Frontiers of medicine
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Frontiers of medicine · Mar 2013
Review Historical ArticleNon-invasive continuous blood pressure monitoring: a review of current applications.
Blood pressure monitoring has come a long way from the initial observations made by Reverend Hales in the 18th century. There are none that deny the importance of monitoring perioperative blood pressure; however, the limited ability of the current prevalent technology (oscillometric blood pressure monitoring) to offer continuous blood pressure measurements leaves room for improvement. Invasive monitoring is able to detect beat-to-beat blood pressure measurement, but the risks inherent to the procedure make it unsuitable for routine use except when this risk is outweighed by the benefits. This review focuses on the discoveries which have led up to the current blood pressure monitoring technologies, and especially the creation of those offering non-invasive but continuous blood pressure monitoring capabilities, including their methods of measurement and limitations.
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The past century has seen many changes in the management of the polytraumatized orthopaedic patient. Early recommendations for non-operative treatment have evolved into early total care (ETC) and damage control orthopaedic (DCO) treatment principles. These principles force the treating orthopaedist to take into account multiple patient parameters including hypothermia, coagulopathy and volume status before deciding upon the operative plan. This requires a multidisciplinary approach involving critical care physicians, anesthesiologists and others.
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Frontiers of medicine · Dec 2011
ReviewBone regeneration by stem cell and tissue engineering in oral and maxillofacial region.
Clinical imperatives for the reconstruction of jaw bone defects or resorbed alveolar ridge require new therapies or procedures instead of autologous/allogeneic bone grafts. Regenerative medicine, based on stem cell science and tissue engineering technology, is considered as an ideal alternative strategy for bone regeneration. ⋯ The preclinical animal models for bone regeneration and the key translational points to clinical success in oral and maxillofacial region are also discussed. We propose comprehensive strategies based on stem cell and tissue engineering researches, allowing for clinical application in oral and maxillofacial region.
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In recent years, acupuncture has rapidly become part of mainstream medicine in the West, where new developments in acupuncture clinical research show extensive progress in evaluating the efficacy and safety of the modality in many categories of disease, especially in pain conditions. Although challenges and difficulties remain, the acupuncture research community has matured and its past experience may lead to even better methods and more innovative research.
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Frontiers of medicine · Mar 2011
ReviewLobectomy by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for early stage of non-small cell lung cancer.
Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) provides a new approach for treating early-stage lung cancer. Lobectomy by VATS has many advantages over conventional thoracotomy, such as shorter recovery time, less postoperative pain, and faster resumption of a normal lifestyle. ⋯ Concerns regarding safety, the extent of mediastinal lymph node dissection, and long-term survival have made some surgeons apprehensive of its validity for lung cancer. In this paper, we review the development of thoracoscopy, the present status of VATS for early stage of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and comparison between VATS and open thoracotomy in the management of NSCLC.