A comparison of endotracheal intubation and use of the laryngeal mask airway for ambulatory oral surgery patients.

PURPOSE: This study compared current experience with the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) to previous experience with endotracheal intubation for ambulatory patients receiving general anesthesia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective comparison of 157 patients (50 endotracheal intubation [ET] and 107 LMA cases) was conducted. The subjects were American Association of Anesthesiologist (ASA) Class I and II patients who underwent outpatient general anesthesia for dentoalveolar surgery. Procedure time, recovery time, and cost of techniques were compared. RESULTS: The patients undergoing a variety of outpatient dentoalveolar surgical procedures under general anesthesia in the LMA group had a shorter procedure time than the ET group (40 vs 44 minutes) and had a significantly shorter recovery time (54 vs 67 minutes). In addition, compared with the cost of delivering care with ET, the LMA provided slightly lower cost per case ($20 to $30 per case compared with $35 to $80 per case), depending on the anesthetic technique used. Comparing the 2 techniques for removal of 4 impacted third molars (25 patients ET and 68 patients LMA) revealed a similar procedure time of 39 minutes for both groups, but a shorter recovery time for the LMA group (54 vs 68 minutes). CONCLUSIONS: Use of the LMA has advantages over endotracheal intubation for outpatients receiving general anesthesia for dentoalveolar surgery.     

Estrogen and progesterone receptor expression in uterine and extrauterine leiomyosarcomas: an immunohistochemical study.

The authors have noted anecdotal cases of extrauterine leiomyosarcomas (LMS) with estrogen receptor (ER) and progester-one receptor (PR) immunoreactivity. However, there are few studies that have compared ER and PR immunoexpression in LMS of uterine and extrauterine origin. The authors obtained a representative formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue block from cases of uterine LMS (n = 15) and extrauterine LMS (n = 16) from the archives of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and performed immunohistochemical staining for ER and PR. Staining was evaluated by 2 observers in a semiquantitative manner using the following scale: 0, no nuclear staining; 1+, 1 to 25% of nuclei stained; 2+, 26 to 50% of nuclei stained; 3+, 51 to 75% of nuclei stained; 4+, 76 to 100% of nuclei stained. The majority of uterine LMS stained for ER (13 of 15, 87%), PR (12 of 15, 80%), or both ER and PR (12 of 15, 80%), with most cases showing 3+ or 4+ positive staining. For the extrauterine LMS cases, staining for ER was seen in 4 of 16 cases (25%), staining for PR was observed in 2 of 16 cases (13%), and staining for both ER and PR was seen in 2 of 16 cases (13%). One extrauterine LMS showed 4+ coexpression of ER and PR, but the remaining extrauterine cases showed only 1+ ER and/or PR immunoreactivity. These data suggest that most uterine LMS coexpress ER and PR, and most extrauterine LMS do not stain for these antigens. However, a subset of extrauterine LMS are ER and/or PR immunoreactive. This raises the possibility that hormonal manipulation may be beneficial in the treatment of these therapeutically recalcitrant tumors.     

Renal, cerebral, and pulmonary effects of hypertonic resuscitation in a porcine model of hemorrhagic shock

To determine the safety and efficacy of a hypertonic solution for hypovolemic resuscitation, we compared the acute and delayed effects of hypertonic sodium lactate solution (514 mOsm) to Ringer's lactate solution (274 mOsm) in a porcine model of hemorrhagic shock. Cardiovascular, pulmonary, renal, and cerebral functions were examined in mature swine after their blood volume had been reduced by 40%. Hemorrhage produced significant decreases in blood pressure, cardiac output, and creatinine clearance, which were reversed with resuscitation. Resuscitation with Ringer's lactate solution required significantly more fluid and produced a significantly greater increase in intracranial pressure than did hypertonic sodium lactate solution. HSL produced significant increases in serum sodium and osmolality, which resolved within 48 hours. Hypernatremia and hyperosmolality were not associated with renal or cerebral dysfunction and were corrected through increased sodium excretion, free water intake, and a negative free water clearance.     

Effects of intra-ischemic blood pressure on outcome from 2-vessel occlusion forebrain ischemia in the rat.

Halothane anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats underwent 10 min of bilateral carotid artery occlusion with mean arterial pressure (MAP) held at 30, 50 or 60 mmHg. Sham rats did not undergo ischemia. A 7-day recovery interval was allowed. Intra-ischemic electroencephalographic (EEG) changes, behavioral function (Days 5-7), and histologic injury (Day 7) were evaluated. Under similar conditions, cerebral blood flow was determined after 10 min ischemia by the [3H]nicotine indicator fractionation technique. EEG isoelectricity was observed in 11 of 11, 5 of 10, and 2 of 11 rats in the 30 mmHg, 50 mmHg, and 60 mmHg groups respectively. Neither passive avoidance cross-over latencies nor general motor scores were affected by intra-ischemic MAP and no differences from sham performance were observed. The per cent of CA1 neurons counted as dead (left and right hemispheres combined) was significantly affected by intra-ischemic MAP (72, 46 and 28% in the 30 mmHg, 50 mmHg, and 60 mmHg groups, respectively; P less than 0.001). A greater than 50% CA1 neuronal mortality rate was present only in those rats exhibiting EEG isoelectricity. However, the number of rats demonstrating greater than a 25% interhemispheric difference in CA1 neuronal loss was greatest in the 50 mmHg group (P less than 0.02). Hippocampal blood flow decreased in association with severity of hypotension (8 +/- 1, 35 +/- 8, and 48 +/- 2 ml/100 g/min (mean +/- S.E.M.) for 30, 50, and 60 mmHg, respectively; P less than 0.01). Again, however, the greatest variability in blood flow was observed at MAP = 50 mmHg.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Interventions to promote optimal health outcomes in children with Type 1 diabetes—are they effective?

