ABSTRACT
We performed a retrospective audit of 1235 patients presenting between 1992 and 1997, following the introduction of intra-operative blood salvage at our hospital. Twenty-two cases of severe abdominal trauma requiring emergency laparotomy and intra-operative blood salvage were identified. The impact of intra-operative blood salvage in aiding resuscitation and reducing demand on allogeneic blood supplies is discussed.
Subject(s)
Abdominal Injuries/surgery , Blood Transfusion, Autologous/statistics & numerical data , Intraoperative Care/methods , Accidents, Traffic , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Blood Loss, Surgical/prevention & control , Emergencies , Erythrocyte Transfusion , Female , Hospital Mortality , Humans , Injury Severity Score , Liver/injuries , Male , Medical Audit , Middle Aged , Retrospective Studies , Specialties, Surgical/statistics & numerical data , WalesABSTRACT
Phosphorylcholine-based polymers have been used commercially to improve the biocompatibility of coronary stents. In this study, one particular polymer is assessed for its suitability as a drug delivery vehicle. Membranes of the material are characterized in terms of water content and molecular weight cut-off, and the presence of hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains investigated by use of the hydrophobic probe pyrene. The in vitro loading and elution of a variety of drugs was assessed using stents coated with the polymer. The rate of a drug's release was shown not to be simply a function of its water solubility, but rather more closely related to the drug oil/water partition coefficient. This finding was explained in terms of the more hydrophobic drugs partitioning into, and interacting with, the hydrophobic domains of the polymer coating. The suitability of the coated stent as a drug delivery vehicle was assessed in vivo using a radiolabeled analog of one of the more rapidly eluting drugs, angiopeptin. Autoradiography showed that the drug was released locally to the wall of the stented artery, and could be detected up to 28 days after implantation.
ABSTRACT
Xenon is interesting despite its high cost because it is an almost ideal anaesthetic gas. This article describes developments in licensing issues, production and commercial delivery systems. Also, its effects on the cardiovascular, cerebral, respiratory, gastrointestinal and metabolic systems are discussed, along with analgesic sites of action and its effects at the cellular level.
