The use of opioid analgesics to control pain after median sternotomy in cardiac surgical patients is worldwide accepted and established. However, opioids have a wide range of possible side effects, concerning prolonged extubation time, gastrointestinal tract dyskinesia and urinary tract disorders mostly retention. All these may lead to a prolonged ICU stay or overall hospitalization time increase.Objective: To determine whether a continuous subcutaneous regional anesthetic infusion delivered directly to the sternotomy site would result in decreased levels of postoperative pain and opioid requirements in cardiac surgical patients undergoing median sternotomy.
Method:The continuous subcutaneous infusion (OnQ Painbuster system) was applied in 37 patients. 3 patients were exempted due to prolonged ICU stay. 29 patients underwent CABG, 5 had AVR, 1 MVR and modified Maze, 1 patient had a 3-valve repair due to endocarditis and another one had reconstruction of the left ventricle. Requirements of opioid analgesics were recorded for 96 hours after operation. Pain was assessed using the visual analog scale and the total postoperative hospital length of stay was also measured.
Results:The postoperative pain was significantly diminished (0 -3 at VAS). The mean postoperative length of stay was 5,8 days, rather improved compared to the average stay of 6,7 days.
Conclusion:Continuous subcutaneous infusion of ropivacaine directly at the median sternotomy significantly diminishes postoperative pain and the need for opioid analgesic use. Moreover, it seems to reduce overall postoperative length of stay for all cardiac surgical patients.
We present a symptomatic 40-year-old cirrhotic man who presented with sudden onsets of syncope. Echocardiography revealed right ventricular outflow track obstruction caused by a huge right atrial mass. The tumor was surgically excised under cardiopulmonary bypass. Although no primary cancerous lesion in the liver was detected, histopathology revealed that the mass was a metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma. The aim of this report is to show the value of urgent preoperative computed tomography and its contribution in the operative strategy. The importance of urgent surgical treatment with tricuspid valve sparing tumor resection is emphasized even though the prognosis for such patients is dismal. We also discuss the further management options of such rare cases
In this report we present a patient who was initially diagnosed as suffering from mitral valve endocarditis. The proper use of diagnostic modalities revealed a pseudo aneurysm of the left ventricle which was mimicking mitral valve vegetations. This allowed better planning of the subsequent operation. The optimal preoperative diagnostic studies are discussed along with the proper surgical treatment.
The correct name of the fi rst author should be given as Leonardo Solaini, not Leonardo Solini. Accordingly, the correct contents should read 610 Bilateral pneumothorax, lung cavitations, and pleural empyema in a cocaine addict
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