European journal of cardio-thoracic surgery : official journal of the European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Jan 1993
Case ReportsAn adjunct to cerebral protection during circulatory arrest.
For surgery of dissecting ascending aortic aneurysms we have employed deep hypothermic circulatory arrest to permit construction of the distal aortic anastomosis in a bloodless field. The cerebral complications of circulatory arrest in deep hypothermia are well recognised. Many methods of cerebral protection have been suggested besides deep hypothermia including retrograde cerebral perfusion, administration of thiopentone and cerebroplegia. We report a supplementary technique that theoretically may provide improved cerebral protection, and present the results in four cases.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Jan 1993
Comment Letter Comparative Study Clinical TrialIntercostal nerve block, interpleural analgesia, thoracic epidural block or systemic opioid application for pain relief after thoracotomy?
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Jan 1993
Effect of peri-operative storage solution on the vascular reactivity of the human saphenous vein.
The performance of the saphenous vein as a bypass conduit in myocardial revascularisation may, in part, be determined by its vascular reactivity. The present study investigates whether the choice of peri-operative storage solution influences the response of this vessel to a range of vasoconstrictors and vasodilators. Saphenous vein ring segments (210) were obtained from 24 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery, and following a 1 h incubation in either (1) heparinised blood, (2) heparinised saline, (3) 199-TC solution, (4) St. ⋯ None of the solutions had a significant effect on the potency (EC50) of the constrictors. Relaxations of pre-constricted segments were recorded to acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside, but there was no difference in efficacy or potency in these responses following storage in the different solutions. This study demonstrates that the choice of peri-operative storage solution may influence the vascular reactivity of the human saphenous vein.