Safety of Insertion of Percutaneous Totally Implantable Central Venous Access Devices by Surgical Residents.

BACKGROUND/AIM: To compare the outcomes of totally implantable central venous access device (TIVAD) insertions by surgical residents (SRs) with those by experienced surgeons (ESs) and establish the safety of percutaneous TIVAD insertion by SRs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 700 insertions were successfully performed between January 2015 and December 2019 in our Department. The puncture site conversion and complication rates were compared, and risk factors related to complications were analysed. RESULTS: In total, 84 and 616 insertions were performed in the SR and ES groups, respectively. SRs mainly punctured the internal jugular vein (IJV), and ESs punctured the subclavian vein (SV). The conversion rate from the IJV to SV was similar, whereas that from the SV to IJV was higher by SRs than ESs. Overall, early, and delayed complications were similar between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous TIVAD inserted into the IJV by an SR was demonstrated to be safe.

Robust analysis of angiotensin peptides in human plasma: Column switching-parallel LC/ESI-SRM/MS without adsorption or enzymatic decomposition.

Angiotensin (Ang) peptides are the main effectors of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) regulating diverse physiological conditions and are involved in renal and vascular diseases. Currently, quantitative analyses of Ang peptides in human plasma mainly rely on radioimmunoassay-based methods whose reported levels are quite divergent. Analyses are further complicated by the potential of Ang peptides to bind to solid surfaces, to be enzymatically decomposed during sample preparation, and to undergo post-translational modifications. A column switching-parallel LC/ESI-SRM/MS method has been developed for seven Ang peptides (Ang I, Ang II, Ang III, Ang IV, Ang 1-9, Ang 1-7, and Ang A) in human plasma. Aqueous acetonitrile (5%) containing 50 mM arginine (Arg) as a dissolving solution and a combination of protease inhibitors with formic acid were used to prevent adsorption and enzymatic degradation, respectively. Plasma samples were simply deproteinized with acetonitrile followed by clean-up with an on-line trap column via column-switching. Stable isotope dilution with [13C5,15N1-Val]-Ang peptides as internal standards was employed for quantitative analysis. The current methodology has been successfully applied to determine the plasma levels of Ang peptides in healthy participants, suggesting future applicability to studies of various diseases related to RAS.