Methylene blue enhancement of resuscitation after refractory hemorrhagic shock.

BACKGROUND: Methylene blue has been used to treat hypovolemic states. This study evaluated prehospital resuscitation after refractory hemorrhagic shock with a combination of methylene blue and limited-volume lactated Ringer's solution. METHODS: After blood loss to a mean arterial pressure of 50 mm Hg in canines, refractory hemorrhagic shock was defined as minimal hemodynamic response to phenylephrine. Differential protocols included no treatment (control), methylene blue bolus, limited-volume lactated Ringer's solution, and combined methylene blue/lactated Ringer's solution therapies. Hemodynamic parameters were collected at baseline, during shock, during refractory hemorrhagic shock, and 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes after treatment. Radiolabeled microspheres were used to measure end-organ perfusion and oxygen delivery. RESULTS: Methylene blue/lactated Ringer's resuscitation improved prehospital survival (p < 0.05), mean arterial pressure and cardiac output (p < 0.05), vital end-organ blood flow and oxygen delivery (p < 0.05), and decreased serum lactate levels (p < 0.05), as compared with the methylene blue and lactated Ringer's single therapies. CONCLUSIONS: Resuscitation after refractory hemorrhagic shock using a combination of methylene blue and limited-volume lactated Ringer's solution improves prehospital survival and hemodynamic stability and reduces ischemic damage in an acute setting. This form of therapy has been proved useful as a temporizing measure for resuscitation after refractory hemorrhagic shock in a canine model and warrants further study for its application to the hemorrhagic trauma patient.

Computer-assisted laparoscopic splenectomy with the da Vinci surgical robot.

Laparoscopic splenectomy has become the standard of care for the surgical treatment of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). The minimally invasive approach to splenic disorders such as ITP clearly results in the same benefits to the patients as have been demonstrated with the laparoscopic cholecystectomy techniques. New technologies in minimally invasive surgery have resulted in the development of robotic devises that assist the surgeon during the procedures. Robotic surgery is in its infancy at this point in time. Herein, we report a splenectomy performed with the assistance of the da Vinci surgical robot. With advancement of technology, robotic systems will play an integral role in future minimally invasive surgery.

Early experience with telemanipulative robot-assisted laparoscopic cholecystectomy using da Vinci.

In the past decade, robot-assisted surgery has become increasingly used to assist in minimally invasive surgical procedures. In this article we review the evolution of robotic devices, from the first use of an industrial robot for stereotactic biopsies to pioneering work with robots used for hip and prostate surgery, to the development of robotic guidance systems that enabled solo endoscopic surgery, to telemanipulative surgery with master-servant computer-enhanced robotic devices. In addition, we review our early experience with da Vinci Robotic Surgical Systems (Intuitive Surgical, Inc., Mountain View, CA, U.S.A.), which we used to perform robot-assisted laparoscopic cholecystectomies.

Robotic-assisted adrenalectomy for adrenal incidentaloma: case and review of the technique.

An incidental left adrenal mass was found in a patient during an evaluation for mediastinal widening. The patient had no symptoms attributable to adrenal excess. Preoperative biochemical screening was negative for a functioning medullary or cortical adrenal tumor. Surgical resection was successfully completed with the assistance of the da Vinci robotic system. Pathology demonstrated a rare adrenal oncocytoma.