Self-inflicted tourniquet paralysis mimicking acute demyelinating polyneuropathy.

Tourniquet paralysis is an uncommon complication of surgery, and self-inflicted tourniquet paralysis has never been documented to our knowledge. We report a patient with bilateral self-induced tourniquet paralysis of the lower extremities, whose symptoms were initially attributed to an acute demyelinating sensorimotor polyneuropathy based on clinical presentation and electrodiagnostic study. After investigations failed to reveal a cause, he was found to have placed tourniquets on his legs because of a rare obsession with limb amputation known as apotemnophilia. Significant spontaneous partial resolution of clinical symptoms was noted after 6 weeks. Electrophysiologic evidence of segmental demyelination of multiple motor nerves localized to the same region may help to distinguish this condition from other forms of acute demyelinating polyneuropathy.     

Tourniquet inflation after intra-articular morphine and bupivacaine administration following knee arthroscopy

We performed a randomized doubled-blind study to evaluate whether there was a benefit in delay in tourniquet deflation with intra-articular administration of morphine and bupivacaine following operative arthroscopic surgery. In 34 patients the tourniquet was deflated immediately and in 38 patients the tourniquet remained inflated for 10 min following injection. The analgesic efficacy was assessed using pain scores and the amount of supplementary analgesia required. The results demonstrate no benefit in delay in tourniquet deflation.     

Arterial hypertension associated with the use of a tourniquet with either general or regional anaesthesia

A hypertensive patient with left cardiac enlargement developed marked hypertension under general anaesthesia, during which time a tourniquet was applied around his thigh. When the tourniquet was released, severe hypotension ensued which responded to therapy. The patient, however, died 16 h later of a myocardial infarction. Because of this incident, the anaesthetic and haemodynamic data of 699 patients who underwent limb surgery with a pneumatic tourniquet inflated for at least an hour were retrospectively examined using multivariate analysis. A 30% increase in systolic and/or diastolic arterial blood pressure occurred in 27% of the total patient material and in 67% of those who had had a general anaesthetic. There was a higher frequency of the occurrence of "tourniquet hypertension" with older age, longer operations and the operation site being the lower rather than the upper limb. Tourniquet hypertension rarely occurred in patients with spinal anaesthesia (2.7%) and brachial plexus blockade (2.5%), while those with intravenous regional anesthesia had a higher incidence (19%) of hypertension.     

Association between Preoperative Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Oxidative Stress Immediately after Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Pilot Study

Quadriceps muscle atrophy following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) can be caused by tourniquet-induced ischemia–reperfusion (IR) injury, which is often accompanied by oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs), such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), exert antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects against IR injury, whereas n-6 LCPUFAs, particularly arachidonic acid (AA), exhibit pro-inflammatory effects and promote IR injury. This study aimed to examine whether preoperative serum EPA + DHA levels and the (EPA + DHA)/AA ratio are associated with oxidative stress immediately after TKA. Fourteen eligible patients with knee osteoarthritis scheduled for unilateral TKA participated in this study. The levels of serum EPA, DHA, and AA were measured immediately before surgery. Derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs) were used as biomarkers for oxidative stress. The preoperative serum EPA + DHA levels and the (EPA + DHA)/AA ratio were found to be significantly negatively correlated with the serum d-ROM levels at 96 h after surgery, and the rate of increase in serum d-ROM levels between baseline and 96 h postoperatively. This study suggested the preoperative serum EPA + DHA levels and the (EPA + DHA)/AA ratio can be negatively associated with oxidative stress immediately after TKA.     

