,并发症为中文关键词,以liver transplantation,rejection,complication为英文关键词进行检索。选择文章内容与肝移植技术手段及并发症防治相关文献,同一领域文献则选择近期发表或发表在权威杂志文章。初检得到206篇文献,根据纳入标准选择新近的19篇文章进行综述。结果与结论:肝移植数量、质量逐年提高,存活率逐年提高,移植后并发症逐年下降,国内肝移植已进入国际先进行列,终末期肝硬化是目前肝移植的首要适应证,活体肝移植解决供肝不足导致患者在等待肝移植时死亡的问题。随着分子生物学、免疫学、麻醉等医学相关学科,肝移植指征、移植技术改进,肝移植取得了巨大的发展,但目前仍存在很多问题亟待解决。     

Midline catheters: indications, complications and maintenance

Midline catheters are commonly inserted by nurses to make short and long-term infusion of intravenous fluids and medication easier. This article provides an overview of the value of these devices in adult nursing. It also describes the history and management of the midline catheter in relation to current research and evidence-based practice.     

Chest tubes: indications, placement, management, and complications

Use of tube thoracostomy in intensive care units for evacuation of air or fluid from the pleural space has become commonplace. In addition to recognition of pathological states necessitating chest tube insertion, intensivists are frequently involved in placement, maintenance, troubleshooting, and discontinuation of chest tubes. Numerous advances have permitted safe use of tube thoracostomy for treatment of spontaneous or iatrogenic pneumothoracies and hydrothoracies following cardiothoracic surgery or trauma, or for drainage of pus, bile, or chylous effusions. We review current indications for chest tube placement, insertion techniques, and available equipment, including drainage systems. Guidelines for maintenance and discontinuation are also discussed. As with any surgical procedure, complications may arise. Appropriate training and competence in usage may reduce the incidence of complications.     

Oral anticoagulation therapy: indications, contraindications, and complications.

The goal of oral anticoagulation therapy is to prevent thromboembolic events while minimizing the possibility of hemorrhage. This article discusses indications for, contraindications to, and possible complications of anticoagulant therapy. Guidelines for the use of low intensity and high intensity anticoagulation and duration of anticoagulant therapy are also included.     

Heart transplantation: indications and results

Heart transplantation has been established as therapy in patients with terminal heart failure who remain severely symptomatic (NYHA III-IV) despite optimal drug therapy and surgical interventions other than transplantation. In addition to symptoms, various objective criteria are used to determine the patients most suitable for transplantation. Of these, peak oxygen consumption below 12-14 ml/kg/min, no irreversibly elevated pulmonary resistance, and no major concomitant disease are most important. However, conventional therapy of advanced heart failure has considerably improved over the last decade. Thus, heart transplantation may be avoided or at least postponed in many patients. Nevertheless, continuous treatment at a heart failure/heart transplantation clinic in collaboration with the general practitioner is essential in these patients. This may allow to closely monitor these severely ill patients and to select the optimal point of time for transplantation. Prognosis after heart transplantation is relatively good with a 10-year survival of 63%. However, graft coronary artery disease and lymphomas are still unresolved problems which limit the success of heart transplantation. Competent clinical monitoring, aggressive therapy of conventional risk factors and good co-operation of patients and doctors are the basis for a successful outcome.     

Lumbar puncture. Technique, indications, and complications

Lumbar puncture is a safe and simple procedure that can be performed with little risk of major complication if proper technique and indications are followed. As an emergency diagnostic procedure, spinal puncture is indicated when CNS infection is suspected or to establish the diagnosis of subarachnoid hemorrhage when results of cranial computed tomography are normal. The major contraindication is elevated intracranial pressure with evidence of a mass lesion.     

Laser bronchoscopy, indications and possible complications.

Laser bronchoscopy can be a very effective way to relieve the agony associated with the sensation of asphyxia due to central airway obstruction. In selected patients and when performed by skilled hands the results can indeed be dramatic. The procedure is not curative in the case of malignant central airway obstruction since only the endotracheal or endobronchial portion of the tumor can be treated. It can be curative in a selected group of patients with primarily benign conditions. There can be complications that could be fatal. One must always weigh the risks involved.     

Vascular complications after liver transplantation: evaluation with Doppler US

Purpose To demonstrate the spectral and color Doppler ultrasonography (US) findings that would indicate vascular complications after liver transplantation and to report our single center results of vascular complications detected in liver transplant recipients. Materials and methods Our study was consisted of 326 patients who underwent liver transplantation procedures between November 1997 and May 2004. The records of all patients were reviewed retrospectively for the details of each patient’s post-transplant Doppler US examinations, visceral angiographic examinations, and/or surgical procedures. Doppler US findings were correlated with angiographic results or surgery. Sensitivity and specificity of Doppler US parameters for the diagnosis of vascular complications of the hepatic artery, portal vein, and hepatic veins were calculated. Results Vascular complications occurred in 47 patients (14%). Eight instances of vascular complications were detected intraoperatively by Doppler US at the time of transplantation. For hepatic artery complications, use of a Doppler US criteria resulted in a sensitivity and a specificity of 92% and 97%, respectively. Doppler US parameters also resulted in a sensitivity and a specificity of 100% in detecting portal vein complications, and resulted in a sensitivity of 99% and a specificity of 100% in detecting hepatic vein complications. Conclusion Although it is clear that Doppler US evaluation is an effective choice for diagnosing vascular complications after liver transplantation, we also observed that Doppler US examination plays an important role in detecting vascular complications intraoperatively and improving the patient’s chance for a successful outcome.     

