No abstract

Twenty-five patients were prospectively evaluated to quantify levels of methylmethacrylate monomer and fat in systemic blood and in shed blood after total joint arthroplasty. Levels of methylmethacrylate monomer in systemic blood were measured a t intervals after insertion of the prosthesis. Levels of methylmethacrylate monomer in shed blood were measured a t intervals after insertion of the drain. Levels of fat in systemic blood were measured preoperatively and 30 minutes after insertion of the prosthesis. Levels of fat in shed blood were measured 60 minutes after insertion of the drain. No significant fat or methylmethacrylate monomer was noted in systemic blood. Levels of methylmethacrylate monomer in shed blood were highest five minutes after insertion of the drain.Levels of methylmethacrylate monomer in shed blood collected from the hip were significantly lower than levels in shed blood from the knee. Levels of shed blood from the hip and knee were undeFrom the tectable six hours after insertion of the drain. Shed blood from the hips and knees contained fat particles of three diameters: fat particles less than 9 pm, 9-40 pm, and greater than 40 pm. The diameter of most of the fat particles in the shed blood was less than 9 pm. Fat particles less than 40 pm in diameter will not be removed by microaggregate screen filters 40 pm in diameter.

A prospective, randomised study was performed on 52 patients undergoing routine limbal extracapsular cataract surgery to compare the effect of 10/0 nylon and 9/0 elastic polypropylene sutures on post-operative astigmatism. Both the magnitude and the axis of the astigmatism were measured by keratometry and refraction pre-operatively and at regular intervals for 3 months post-operatively. Both groups showed an increase in the magnitude of astigmatism immediately post-operatively. The polypropylene group showed a more rapid decrease in astigmatism over the first 7 days and subsequent stabilisation, although the only significant (p < 0.05) difference in astigmatism between the two groups was at 1 week post-operatively. Both groups showed 'with-the-rule' astigmatism immediately post-operatively, although more of the polypropylene group developed 'against-the-rule' astigmatism by the end of the study. Despite an early reduction in post-operative astigmatism in the polypropylene group, early spectacle prescribing would not be recommended because of the shift in the axis of astigmatism. In addition, the polypropylene group had a 4 times greater incidence of iris prolapse compared with the nylon group.

No abstract

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