Does the Use of a Tourniquet Influence Outcomes in Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BackgroundIntraoperative tourniquet use in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a common practice which may improve visualization of the surgical field and reduce blood loss. However, the safety and efficacy associated with tourniquet use continues to be a subject of debate among orthopedic surgeons. The primary purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of tourniquet use on pain and opioid consumption after TKA.MethodsThis is a multicenter randomized controlled trial among patients undergoing TKA. Patients were preoperatively randomized to undergo TKA with or without the use of an intraoperative tourniquet. Frequency distributions, means, and standard deviations were used to describe baseline patient demographics (age, gender, race, body mass index, smoking status), length of stay, surgical factors, visual analog scale pain scores, and opioid consumption in morphine milligram equivalents.ResultsA total of 327 patients were included in this study, with 166 patients undergoing TKA without a tourniquet and 161 patients with a tourniquet. A statistically significant difference was found in surgical time (97.87 vs 92.98 minutes; P = .05), whereas none was found for length of stay (1.73 vs 1.70 days; P = .87), postop visual analog scale pain scores (1.73 vs 1.70; P = .87), inpatient opioid consumption (19.84 vs 19.27 morphine milligram equivalents; P = .74), or outpatient opioid consumption between the tourniquet-less and tourniquet cohorts, respectively. There were no readmissions in either cohort during the 90-day episode of care.ConclusionUtilization of a tourniquet during TKA has minimal impact on postoperative pain scores and opioid consumption when compared with patients who underwent TKA without a tourniquet.     

Retrospective review of complications following long tourniquet time in foot and ankle surgery

BackgroundTourniquet use is ubiquitous in orthopaedic surgery to create a bloodless field and to facilitate safe surgery, however, we know of the potential complications that can occur as a result of prolonged tourniquet time. Experimental and clinical research has helped define the safe time limits but there is not much literature specific to foot and ankle surgery.MethodsA retrospective review of the postoperative course of patients with prolonged tourniquet time (longer than 180 min) for foot and ankle procedures was done. Data related to the patient factors and the surgical procedure was collected. The length of stay, re-admissions and complications were the important indicators of the individual patient’s recovery.ResultsTwenty patients were identified with longer than 180-min tourniquet times for complex foot and ankle procedures. The average uninterrupted tourniquet time was 191 min. Eight of the twenty procedures were revision surgeries. The average length of stay was 3 days and there were no re-admissions within 30 days. Eight patients (40%) had at least one recorded complication. The complications seen in this group were transient sensory loss, wound issues, superficial infection, ongoing pain and non-union.ConclusionsThis case series has not revealed any major systemic complications resulting from the prolonged tourniquet such as pulmonary embolism or renal dysfunction. Unlike past literature on knee procedures with extended tourniquet times, no major nerve palsies were seen in our patient group. Our understanding of the local and systemic effects of tourniquet is not complete and this study demonstrates that the complications do not necessarily increase in a linear fashion in relation to the tourniquet time.     

止血带带菌情况监测

目的探讨临床使用止血带细菌污染情况,寻找止血带灭菌方法;方法随机抽取各种常用止血带200条分为4组,分别用不同方法消毒后,做细菌培养,数据经X^2检验;结果不经过消毒处理的止血带携带大量的病原菌,经清洗后,细菌数目减少,经消毒液浸泡和煮沸消毒后,达无菌要求,经消毒处理后与没有消毒比较,P<0．0001;结论提出止血带要作消毒处理,并定期更换,是阻断资源性感染的重要连径之一。     

便携式全自动气压止血带的研制

介绍了便携式全自动气压止血带的原理、特点及应用前景.     

全膝关节置换术中气压式止血带对患肢静脉血一氧化氮和内皮素的影响

目的 探讨全膝关节置换术(TKA)中使用气压式止血带对患肢静脉血一氧化氮(NO)和内皮素(ET)水平的影响.方法 择期行TKA的患者40例,20例术中使用气压式止血带(I组),20例术中不使用气压式止血带(Ⅱ组).I组于气压式止血带充气前(T1)、气压式止血带放开即刻(T2)、气压式止血带放开1 h(T3)及术后第1天(T4),Ⅱ组于术前即刻(T1)、术毕即刻(T2)、术毕1 h(T3)及术后第1天(T4),采集患肢股静脉血测定NO和ET水平.结果 I组在T2时间点的NO水平为(61.76±3.39)μmol/L,显著低于同组T1时间点和Ⅱ组相同时间点(P值均＜0.01),各时间点ET水平的差异均无统计学意义(P值均＞0.05),但T2时间点的NO/ET值较同组T1时间点和Ⅱ组相同时间点显著降低(P值分别＜0.05、0.01).Ⅱ组各时间点的ET、NO、NO/ET值的差异均无统计学意义(P值均＞0.05).结论 TKA术中使用气压式止血带使患肢的NO水平明显降低,可能会引起患肢缺血一再灌注损伤,对于合并高血压和(或)血管疾病的老年患者行TKA时应充分考虑到止血带的潜在并发症.