To reduce pressure-related injuries resulting from pneumatic tourniquet use, the lowest possible inflation pressure is recommended. Arterial occlusion pressure (AOP) is a measure of the cuff pressure required to maintain a bloodless surgical field. However, its determination method is time consuming, requires operator skill, and is therefore seldom used in current practice. An AOP estimation can be made by knowing the pressure transmitted to the underlying soft tissues. We measured upper and lower extremity tissue pressures under the tourniquet cuff at 100, 200, and 300 mm Hg of tourniquet inflation pressures in 30 anesthetized living adult patients. All patients received general anesthesia with neuromuscular relaxation. A Stryker intra-compartmental pressure monitor was used to measure tissue pressures under the tourniquet cuff. In all patients, the soft tissue pressures were consistently lower than the applied tourniquet inflation pressures. Our results revealed tissue padding coefficients for extremities 20 to 75 cm in circumferences. An estimation method of AOP was developed [AOP = (systolic blood pressure + 10)/Tissue padding coefficient]. The new AOP estimation method may be a simple, rapid, and clinically practical alternative to the AOP determination method.
The findings of the study appear to support experimental and clinical impressions that the analgesic effect of morphine is attenuated in hyperglycemic conditions. Therefore, larger doses of morphine may be administered to diabetic patients for effective postoperative analgesia.
Data from the present study provides some evidence that AT III pretreatment attenuates remote lung and local skeletal muscle tissue injury caused by lower limb I/R.
Diltiazem infusion which started prior to harvesting provided higher IMA blood flow compared to nitroglycerin infusion. Considering the percentage of increases in flows after resection of distal segment, the most prone part to vasospasm, we assume that a certain amount of spasm occurred in IMA in spite of infusion of study drugs, such that less with diltiazem and more with nitroglycerin. Diltiazem plays more important role than nitroglycerin in the prevention of vasospasm.
A 43-year-old female patient underwent pyelolithotomy in the left lateral decubitus position. Her upper right arm was placed on a padded armboard. Surgery lasted for 240 min. Postoperatively, she complained of numbness of the dorsal part of her right hand and wrist drop. Neurological examination revealed hypoaesthesia of the dermatome of the right forearm and hand innervated by the radial nerve. Electromyography revealed advanced axonal degeneration of the radial nerve below the level of the elbow. Treatment with diclofenac, vitamin B and physiotherapy was started. Her symptoms improved gradually and at the 60th postoperative day, motor weakness had completely resolved. In order to prevent peri-operative nerve injury, careful positioning of every patient on the operating table with proper padding is essential, with attention paid to time-dependent risks.
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