Blood warming: current applications and techniques

Active blood warming is a recent practice and arises out of conflicting needs. On the one hand, the safety and preservation of blood require refrigerated storage and delivery up to the moment of transfusion. On the other hand, modern methods of very rapid transfusion in resuscitation would cause clinically dangerous hypothermia if unmodified, ice-cold blood were to be so transfused. These needs must be reconciled in the interest of adequate patient care--hence the need for blood warming. Nevertheless, blood warming creates risks of its own and should not be used without justifying clinical indications. Within limits that extend somewhat above normal body temperature, the application of heat does no harm to stored RBC, a fact that is not reflected in current standards for blood warmers. Bearing in mind the human tendency to "stretch" standards and the fallibility of mechanical devices, caution is always wise. But perhaps the time has come for reconsideration of the present upper limit of 38 degrees C. Many varieties of blood warmers are available in the US, but none at this time is based on electromagnetic activity. The most common systems now in use are in-line warmers, most of which are not adequate for the type of rapid-transfusion systems currently available. Countercurrent in-line blood warmers and the method of rapid warm saline admixture can both be used successfully for rapid, massive transfusions. Blood warming is seldom necessary or desirable for elective transfusions at conventional rates, even for patients with cold autoagglutinins.     

Perforator propeller flaps for sacral and ischial soft tissue reconstruction

The perforator-based flaps in the sacral and ischial region is designed according to the localization of perforators that penetrate the gluteus maximus muscle, reach the intra-fascial and supra-fascial planes with the overlying skin forming a rich vascular plexus. The perforator-based flaps described in this article are highly vascularized, have minimal donor site morbidity, and do not require the sacrifice of the gluteus maximus muscle. In a period between April 2008 and March 2009, six patients with sacral pressure sore were reconstructed with propeller flap method based on superior gluteal and parasacral artery perforators. One flap loss was noted. Three cases of ischial pressure sore were reconstructed with longitudinal propeller flap cover, based on inferior gluteal artery perforator. One flap suffered wound infection and dehiscence. Two cases of pilonidal sinus were reconstructed with propeller flap based on parasacral perforators. Both the flaps survived without any complications. Donor sites were closed primarily. In the light of this, they can be considered among the first surgical choices to re-surface soft tissue defects of the sacral and ischial regions. In the series of 11 patients, two patients (18%) suffered complications.     

Cognitive dysfunction and health‐related quality of life after a cardiac arrest and therapeutic hypothermia

Background: Evidence‐based treatment protocols including therapeutic hypothermia have increased hospital survival to over 50% in unconscious out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest survivors. In this study we estimated the incidence of cognitive dysfunctions in a group of cardiac arrest survivors with a high functional outcome treated with therapeutic hypothermia. Secondarily, we assessed the cardiac arrest group's level of cognitive performance in each tested cognitive domain and investigated the relationship between cognitive function and age, time since cardiac arrest and health‐related quality of life (HRQOL). Methods: We included 26 patients 13–28 months after a cardiac arrest. All patients were scored using the Cerebral Performance Category scale (CPC) and Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE). Twenty‐five of the patients were tested for cognitive function using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). These patients were tested using four cognitive tests: Motor Screening Test, Delayed Matching to Sample, Stockings of Cambridge and Paired Associate Learning from CANTAB. All patients filled in the Short Form‐36 for the assessment of HRQOL. Results: Thirteen of 25 (52%) patients were classified as having a cognitive dysfunction. Compared with the reference population, there was no difference in the performance in motor function and delayed memory but there were significant differences in executive function and episodic memory. We found no associations between cognitive function and age, time since cardiac arrest or HRQOL. Conclusion: Half of the patients had a cognitive dysfunction with reduced performance on executive function and episodic memory, indicating frontal and temporal lobe affection, respectively. Reduced performance did not affect HRQOL.     

The E-cigarette ban in India—A step in the right direction?

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are a popular method to help quit tobacco smoking. However, there is a paucity of data in the literature on their safety and efficacy. Recently, the Indian Government has called for a ban on all e-cigarettes and taken steps to restrict access to vaping products from the market. This major decision was an attempt to safeguard the younger population from using e-cigarette and their possible longer-term addiction together with its promotions by domestic industries. In this article, we evaluate the role of e-cigarettes to help stop smoking tobacco cessation and consider the factors that have facilitated the ban on e-cigarettes in India.     

Treatment of Refractory Chronic Urticaria

Chronic spontaneous urticaria is a distressing disease encountered frequently in clinical practice. The current mainstay of therapy is the use of second-generation, non-sedating antihistamines. However, in patients who do not respond satisfactorily to these agents, a variety of other drugs are used. This article examines the available literature for frequently used agents including systemic corticosteroids, leukotriene receptor antagonists, dapsone, sulfasalazine, hydroxychloroquine, H2 antagonists, methotrexate, cyclosporine A, omalizumab, autologous serum therapy, and mycophenolate mofetil, with an additional focus on publications in Indian literature.