ABSTRACT
A confocal reflectance theta line scanning microscope demonstrates imaging of nuclear and cellular detail in human epidermis in vivo. Experimentally measured line-spread functions determine the instrumental optical section thickness to be 1.7 +/- 0.1 microm and the lateral resolution to be 1.0 +/- 0.1 microm. Within human dermis (through full-thickness epidermis), the measured section thickness is 9.2 +/- 1.7 microm and the lateral resolution is 1.7 +/- 0.1 microm. An illumination line is scanned directly in the pupil of the objective lens, and the backscattered descanned light is detected with a linear array, such that the theta line scanner consists of only seven optical components.
Subject(s)
Dermoscopy/instrumentation , Microscopy, Confocal/instrumentation , Skin/cytology , Dermoscopy/methods , Equipment Design , Equipment Failure Analysis , Humans , Microscopy, Confocal/methods , Reproducibility of Results , Sensitivity and SpecificityABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Postoperative pain plays a significant part in the recovery of patients after open heart surgery. OBJECTIVE: To determine if the use of intercostal bupivacaine with epinephrine is associated with decreases in use of narcotics and intubation times after open heart surgery. METHODS: A randomly selected experimental group of 25 patients received injections of bupivacaine with epinephrine in the intercostal tissues before chest closure in open heart surgery. A control group of 22 patients received no bupivacaine, only standard care. Postoperative use of narcotics and intubation times were determined for both groups. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the group given bupivacaine with epinephrine used significantly less narcotics (P=.008) and had significantly shorter intubation times (P=.003). CONCLUSION: Injection of intercostal bupivacaine with epinephrine before chest closure in open heart surgery decreases use of narcotics and length of intubation postoperatively, thus speeding up recovery times.
