Perioperative respiratory events in smokers and nonsmokers undergoing general anaesthesia

Background: The prevalence of respiratory diseases in smokers and nonsmokers and the incidence of perioperative respiratory events (PREs) were investigated for patients undergoing general anaesthesia. The aim was to quantify well-known problems and to identify possible new associations between smoking and PREs.
Methods: From July 1992 to December 1994, risk factors, demographic data, and PREs were documented by an automatically readable anaesthetic record (ARAR). PREs were used as defined by the German Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care.
Results: Of 26 961 subsequent anaesthesias in adults, 7122 (26.4%) were performed in smokers with a prevalence of chronic bronchitis of 23.3% (4.8% in nonsmokers). 1573 PREs occurred in 1397 (5.2%) of all anaesthetics. 459 events concerned intubation problems and problems in technical airway management. 1114 specific respiratory events (SPREs) like re-intubation, laryngospasm, bronchospasm, aspiration, hy-poventilation/hypoxaemia and others had a total incidence of 5.5% in smokers and 3.1% in nonsmokers. The relative risk (RR) of SPREs was 1.8 in all smokers, 2.3 in young (16–39 years) smokers, and 6.3 in obese young smokers. The RR of perioperative bronchospasm was 25.7 in young smokers with chronic bronchitis.
Conclusion: The impact of smoking on perioperative respiratory problems should make anaesthetists take this widespread preoperative condition seriously, particularly in young adults. The presented method of incident reporting (based on a national classification) could contribute to future research in anaesthetic epidemiology.     

Confidants' feedback and traumatic life events

One hundred six undergraduate (83 women and 23 men) completed surveys concerning their most traumatic life event, the feedback they received following their disclosure of the event to others, and how they felt after the disclosure. Results indicated that the better they felt after disclosure, the less disturbed they were by thoughts of the event at the time of the study. In addition, the more personal the trauma was, the worse they felt after their disclosure, and the more disturbed they were about the trauma. However, no significant relation existed between the positivity (e.g., supportiveness) of their confidant's feedback and their present degree of disturbance. Implications for understanding the complex relation between confiding traumatic events and resolving feelings surrounding those events were discussed.     

老年糖尿病合并陈旧性心肌梗死患者新近发生冠状动脉事件的相关因素分析

目的 探讨老年糖尿病合并陈旧性心脲梗死(MI)患者新近发生冠状动脉事件的相关因素。方法 按照治疗方法，将346例老年糖尿病合并陈旧性心脲梗死患者分为磺脲类组，胰岛素组，二甲双胍类组，单纯饮食疗法组，分析各组治疗后新近冠状动脉事件的发生率及其影响因素。结果 新近冠状动脉事件的重要独立危险因素为：年龄(增加1岁危险率1．02)、吸烟(危险率1.36)、高血压病(危险率1．05)、LDL增高(危险率1.53)、HDL降低(危险率1.72)、使用磺脲类药物(危险率1．35)。结论 老年糖尿病合并陈旧性MI患者在饮食控制的基础上应选择胰岛素或二甲双胍类药物治疗，严格控制血压，积极降低LDL，提高HDL，避免单纯使用磺脲类药物。     

钩藤碱对心血管系统部分药理作用研究

探讨钩藤碱对钙离子的拮抗作用以及对脑血流量和氧消耗的作用。方法观察钩藤碱对豚鼠心肌的兴奋性、功能性不应期、正阶梯现象的作用，以及对去甲肾上腺素诱发的兔主动脉条Ⅰ、Ⅱ相收缩的作用，同时观察钩藤碱对小鼠氧消耗和大鼠脑血流量的影响。结果钩藤碱能提高心肌兴奋性，延长功能性不应期，抑制正阶梯现象和兔主动脉条Ⅰ、Ⅱ相收缩；减慢小鼠氧消耗速度，对大鼠脑血流量无影响。结论钩藤碱具有许多钙拮抗剂的共同特点，提示其在抗心律失常方面会有一定作用。     

延髓腹外侧区在调节呼吸和心血管系统中的作用

现已知延髓腹外侧区在呼吸调节和心血管调节中起着重要作用．延髓腹外侧区有两个重要的血管运动中枢，称为头侧和尾侧血管运动中枢．参与呼吸调节的中枢化学感受器位于延髓腹外侧区浅表部位；延髓腹外侧区还参与中枢和外周化学感受器的传入冲动的整合．文章对一些最重要的有争论的观点作一综述     

Incidence and Clinical Significance of Ventricular Late Potentials in Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy Compared to Coronary Artery Disease

Objective: This prospective study was designed to compare incidence and clinical significance of ventricular late potentials between patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC) and postinfarct patients (CAD) using exactly the same method of signal-averaged electrocardiography (SAECG) in both patient groups. Methods: Time-domain analysis of SAECG was performed in 120 consecutive patients with IDC, 120 patients with CAD, and 60 healthy controls. Ventricular late potentials were detected in 27 of 120 patients with IDC (23%) compared to 41 of 120 patients with CAD (34%; P < 0.05). Results: Ventricular late potentials were found in 2 of 60 controls (3%). During 15 ± 7 months follow-up, serious arrhythmic events occurred in 17 of 120 patients with IDC (14%) and in 13 of 120 patients with CAD (11%). The sensitivity of ventricular late potentials for future arrhythmic events was 35% for IDC compared to 77% for CAD (P < 0.05). The positive predictive value of late potentials detected by time-domain analysis was 22% for IDC versus 24% for CAD (P = ns). Conclusion: In this selected patient population with IDC and CAD, time-domain analysis of SAECG revealed a lower incidence of ventricular ate potentials in patients with IDC as compared to postinfarct patients. Whereas ventricular late potentials had a high sensitivity but a low positive predictive value for identification of postinfarct patients with serious arrhythmic events during follow-up, both sensitivity and positive predictive value of ventricular late potentials for future serious arrhythmic events were low in the setting of IDC.     

