Articles: postoperative-complications.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Jan 1975
Complications to tracheostomy and long-term intubation: a follow-up study.
Hospital records of 79 patients treated with tracheostomy or long-term intubation from 1969 to 1971 were reviewed, and the 43 surviving patients were examined by laryngoscopy, x-ray and spirometry for complications subsequent to these treatments. Early complications included one tube occlusion and one case of postextubation stridor in each group, one dislocated tube, one bilateral pneumothorax, and one case of fatal innominate arterial hemorrhage in the tracheostomy group, and two cases of atelectasis in the long-term intubation group. ⋯ Late complications in surviving patients were prolonged hoarseness in six patients treated with prolonged intubation, two of whom had also had tracheostomy. Radiologically verified tracheal stenosis (40-60%), four at the stoma level and one at the cuff level, all occurred in the tracheostomy group.
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Any one of a number of psychologic patterns may appear cardiotomy: (1) Some patients may be elated and confident after awakening from anesthesis and have no severe changes of affect or neurologic deficit. Denial seems to be for them an adequate defense against anxiety. (2) Others are disoriented and manifest neurologic disturbance immediately after awakening, without a lucid interval. The sensorium begins to clear five days after surgery. (3) Some patients go into delirium after being lucid for as long as a week and have hallucinations, illusions, and motor excitation for a few days-or over several weeks. ⋯ Delirium is fostered by sensory overload (or deprivation) in the recovery room and intensive care unit, and by staff tension. Modification of the intensive care unit environment, the administration of antipsychotic drugs, and metabolic correctives are recommended. Preoperative psychologic evaluation, with therapy as needed, preliminary familiarization with perioperative procedures, as well as collaboration between psychiatrist and surgeon, can do much to prevent post-cardiotomy delirium.
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Langenbecks Arch Chir · Jan 1975
Continuous positive airway pressure in the prophylaxis of the adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
Alternate patients believed to be at risk for developing ARDS were placed on CPAP for the first twenty-four hours post upper abdominal surgery. Ten of the 58 controls developed ARDS, requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation with a 30% mortality rate. ⋯ This patient, however, is believed to have had fluid overload, and responded quickly to diuretics and was extubated within two days. Thus, prophylactic CPAP has greatly decreased our postoperative morbidity and mortality related to respiratory causes.
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Recent Adv Stud Cardiac Struct Metab · Jan 1975
Effect of deep hypothermia, limited cardiopulmonary bypass, and total arrest on growing puppies.
The advantages of a bloodless field and total cardiac relaxation have popularized the technique of deep hypothermia and total circulatory arrest for the correction of complex congenital cardiac defects in infancy. There is, however, a significant potential for cerebral and pulmonary complications. Presently, the most common technique is that of using a combination of surface cooling and cardiopulmonary bypass cooling and rewarming. ⋯ Puppies that were continuously on cardiopulmonary bypass had no significant pulmonary changes caused by increasing the inspired oxygen tension in the ventilator; however, striking changes were noted when limited cardiopulmonary bypass was employed for core cooling and total circulatory arrest combined with pulmonary ventilation with 100% oxygen. We conclude from this experimental study that the use of surface cooling and core cooling with subsequent total circulatory arrest at 20 degrees C is a safe procedure, providing the period of time of cardiac arrest is kept around 30 min. We also conclude that the alveolar oxygen tension should be maintained at the lowest level possible during the interval of circulatory arrest to avoid the apparent rapid onset of post-traumatic pulmonary insufficiency.