The first long-term follow-up after aortic root replacement with the Shelhigh® BioConduit revealed a relatively high rate of death and very high rate of reoperations due to endocarditis, aorto-ventricular disconnection and structural valve failure. This may be potentially connected to the nature of the implanted valved conduit.
Background: Clavicle fractures occur in 35% of shoulder girdle fractures. Surgical fixation is preferred, especially in young patients for optimal functional outcomes, while nondisplaced fractures are usually treated conservatively. Case: A 38-year-old male patient was admitted to the emergency services with a fracture of the left clavicle following a fall. During the preoperative evaluation, the patient requested to be awake during the surgery. Combined supraclavicular and superficial cervical plexus block was performed under ultrasound guidance without complications and the patient experienced no pain. Conclusions: This technique may avoid possible complications related to interscalene brachial plexus block. Future studies are required to confirm the safety and efficacy of this approach.
Background and objectives Hypertension is one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. Inflammatory processes occupy an important place in the pathogenesis of hypertension. Many studies have studied inflammatory markers responsible for the onset of hypertension and organ damage. In this study, we investigated whether the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) (platelet × neutrophil/lymphocyte), -one of the new inflammatory markers -can be used to predict cerebrovascular events in hypertensive patients.Methods Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring results between January 2019 and June 2020 of approximately 379 patients followed up with hypertension were retrospectively analyzed. These patients were divided into two groups as with or without a previous cerebrovascular event in the analyzed database. In all patients, complete blood count and biochemistry test results just before the cerebrovascular event were found from the database. SII, atherogenic index, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio were calculated from the complete blood count. Fortynine patients with stroke (group 1: 12.9%; mean age: 64.3 ± 14.6) and 330 patients without stroke (group 2: 87.1%; mean age: 50.8 ± 14.4).Results Ambulatory blood pressure measurements were lower in group 1. Lipid parameters were also lower in this group. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that SII had a sensitivity of 85.7% and specificity of 84.8 % for stroke in individuals who participated in the study when the cutoff value of SII was 633.26 × 10 3 (P = 0.0001) area under curve (95%); 0.898 (0.856-0.941). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, age and SII were significantly associated with a higher risk of stroke. Age, (hazard ratio:1.067; 95% CI, 1.021-1.115), SII (hazard ratio:1.009; 95% CI, 1.000-1.009), respectively.
ConclusionsIn conclusion, SII is a simple, useful new inflammatory parameter for predicting stroke from hypertension. We found that the high SII levels increase the risk of stroke in hypertensive patients.
Reports on pacemaker placement/relocation surgery under pectoralis nerve block are limited. We herein report a case involving a 74-year-old woman with an infected cardiac pacemaker generator who underwent pacemaker relocation surgery under an ultrasound-guided pectoralis nerve block. On preoperative evaluation, she had congestive heart failure, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and a pacer-dependent heart rhythm. She was considered to be at high risk for general anesthesia. Thus, an ultrasound-guided pectoralis nerve block was planned. The surgery was completed successfully, without notable complications. Our findings might help in the management of patients who require pacemaker implantation/relocation.
Objective Erector spinae plane (ESP) block is an alternative to neuraxial block for post-surgical pain in nephrectomy patients. However, no clinical trial has directly compared ESP block with a control group. Methods In a single-center, double-blind randomized comparative trial, patients undergoing nephrectomy with a subcostal flank incision under general anesthesia were divided into the following two groups: ESP block group (ESP block before anesthesia) and non-ESP (control) group (no intervention). The primary outcome measure was pain score (Numeric Rating Scale [NRS] 0 to 10). Secondary outcomes were postoperative opiate use, anesthetic and surgical complications, length of hospital stay, and patient-reported outcomes. Results Postoperatively (0 to 24 hours), the ESP block group experienced less pain and had lower NRS pain scores 0 to 24 hours postoperatively than the non-ESP group. Opioid consumption and the number of rescue analgesic doses decreased significantly in the ESP group compared with the non-ESP group. Patient-Reported Outcomes Information System (Quality of Recovery-15) scores significantly improved in the ESP group compared with the non-ESP block group. Conclusions Patients receiving an ESP block for intraoperative and postoperative analgesia during radical nephrectomies experienced less postoperative pain 0 to 24 hours compared with the non-ESP group.
Our results show a significant loss of calcification in all patients after TAVI, with a reduction in the calcification distances to the coronary ostia and the compression of calcification in the area of the device landing zone. The clinical implications of this finding need to be investigated further.
Background Obesity is a common and growing health problem in vascular surgery patients, as it is in all patient groups. Evidence regarding body mass index (BMI) on endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) outcomes is not clear in the literature. We aimed to determine the impact of obesity on perioperative and midterm outcomes of elective EVAR between obese and non-obese patients. Methods Under a retrospective study design, a total of 120 patients (109 males, 11 females, mean age: 74.45 ± 8.59 (53–92 years)) undergoing elective EVAR between June 2012 and May 2020 were reviewed. Patients were stratified into two groups: obese (defined as a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m2) and non-obese (mean BMI < 30 kg/m2 (32.25 ± 1.07 kg/m2 vs 25.85 ± 2.69 kg/m2)). Results Of the 120 patients included in the study, 81 (67.5%) were defined as “nonobese,” while 39 (32.5%) were obese. The mean BMI of the study group was 27.93 ± 3.78 kg/m2. In obese patients, the procedure time, fluoroscopy time, and dose area product (DAP) values were longer than those of non-obese patients: 89.74 ± 20.54 vs 79.69 ± 28.77 min ( p = 0.035), 33.23 ± 10.14 vs 38.17 ± 8.61 min ( p = 0.01) and 133.69 ± 58.17 vs 232.56 ± 51.87 Gy.cm2 ( p < 0.001). Although there was no difference in sac shrinkage at 12-month follow-up, there was a significant decrease at 6-month follow-up in both groups ( p = 0.017). Endoleak occurred in 17.9% ( n = 7) of the obese group versus 11.1% ( n = 9) of the non-obese group ( p = 0.302). Iliac branch occlusion developed in four patients, 3 (3.7%) in the non-obese group and 1 (2.6%) in the obese group ( p = 0.608). The all-cause mortality rate was slightly higher in the obese group; however, it did not differ between the groups ( p = 0.463). Conclusion In addition to the longer procedure times, fluoroscopy times, and DAP values in obese patients, regardless of obesity, significant sac shrinkage in the first 6 months of follow-up was observed in both groups. No difference was documented with regards to mortality or morbidity following EVAR.
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