心血管外科术后急性肾功能衰竭的处理

目的：总结两组心血管外科术后急性肾功能衰竭病例的治疗经验，提出心血管外科术后急性肾功能衰竭的特点、早期诊断标准及处理原则。方法：１７例心血管外科术后急性肾功能衰竭病例，以入院先后分为两组。第１组８例，第２组９例。回顾第１组病例的急性肾功能衰竭的治疗经验，总结腹膜透析、血液透析和血液滤过的优缺点。在第２组病例治疗中，以急性肾功能衰竭的早期诊断为前题，早期开始腹膜透析。同时，强调综合治疗的重要性。结果：第１组病例均死亡。第２组病例，７例存活（７８％）。结论：心血管外科术后急性肾功能衰竭的早期诊断和早期肾功能替代疗法，是治疗成败的关键。腹膜透析简便易行，在急性肾功能衰竭的早期开始腹膜透析，可以收到良好效果，并以此作为心血管外科术后急性肾功能衰竭的首选肾功能替代疗法。     

μ,δ,κ阿片受体在创伤失血性休克大鼠心血管功能抑制中的作用

目的探讨μ，δ和κ阿片受体与创伤失血性休克大鼠心血管功能抑制的关系。方法用大鼠创伤失血性休克模型，观察创伤失血性休克后大鼠心脏和脑μ，δ和κ阿片受体变化及其与血流动力学指标的变化的关系；观察δ和κ阿片受体特异性拮抗剂对创伤失血性休克大鼠血流动力学指标的影响。结果创伤失血性休克后，大鼠心脏和脑δ和κ阿片受体数目明显升高，亲和力无明显变化，心脏和脑的δ和κ阿片受体数目升高与创伤失血性休克后大鼠血流动力学指标下降呈显著负相关。δ和κ阿片受体特异性拮抗剂可明显逆转创伤失血性休克大鼠血流动力学指标的下降。结论δ和κ阿片受体在创伤失血性休克心血管功能抑制中起重要作用，参与了创伤失血性休克的发病过程     

Abnormal Digital Pressure Measurements in Diabetic Neuropathic Foot Ulceration

The diabetic neuropathic ulcer is typically slow to heal and recurrent. Macrovascular insufficiency is usually excluded as foot pulses are present and ankle:brachial pressure ratios are not decreased. These assessments cannot however exclude more distal vascular disease. Digital pressure measurements enable a reliable assessment of the distal peripheral vascular status to be made. The aim of this study was therefore to use toe pressures to assess the contribution of distal ischaemia in the pathogenesis of the neuropathic ulcer. Sixteen diabetic patients with recurrent neuropathic foot ulceration had their toe pressures compared to 10 neuropathic patients without a history of foot ulceration, 10 diabetic control subjects, and 11 normal subjects. Four non-diabetic patients with neuropathy and foot ulceration were also assessed. All subjects had ankle:brachial pressure indices ≧ 1. Toe pressure was assessed using laser Doppler flowmetry to record the return of skin blood flow. The toe:brachial pressure index (TBI) was then calculated. The diabetic patients with a history of recurrent neuropathic ulceration, had the lowest mean TBI, 0.63 ± 0.14 (SD), compared to the non-ulcerated diabetic neuropathy patients, the diabetic control subjects, and the normal subjects. 0.84 ± 0.11, 0.82 ± 0.1, and 0.81 ± 0.07, p < 0.01, respectively. Three of the four non-diabetic patients with neuropathic foot ulceration also had an abnormally low TBI. Reduced toe pressure measurements are thus found to be associated with neuropathic foot ulceration. The contribution of distal ischaemia in the pathogenesis of the diabetic neuropathic foot ulcer needs to be evaluated. One hundred and eight non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients who had been tested for autonomic dysfunction in 1984/85 were re-evaluated 5 years later. Autonomic function was assessed by means of four cardiovascular tests (heart rate variation during deep breathing and standing, and blood pressure variation after standing and sustained handgrip). Eighteen subjects were lost to follow-up; in the 90 patients who completed the study, both the deep breathing and the handgrip test significantly worsened (respectively from 13.7 ± 7.8 to 11.6 ± 6.3 beats min^?1 p < 0.01, and from 16.9 ± 8.2 to 12.7 ± 7.1 mmHg, p < 0.001), whereas both the 30:15 ratio and the variation of blood pressure on standing did not change. The impairment of a comprehensive evaluation score (from 2.5 ± 1.7 to 3.0 ± 1.5; p < 0.05) also confirmed the gradual deterioration of autonomic function over the study period.