Drug treatment of insomnia: indications and complications

The evaluation and treatment of sleep disorders represent an important area of research and clinical practice. Attempts to improve disturbed sleep are often needed, and treatment of the primary disorder associated with the insomnia, rather than the symptom of sleep disturbance, is always desirable. Our insight into sleep physiology and homeostasis is, however, rather limited. There may be several causative factors behind sleeping problems, and the treatment must be chosen accordingly. Of the drugs marketed, benzodiazepines are the drugs of choice, but other types of drugs are often useful in selected patients. The pharmacological profiles of the various types of benzodiazepines differ markedly from one another. The rate of distribution of the drug determines the duration of effects after a single dose whereas the elimination half-life is the determining factor during continuous intake. A treatment programme based on the individual patient and the type of sleep disturbance is usually necessary. An understanding of the quality and occurrence of such phenomena as carry-over, withdrawal and rebound effects as well as dependence problems reduces treatment complications and unnecessary use of sleeping pills. A good patient/doctor relationship is also needed to minimize the potential risks as well as the unnecessary use of hypnotic drugs.     

Aortic root replacement surgery: indications, techniques and outcomes

Aortic root pathology is a common cause of aortic insufficiency. Aortic root aneurysm and aortic dissection, if left untreated, carry significant risk of mortality and morbidity. Surgical treatment involves replacement of the aortic valve, sinuses and ascending aorta. A number of prosthetic options have been developed including composite valve-synthetic graft, xenograft, homograft and pulmonary autograft. The current review describes the two main indications for aortic root replacement surgery, aortic dissection and root aneurysm, and discusses the various operative strategies and outcomes.     

Aortic root replacement surgery: indications,techniques and outcomes

Aortic root pathology is a common cause of aortic insufficiency. Aortic root aneurysm and aortic dissection, if left untreated, carry significant risk of mortality and morbidity. Surgical treatment involves replacement of the aortic valve, sinuses and ascending aorta. A number of prosthetic options have been developed including composite valve–synthetic graft, xenograft, homograft and pulmonary autograft. The current review describes the two main indications for aortic root replacement surgery, aortic dissection and root aneurysm, and discusses the various operative strategies and outcomes.     

Retrograde endotracheal intubation: an investigation of indications, complications, and patient outcomes

The objective of this study was to review indications for retrograde endotracheal intubation (REI) and to examine outcomes and complications associated with this technique. We reviewed all intubations of adult emergency department patients over an 8-year period. A total of 1681 charts were reviewed with 313 excluded because of inadequate documentation of intubation. Of the 1368 remaining charts, we found that REI was attempted in 8 cases. Indications for REI included trauma (n=4) and non-trauma-related respiratory distress (n=4). Complications included inability to locate the cricothyroid membrane (n=2), inability to pass the endotracheal tube through the vocal cords (n=1), and procedure time of more than 3 minutes (n=4). Retrograde endotracheal intubation was successful in securing the airway in 4 cases and unsuccessful in 4 cases. We found that although REI was attempted for trauma and non-trauma-related respiratory compromise, it was associated with multiple complications, and successful in only 4 of 8 cases.     

Cervical disc replacement surgery: indications,technique, and technical pearls

Purpose of review

Cervical disc replacement (CDR) is a surgical option for appropriately indicated patients, and high success rates have been reported in the literature. Complications and failures are often associated with patient indications or technical variables, and the goal of this review is to assist surgeons in understanding these factors.

Recent findings

Several investigations have been published in the last 5 years supporting the use of CDR in specific patient populations. CDR has been shown to be comparable or favorable to anterior cervical discectomy and fusion in several meta-analyses and mid-term follow-up studies.

Summary

CDR was developed as a technique to preserve motion following a decompression procedure while minimizing several of the complications associated with fusion and posterior cervical spine procedures. Though success with cervical fusion and posterior foraminotomy has been well documented in the literature, high rates of mid- and long-term complications have been clearly established. CDR has also been associated with several complications and challenges with regard to surgical technique, though improvements in implant design have lead to an increase in utilization. Several devices currently exist and vary in terms of material, design, and outcomes. This review paper discusses indications, surgical technique, and technical pearls and reviews the CDR devices currently available.