The incidence of Type 1 diabetes is increasing worldwide, imposing enormous public health costs, as well as profoundly affecting individual quality of life. There is evidence that psychological problems are increased in children with diabetes and this morbidity is often associated with poor metabolic control. Specific risk factors for this dual morbidity are emerging from empirical studies. The next challenge is to identify effective interventions for use with children at risk for adverse mental and physical health outcomes. The intervention literature is reviewed. It is noted that most studies have used diabetes-specific, unstandardized interventions in groups of adolescents, with few interventions trialled with younger children. No study has targeted a specific psychological disorder such as behaviour problems or depression, both of which are known to be increased in children with diabetes and for which effective standardized interventions are available. Attention is drawn to methodological limitations in many of the studies conducted to date and suggestions made to reduce these in future interventions attempting to reduce the burden of illness in children with diabetes.     

Nitrous oxide withdrawal reduces intracranial pressure in the presence of pneumocephalus

Nitrous oxide anesthesia has been implicated as contributing to the development of delayed tension pneumocephalus following surgery performed in the sitting position. The authors tested the hypothesis that withdrawal of nitrous oxide anesthesia administered during formation of an intracranial gas cavity would lead to a decrease in intracranial pressure (ICP) as N2O diffuses from the cavity back into the blood. Ten halothane-anesthetized rabbits were prepared for measurement of supracortical ICP and arterial blood pressure (BP) and for intracranial volume alterations via a cisterna magna infusion catheter. Hyperventilation (Paco2 = 28-30 mmHg) and mannitol were used to shrink the brain to accommodate intracranial infusion of either air or lactated Ringer's (LR) solution, which was used to elevate ICP to between 10-15 mmHg from a baseline ICP of 2.1 +/- 2.5 mmHg over a period of 8 to 10 min. Following stabilization at an elevated ICP, inhalation of nitrous oxide (75%) was either initiated or withdrawn (if already present during the induced ICP increase) and the subsequent changes in mean ICP and BP were recorded. Following ICP elevation with LR to 10 +/- 1 mmHg, initiation of 75% N2O administration resulted in no change in ICP and modest increases (P less than 0.05) in BP and cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP = BP - ICP) after 4 min. However, when ICP was raised (to 12 +/- 3.5 mmHg) with intracranial air infusion, subsequent initiation of 75% N2O inhalation caused an abrupt ICP increase to 22.3 +/- 9 mmHg (from control P less than 0.001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Combined open and laparoscopic approach to chronic pain following open inguinal hernia repair

Introduction: Chronic groin pain is the most common long-term complication after open inguinal hernia repair. Traditional surgical management of the associated neuralgia consists of injection therapy followed by groin exploration, mesh removal, and nerve transection. The resultant hernia defect may be difficult to repair from an anterior approach. We evaluate the outcomes of a combined laparoscopic and open approach for the treatment of chronic groin pain following open inguinal herniorrhaphy. Methods: All patients who underwent groin exploration for chronic neuralgia after a prior open inguinal hernia repair were prospectively analyzed. Patient demographics, type of prior hernia repair, and prior nonoperative therapies were recorded. The operation consisted of a standard three trocar laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal hernia repair, followed by groin exploration, mesh removal, and nerve transection. Outcome measures included recurrent groin pain, numbness, hernia recurrence, and complications. Results: Twelve patients (11 male and 1 female) with a mean age of 41 years (range 29–51) underwent combined laparoscopic and open treatment for chronic groin pain. Ten patients complained of unilateral neuralgia, one patient had bilateral complaints, and one patient complained of orchalgia. All patients failed at least two attempted percutaneous nerve blocks. Prior repairs included Lichtenstein (n=9), McVay (n=1), plug and patch (n=1), and Shouldice (n=1). There were no intraoperative complications or wound infections. With a minimum of 6 weeks follow up, all patients were significantly improved. One patient complained of intermittent minor discomfort that required no further therapy. Two patients had persistent numbness in the ilioinguinal nerve distribution but remained satisfied with the procedure. Conclusions: A combined laparoscopic and open approach for postherniorrhaphy groin pain results in good to excellent patient satisfaction with no perioperative morbidity. It may be the preferred technique for the definitive management of chronic neuralgia after prior open hernia repair.     

Azithromycin, a macrolide antibiotic with potent activity against Toxoplasma gondii.

Doses of 200 mg of azithromycin per kg (body weight) administered by the oral route daily for 10 days completely protected mice against death caused by intraperitoneal infection with Toxoplasma gondii. The same treatment regimen also protected 80% of mice infected intracerebrally, which suggests that azithromycin attains active concentrations in the inflamed central nervous system.