Complications and short-term outcomes of intraoperative electron radiotherapy (IOERT) in patients with periarticular soft-tissue sarcomas of the extremities / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the complications and short-term outcomes of patients receiving intraoperative electron radiotherapy (IOERT) for locally advanced and recurrent periarticular soft tissue sarcomas of the extremities.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty-one adult patients with locally advanced and/or recurrent periarticular soft tissue sarcomas of the extremities treated with IOERT were included in this study. Among them 14 patients had recurrent diseases after prior operation and 7 patients with locally advanced disease with primary treatment. The total dose of radiation ranged from 11 Gy to 21 Gy of 6 - 12 MeV beta ray given by intraoperative radiotherapy after complete tumor resection with negative margins. Five patients were given external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) with a total dose of 40 - 50 Gy, and 10 patients received chemotherapy.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The median follow-up time was 15 months. Five patients (23.8%) had tumor relapse, including one patients with local recurrence, one patient with regional recurrence, two patients with distant metastasis and one patient with local recurrence and distant metastasis. The actuarial local control rate at 1 year was 95.2% (20/21), and at 2 years was 90.5% (19/21). Acute skin toxicity (RTOG) within 3 months after surgery included grade I in 6 patients and grade II in 3 patients. Two year late skin toxicity (RTOG/EORTC) included grade I in 4 patients and grade II in 2 patients. Fibrosis included grade I in 3 patients and grade II in 3 patients. Six patients had joint dysfunction (3 patients with grade I and 3 with grade II) and 6 patients had healing problems. One patient got ipsilateral schiatic neuritis 9 months after IOERT. No adverse events occurred during surgery.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>IOERT brings tolerable complications of acute and late toxicities and favorable local control rate. IOERT should be followed by postoperative radiotherapy or increase the intraoperative radiation dose for locally advanced and recurrent sarcomas to get a better local control. Otherwise, distant metastasis is one of the main reasons of treatment failure, so chemotherapy should be added to the treatment regimen.</p>

Assessment of right ventricular function by pressure-volume loops in off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Right ventricular function plays an important role in the hemodynamic derangement during off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) surgery. Pressure-volume loops have been shown to provide load-independent information of cardiac function. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of construction of right ventricular pressure-volume loops with pressure and volume data measured by a volumetric pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) and to evaluate right ventricular systolic and diastolic function by end-systolic elastance (E(ES)) and end-diastolic stiffness (E(ED)) in OPCAB surgery.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty-eight patients who underwent OPCAB surgery were included. After anesthesia induction, a volumetric PAC was placed via the right internal jugular vein. Data were recorded at: anesthesia steady-state before skin incision (T1); 5 minutes after the stabilizer device was placed for anastomosis on the heart's anterior wall (T2), lateral wall (T3), posterior wall (T4), respectively; after sternal closure (T5). Three sets of data were collected at each time point: first, hemodynamic variables were measured; second, right ventricular E(ES) and E(ED) were calculated; third, right ventricular pressure-volume loops were constructed with pressure and volume data measured from end-diastole point, end-isovolumic systole point, peak-ejection point, end-systole point and end-isovolumic diastole point.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Right ventricular pressure-volume loops generally shifted to the left during OPCAB surgery. Especially, the end-diastolic point shifted upward and to the left at T2-T5 compared with that at T1. Decrease in right ventricular ejection fraction, stroke volume index and end-diastolic volume index occurred (P < 0.05) at T4 compared with values at T1. Pulmonary vascular resistance index at T4 increased relatively compared with that at T2 and T3. The change of E(ES) was not statistically significant during operation. Right atrial pressure increased only during coronary anastomoses (T2-T4, P < 0.05), whereas E(ED) increased throughout OPCAB surgery (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Right ventricular pressure-volume loops can be constructed using a volumetric PAC. Right ventricular systolic dysfunction occurred during anastomoses on the heart's posterior wall not due to impaired myocardial contractility but as a result of reduced preload and a relative increase in afterload. Right ventricular diastolic function was impaired throughout OPCAB surgery.</p>

Investigation and analysis of incidence of awareness in patients undergoing cardiac surgery in Beijing, China / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Awareness under general anesthesia is a serious complication which leads to psychiatric disorders. The incidence of awareness in patients undergoing cardiac surgery has been reported in as many as 1.5% - 23% in foreign countries. But so far, medical literature about awareness during cardiac surgery is still rare in China. Therefore, we investigated the incidence of awareness in patients undergoing different kinds of cardiac surgery, the phases when awareness occurred and the effect of cardiopulmonary bypass on the incidence of awareness in coronary artery bypass grafting in Beijing.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Patients' recall of awareness during cardiac surgery was assessed. One hundred patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in Chaoyang Hospital, Beijing, one hundred patients undergoing CABG and one hundred patients undergoing valve replacement or septal defect repair in Fuwai Hospital, Beijing, were interviewed 3-6 days after surgery. Every report about patients on recall of awareness was recorded. An independent research team, blinded to patients' surgery and anesthesia, assessed every report of awareness.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The incidence of awareness of patients received CABG under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), off -pump CABG, septal repair or valve replacement under CPB was 4.7% (5 of 106 cases), 9.6% (9 of 94 cases) and 4% (4 of 100 cases), respectively. CPB did not greatly affect the incidence of awareness during the period of CABG (P > 0.05). The incidence of awareness of patients who received CABG under CPB did not increase significantly, in comparison with that of patients who received septal repair or valve replacement under CPB in Fuwai Hospital (P > 0.05). Awareness easily occurred before bypass grafting or CPB.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Awareness mainly occurs before bypass grafting or CPB in cardiac surgery. Most cases with awareness have auditory perceptions. CPB is not a main factor which affects the incidence of awareness of CABG. Surgical types do not affect the incidence of awareness of patients under CPB.</p>