The dual etiology of ipsilateral shoulder pain after thoracic surgery.

Ipsilateral shoulder pain after thoracic surgery is a distressing problem and is associated with impairment of respiratory and shoulder function. The most suggested etiology for this shoulder pain is referred phrenic nerve pain. However, we have made clinical observations that suggest shoulder ligament strain as another cause of the shoulder pain.

Postoperative complications in obese and nonobese patients.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative complications are undesirable and potentially common in the increasing obese population of surgical patients. There is a scarcity of recent and reliable studies comparing postoperative morbidity and mortality in obese and nonobese patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence, pattern, and severity of postoperative complications in obese and nonobese surgical patients. METHODS: A retrospective review and analysis of adult postoperative complications recorded on an electronic database was conducted. The database covered a period of 4 years and consisted of 7,271 cases of postoperative complications that occurred within 30 days of noncardiac moderate or major surgery. Appropriate data and variables were compared between obese and nonobese patients using the SPSS program. RESULTS: The rate of postoperative complications was 7.7%. Obese patients had a higher prevalence of myocardial infarction (P = 0.001), peripheral nerve injury (P = 0.039), wound infection (P = 0.001), and urinary tract infection (P = 0.004). ). Morbidly obese patients had a higher mortality rate of 2.2% compared with 1.2%; for all other patients (P = 0.034) and a higher prevalence of tracheal reintubation (P = 0.009) and cardiac arrest (P = 0.015). Obese patients had higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status scores than other patients (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Obese patients have a significantly higher risk of postoperative myocardial infarction, wound infection, nerve injury, and urinary infection. Obesity is an independent risk factor for perioperative morbidity, and morbid obesity is a risk factor for mortality.

Variable systolic pressure variation and dynamic hyperinflation due to an intrabronchial tumor.

Systolic pressure variation (SPV) is the cyclic change in systolic blood pressure secondary to positive-pressure ventilation. It is normally a good indicator of intravascular volume and often can be substituted for central venous pressure monitoring, but the reliability of SPV for this use depends on the multiple determinants of intrathoracic pressure remaining constant. We present a case in which an intrabronchial tumor caused dynamic hyperinflation of one lung. This situation, in turn, caused a marked increase in SPV but, more importantly, it increased variability of the SPV despite normal intravascular volume. We discuss the physiology of SPV and the implications of this case for the use of SPV as a monitor of intravascular volume.