sclerotherapy of gastric varices with BC is a safe and an effective treatment for control of bleeding and eradication. The needle should be withdrawn immediately after the BC injection to prevent its impaction into the tissue adhesive.

Background:There has been a constant emphasis on developing management strategies to improve the outcome of high-risk cardiac patients undergoing surgical revascularization. The performance of coronary artery bypass surgery on an off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) avoids the risks associated with extra-corporeal circulation. The preliminary results of goal-directed therapy (GDT) for hemodynamic management of high-risk cardiac surgical patients are encouraging. The present study was conducted to study the outcome benefits with the combined use of GDT with OPCAB as compared to the conventional hemodynamic management.Material and Method:Patients with the European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation ≥3 scheduled for OPCAB were randomly divided into two groups; the control and GDT groups. The GDT group included the monitoring and optimization of advanced parameters, including cardiac index (CI), systemic vascular resistance index, oxygen delivery index, stroke volume variation; continuous central venous oxygen saturation (ScVO2), global end-diastolic volume, and extravascular lung water (EVLW), using FloTrac™, PreSep™, and EV-1000® monitoring panels, in addition to the conventional hemodynamic management in the control group. The hemodynamic parameters were continuously monitored for 48 h in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and corrected according to GDT protocol. A total of 163 patients consented for the study.Result:Seventy-five patients were assigned to the GDT group and 88 patients were in the control group. In view of 9 exclusions from the GDT group and 12 exclusions from control group, 66 patients in the GDT group and 76 patients in control group completed the study.Conclusion:The length of stay in hospital (LOS-H) (7.42 ± 1.48 vs. 5.61 ± 1.11 days, P < 0.001) and ICU stay (4.2 ± 0.82 vs. 2.53 ± 0.56 days, P < 0.001) were significantly lower in the GDT group as compared to control group. The duration of inotropes (3.24 ± 0.73 vs. 2.89 ± 0.68 h, P = 0.005) was also significantly lower in the GDT group. The two groups did not differ in duration of ventilated hours, mortality, and other complications. The parameters such as ScVO2, CI, and EVLW had a strong negative and positive correlation with the LOS-H with r values of − 0.331, −0.319, and 0.798, respectively. The study elucidates the role of a goal-directed hemodynamic optimization for improved outcome in high-risk cardiac patients undergoing OPCAB.

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Objective(s):This study aimed to determine the prevalence of carotid artery stenosis (CAS) due to atherosclerosis in neurologically asymptomatic patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for coronary artery disease (CAD). It contemplated a greater role for the cardiac anesthesiologist in the perioperative management of such patients with either previously undiagnosed carotid artery disease or towards re-assessment of severity of CAS.Design:Prospective, observational clinical study.Setting:Operation room of a cardiac surgery centre of a tertiary teaching hospital.Participants:A hundred adult patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification I to III presenting electively for CABG.Interventions:All patients included in this study were subjected to ultrasonic examination by means of acarotid doppler scan to access for presence of CAS just prior to induction of general anesthesia.Measurements and Main Results:Based on parameters measured using carotid doppler, the presence of CAS was defined using standard criteria. The prevalence of CAS was found to be as high as 38% amongst the patients included in our study. The risk factors for CAS were identified to be advanced age, history of smoking, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidaemia and presence of a carotid bruit.Conclusion:This study points towards the relatively wide prevalence of carotid artery disease in neurologically asymptomatic patients undergoing CABG for CAD in the elective setting. It highlights the need to routinely incorporate carotid ultrasonography in the armamentarium of the cardiac anesthesiologist as standard of care for all patients presenting for CABG.

Aim. To conduct a systematic review evaluating the cases of oral submucous fibrosis in pediatric patients. Material and Method. Systematic review was conducted using PRISMA guidelines. The article focused on oral submucous fibrosis in pediatric patients were included. A total of five manuscripts were included in our systematic review. The prevalence of OSMF in pediatric patients, gender distribution, causes, and clinical presentation were reviewed. Results. On systematically reviewing, a total of 10 cases of OSMF in pediatric patients were found. The youngest patient reported to be diagnosed with OSMF was of 2.5 years of age. Female preponderance was noticed. All the patients had the habit of areca nut chewing which subsequently led to fibrosis. Conclusion. Such a rapid increase in the rate of OSMF among pediatric population is a potential danger to the society. The habit of areca nut chewing is the major cause for this dreadful condition. Lack of health consciousness and low level of education are the major factors for initiation of this habit among children. Therefore it is imperative for the parents and school as well as government authorities to take serious actions.

With the advent of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, a wide range of life-threatening maxillofacial fungal coinfections have also been observed in patients. We conducted this systematic review to collate and evaluate the data to enable clinicians to understand the disease pattern and types of mycosis and provide meticulous management of these infections in COVID-19 patients. The review was carried out in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis guidelines. A systematic electronic literature search was conducted on major databases using keywords in combination with Boolean Operators. Manuscripts discussing cases of maxillofacial fungal infections in COVID-19 patients were included. A total of 11 studies were systematically reviewed to assess the fungal coinfections in COVID-19 patients. Twenty-one cases of mucormycosis, 58 of candidiasis, and 1 each of aspergillosis and mixed infection were observed in the region of head and neck. Significant increase in invasive fungal infection is evident in patients suffering from COVID-19 which could be due to immunosuppression and other pre-existing comorbidities. Early diagnosis and intervention like systemic antifungals or surgical debridement is mandatory to reduce morbidity and mortality.

Purpose Routine quality assurance (QA) of cone‐beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans used for image‐guided radiotherapy is prescribed by the American Association of Physicists in Medicine Task Group (TG)‐142 report. For CBCT image quality, TG‐142 recommends using clinically established baseline values as QA tolerances. This work examined how image quality parameters vary both across machines of the same model and across different CBCT techniques. Additionally, this work investigated how image quality values are affected by imager recalibration and repeated exposures during routine QA. Methods Cone‐beam computed tomography scans of the Catphan 604 phantom were taken on four TrueBeam® and one Edge™ linear accelerator using four manufacturer‐provided techniques. TG‐142 image quality parameters were calculated for each CBCT scan using SunCHECK Machine™. The variability of each parameter with machine and technique was evaluated using a two‐way ANOVA test on a dataset consisting of 200 CBCT scans. The impact of imager calibration on image quality parameters was examined for a subset of three machines using an unpaired Student’s t‐test. The effect of artifacts appearing on CBCTs taken in rapid succession was characterized and an approach to reduce their appearance was evaluated. Additionally, a set of baselines and tolerances for all image quality metrics was presented. Results All imaging parameters except geometric distortion varied with technique (P < 0.05) and all imaging parameters except slice thickness varied with machine (P < 0.05). Imager calibration can change the expected value of all imaging parameters, though it does not consistently do so. While changes are statistically significant, they may not be clinically significant. Finally, rapid acquisition of CBCT scans can introduce image artifacts that degrade CBCT uniformity. Conclusions This work characterized the variability of acquired CBCT data across machines and CBCT techniques along with the impact of imager calibration and rapid CBCT acquisition on image quality.

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