Surgical management of the recurrent laryngeal nerve in thyroidectomy: American Head and Neck Society Consensus Statement

“I have noticed in operations of this kind, which I have seen performed by others upon the living, and in a number of excisions, which I have myself performed on the dead body, that most of the difficulty in the separation of the tumor has occurred in the region of these ligaments…. This difficulty, I believe, to be a very frequent source of that accident, which so commonly occurs in removal of goiter, I mean division of the recurrent laryngeal nerve.” Sir James Berry (1887)     

Mirtazapine premedication: Effect on preoperative anxiety and propofol dose requirements at different stages of hypnosis

BackgroundMirtazapine is an antidepressant drug that blocks central 5-HT2 receptors with anxiolytic and sleep-promoting effects and theoretically can be used as a premedication.MethodsSixty ASA I-II patients aged 25–50 yr were randomly allocated according to the premedication received 2 h before induction of anesthesia into two equal groups: group M patients received mirtazapine 30 mg tablet mixed with 20 ml of water and group P patients received 20 ml of plain water. Anxiety level was measured by visual analogue scale (VAS) and bispectral index (BIS) electrodes were connected before induction of anesthesia. Intravenous (i.v) infusion of propofol 1% at a rate of 300 ml h^?1 was started to induce hypnosis till a target BIS value of 45 (BIS45) is reached, and then endotracheal intubation is performed after fentanyl and cis-atracuruim being administered. Propofol dose requirements to achieve loss of response to verbal contact (RVC), loss of eyelash reflex (ELR), and a target BIS45 were recorded. Anesthesia was maintained with sevoflurane titrated to BIS value of 40–50 and oxygen/air mixture. Recovery time was recorded. In postanaesthesia care unit (PACU), VAS for pain and Ramsay sedation score were recorded. Patients were discharged from PACU when two consecutive Aldrete scores of 9 or 10 are obtained, and time of PACU stay was recorded.ResultsPreoperative anxiety by VAS and propofol doses required achieving loss of RVC and ELR, and target BIS45 were significantly lower in mirtazapine group. The two groups were comparable with regard to recovery and PACU stay times as well as postoperative pain and anxiety.ConclusionMirtazapine 30 mg oral tablets can be used as a premedication as it reduces preoperative anxiety and hypnotic dose requirements of propofol, and does not prolong recovery time.     

Incidence of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and Dual Infection in Egyptian Patients on Haemodialysis

Hepatitis viral infections are important causes of morbidity and mortality in haemodialysis patients. The aim of the present work is to study the prevalence and possible risk factors of hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis B virus (HBV) and dual infection in haemodialysis patients. Three hundred forty patients with end-stage renal disease, 266 males (78.2%) with mean age of 50.9?±?11.6 years and 74 females (21.8%) with mean age of 53.5?±?10.5 years on haemodialysis, were recruited from four haemodialysis units. They were screened for the presence of HCV, HBV and dual HCV and HBV infections and possible risk factors for acquiring these infections in those patients during the period between June 2007 and August 2009. One hundred ninety-six (57.7%) patients were HCV positive while 12 (3.5%) patients had HBV infection. A dual infection with both viruses was observed in 26 patients (7.6%).There was a significant difference in the number of blood transfusions among HCV-positive, HBV-positive and dual infection patients and negative patients (12.4?±?7.6, 13.8?±?6.8, 13.5?±?8.3 vs. 5.2?±?3.4 transfusions, p?<?0.01). HCV, HBV and dual HCV and HBV patients have been on dialysis for a longer period than the negative patients (7.5?±?5, 6.2?±?3.6, 7.5?±?5.4 vs. 4.4?±?4 years, p?<?0.01). Higher HCV was associated with longer haemodialysis duration and history of previous blood transfusion and not associated with dialysis in multicentres. HBV and dual infection is less prevalent than HCV in haemodialysis units.     

The association of the Friesinger score and pulse pressure in an urban South Asian patient population: pulse pressure,an independent predictor of coronary artery disease

Increase in pulse pressure has been shown to be predisposing factor for Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) in diverse patient populations but its relationship with the severity of CAD, particularly in the South Asians immigrant population of United States has not been demonstrated. We performed a single-center, cross-sectional study. Pulse pressure was calculated by the difference between the systolic and diastolic brachial blood pressures, and the Friesinger score (FS) was used to quantify the severity of CAD with the score of 5 used as a cutoff for extensive disease. We also sought to assess the correlation between the Friesinger score and the 10-year cardiovascular event (CVD) risk as calculated by the Framingham score. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the associations between explanatory variables and a high Friesinger score were estimated using multivariate logistic regression models. P values below .05 were considered to be statistically significant. Statistical analysis was performed using STATA version 10 software package (College Station, TX). The mean pulse pressure was significantly higher in participants with an FS of ≥5 compared with participants with an FS of <5 (63 vs. 46 mm Hg; P = .004). In univariate analysis, a pulse pressure ≥40 mm Hg was associated with a five-fold increased odds of a higher FS compared with a pulse pressure <40 mm Hg (P = .039), which was unchanged in multivariate analysis. In multivariate analysis, even after adjustment for presence of hypertension, a 10 mm Hg increase in pulse pressure was associated with a 1.97-fold increased odds of a higher FS (95% CI 1.22–3.71, P = .009). The mean Framingham score was higher in participants with a higher FS, but this difference was not significant (32.7 vs. 20.3; P = .1139). Our study demonstrates that pulse pressure, a well-established marker of vascular health, is a significant independent predictor of the severity of CAD as assessed by coronary angiography in South Asians.     

Urinary trypsin inhibitor suppresses premature cervical ripening

Unknown signals from the fetus are thought to be involved in the onset of parturition. We recently discovered that urinary trypsin inhibitor (UTI) from fetal urine inhibits uterine muscle contraction. Objectives: The aim of this research was to elucidate the mechanism of action of UTI in suppressing cervical maturation. Study design: Non-pregnant and pregnant rabbits pretreated with and without UTI suppositories containing 1000 U (400 μg) for 3 days were treated for 2 days with vaginal suppositories containing 100 ng of interleukin-8 (IL-8). Results: IL-8 induced softening and dilatation of the rabbit cervices. In contrast UTI inhibited IL-8 induced cervical softening and dilatation. Water content, collagen content, neutrophil counts, elastase activity and collagenase activity of the cervix were increased by IL-8, but they did not increase by IL-8 with UTI. Conclusion: These results suggest that UTI inhibits cervical maturation induced by IL-8.