Deutsche medizinische Wochenschrift
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Dtsch. Med. Wochenschr. · Nov 2008
Review Case Reports[Cardiac surgery in the elderly: perioperative care and operative strategies].
Caused by the age-dependent prevalence of cardiac diseases, the number of cardiac surgical interventions to geriatric patients is increasing. High life quality and life expectancy can be reached by cardiac operations. The advantage of cardiac surgical interventions is the decade's long positive effect. ⋯ The required screening tests should have been done already by the family doctor. The elderly are postoperatively susceptible to complications; especially low cardiac output, renal failure, respiratory insufficiency and stroke. Subsequently they need more intensive care.
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Dtsch. Med. Wochenschr. · Nov 2008
Review[Modern artificial respiration concepts in the treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome].
In current intensive care medicine mechanical ventilation is of particular importance. In recent years new ventilation concepts have been established. ⋯ Alternative treatment options are high-frequency-oscillatory ventilation, extracorporeal assist devices or a combination of both in order to apply an extrem small tidal volume. These alternative treatment options have never been evaluated in randomised controlled trials, so a definite statement for practical application cannot be made.
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Abnormal liver function tests occur in 3 - 5% of pregnancies for different reasons. Apart from pre-existing liver diseases liver diseases occurring during pregnancy, such as gall stones or viral hepatitis, most liver dysfunctions in pregnancy are caused by one of the five pregnancy-related liver diseases. The five known pregnancy-related liver diseases can be classified in two main categories depending on their association with or without preeclampsia. ⋯ However, many life-threatening maternal complications like liver hematoma or rupture and abruptio placentae can occur. Acute fatty liver of pregnancy is also a severe illness occuring mostly in the third trimester; microvesicular fat deposition in the liver can cause liver failure with coagulopathy and encephalopathy. Only the immediate delivery of the fetus can save mother and child.
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Right ventricular failure may result from an newly developed disease (e.g. as a consequence of acute respiratory distress syndrome [ARDS] or of severe pulmonary embolism) or of already present pulmonary hypertension (PHT). There is as yet no generally recognized definition of acute or chronic right ventricular failure. The particular clinical picture and the associated hemodynamics determine this condition. ⋯ The central goal in the treatment of right heart failure as part of PHT is to lower pulmonary vascular resistance and thus decrease right ventricular afterload. However, it is very difficult to break the vicious circle involved in the acute right heart syndrome, it must be the primary aim of treatment to recognize as early as possible any worsening of PHT and prevent acute right heart failure. Lung transplantation or surgical atrioseptostomy may represent possible ultimate therapeutic options for patients with PHT.