The Annals of thoracic surgery
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Review Case Reports
Intrapleural fibrinolytic treatment of multiloculated thoracic empyemas.
Acute multiloculated thoracic empyemas incompletely drained by tube thoracostomy alone usually require operation. To avoid a thoracotomy yet treat this difficult problem, intrapleural fibrinolytic agents were employed. Between April 1, 1990, and April 1, 1993, 13 consecutive patients presenting with a fibrinopurulent empyema were demonstrated to have incomplete drainage. ⋯ Urokinase was used subsequently. No treatment-related mortalities or complications occurred. Intrapleural fibrinolytic agents, especially urokinase, are safe, cost-effective means of facilitating complete chest tube drainage, thereby avoiding the morbidity of a major thoracotomy for 77% of a group of multiloculated empyema patients who traditionally would have required open surgical therapy.
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Tracheostomy is indicated frequently in the treatment of critically ill patients who require prolonged mechanical ventilation. The purpose of this prospective study was to evaluate our initial experience with 141 cases of percutaneous dilational tracheostomy (PDT) performed over a 2-year period. One hundred twenty PDTs (85%) were placed at the bedside, and 21 (15%) were performed in the operating room in conjunction with other procedures. ⋯ The average duration of follow-up after decannulation for patients discharged alive and decannulated was 36 +/- 27 weeks. There were 3 recognized cases of clinically symptomatic tracheal stenosis. We conclude that PDT is comparable with the open method and can be performed rapidly and safely at the patient's bedside.
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Mucormycosis is an opportunistic fungal infection that commonly begins by invading the respiratory tract. The purpose of the present study was to define the clinical presentation of pulmonary mucormycosis and to evaluate current treatment regimens. Thirty patients treated at our institution and 225 cases reported in the literature were reviewed. ⋯ The most common causes of death were fungal sepsis (42%), respiratory insufficiency (27%), and hemoptysis (13%). Pulmonary mucormycosis has a high mortality; however, antifungal agents appear to improve survival. In addition, surgical resection may provide additional benefit to patients with pulmonary mucormycosis confined to one lung.
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The primary goal of monitoring cerebral blood flow and metabolism is to improve our understanding of the association with cardiopulmonary bypass and deep hypothermic circulatory arrest so that effective brain protection strategies can be developed and employed. A review of our cerebral blood flow/cardiopulmonary bypass database, presently totaling 275 neonates and infants, for the purposes of this publication, reveals certain trends and some conclusions that can be drawn. Deep hypothermic circulatory arrest continues to be a factor in the delayed recovery of cerebral blood flow and metabolism in these patients. ⋯ We have also examined in our series of 275 patients selective neuroprotection strategies for their potential for improving recovery of cerebral blood flow and cerebral metabolism. Duration of cooling on cardiopulmonary bypass correlates directly with suppression of metabolism due to hypothermia. Low-flow cardiopulmonary bypass instead of deep hypothermic circulatory arrest, and topical brain cooling with ice during deep hypothermic circulatory arrest, improve cerebral blood flow and cerebral metabolic recovery.
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The etiology and incidence of neurologic injury occurring after cardiac operations employing cardiopulmonary bypass is reviewed. Results of studies demonstrating the role of microemboli generated by pump oxygenators, and evidence for the efficacy of arterial line filtration to decrease delivery of emboli into the cerebral circulation and to decrease postoperative neuropsychological dysfunction, are similarly reviewed. The impact of different strategies for management of pH during moderate hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass on cerebral blood flow and coupling of cerebral flow and metabolism, as well as their impact on the incidence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction, are also discussed, along with the results of studies examining the efficacy of various agents including thiopental, nimodipine, and nafamostat to decrease cognitive dysfunction subsequent to bypass.