Acute aortic insufficiency due to avulsion of aortic valve commissure.

A 66-year-old male patient, prior hypertension, a history of orthopnea, palpitations and chest pain of sudden onset, which was diagnosed as spontaneous avulsion of aortic valve commissure and consequent aortic insufficiency progressing to acute left heart failure refractory to medical treatment. The patient underwent early surgical replacement of the aortic valve by a bioprosthesis, and presented satisfactory postoperative course. Currently, four years after the event, still in attendance in functional class I.

Simultaneous myocardial and supra-aortic trunks revascularization.

We report the case of a 58-year-old patient, with a three vessel disease with unstable angina. Due to refractory angina, she was referred to urgent coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). In the preoperative evaluation were found severe obstructive lesions in the brachiocephalic trunk origin, left common carotid origin and left internal carotid artery. The patient underwent CABG, supra-aortic trunks revascularization (extra-anatomic bypass) and carotid endarterectomy in the same procedure. She presented an uneventful recovery and was discharged home on the seventh postoperative day. Currently, two years after the procedure, she continues under follow-up, symptomless.

Ruptured thoracic aortic aneurysm in patient with systemic lupus erythematosus.

It is reported a ruptured descending thoracic aortic aneurysm in a 25-year-old systemic lupus erythematosus woman who underwent 19 years steroid therapy. She was treated with 2 endovascular stent-grafts, discharged from hospital 13 days after the procedure in good health. Three months later she returned with hemorrhagic shock due to high digestive hemorrhage secondary to an aortic-esophageal fistula. She underwent to an open emergency surgery, and died during the post-operative period.

Úlceras em megacólons chagásicos operados na urgência e eletivamente / Ulcerations in Chagas' megacolon operated at urgency and electively

RACIONAL: O megacólon é uma doença freqüente no nosso meio e abordado na urgência pelas suas complicações como fecalomas, volvos e perfurações. As úlceras de estases nos megacólons contribuem como prováveis sítios de perfurações OBJETIVO: Comparar as freqüências de úlceras de decúbito em megacólons chagásicos operados na urgência, por volvo e fecaloma, e eletivamente, objetivando melhor conduta cirúrgica na urgência MATERIAL E MÉTODOS: Analisaram-se os laudos de 356 exames anatomopatológicos de ressecções colônicas de pacientes operados por megacólon chagásico na urgência (102 casos; 29 por cento) e eletivamente (254 casos; 71 por cento), no período de 1980 a 2000. As indicações cirúrgicas de urgência foram atribuídas a volvo (71 casos; 69,6 por cento), fecaloma (25 casos; 24,5 por cento), abdome agudo perfurativo após sondagem retal ou sigmoidoscopia (6 casos; 5,9 por cento). Compararam-se as freqüências de úlceras nos dois grupos de peças cirúrgicas, com a utilização do teste do qui-quadrado RESULTADOS: Nos laudos das peças cirúrgicas obtidas nas cirurgias de urgência, constatou-se o registro de úlceras em 26 casos (25,5 por cento); nas peças de ressecções eletivas verificaram-se úlceras em 21 casos (8,25 por cento). A diferença observada foi estatisticamente significante. A comparação dos grupos de volvo, fecaloma e volvo com fecaloma, em separado com o grupo das cirurgias eletivas, evidenciou diferenças significantes em relação ao volvo e ao fecaloma CONCLUSÃO: A freqüência muito maior de úlceras nos megas operados em caráter de urgência enfatiza a necessidade da ressecção imediata do cólon sigmóide, ao invés da conduta conservadora de simples colostomia descompressiva, mesmo naquelas laparotomias exploradoras em que o exame macroscópico do sigmóide não mostre sinais de necrose. Desta forma, deve-se prevenir a ocorrência de perfuração do megacólon no pós-operatório mediato, com conseqüências usualmente graves.

BACKGROUD: The megacolon is a frequent disease in our emergencie hospital, and approached in the urgency by your complications as fecal impaction, volvulus and perforations. The ulcerations in the megacolons contribute as probable sites of perforations AIM: To compare the frequencies of stercoral ulceration in Chagas' megacolon operated at urgency, by volvulus or fecal impaction, and electively, aiming at a better surgical conduct in the urgency surgery METHODS: It was analyzed 356 anatomy-pathological exams from colon resection of operated patients due to Chagas' megacolon at urgency (102 cases; 29 percent) and electively (254 cases; 71 percent), from 1980 to 2000. The surgical urgency indications were attributed to volvulus (71 cases; 69,6 percent), fecal impaction (25 cases; 24,5 percent), perforated acute abdomen after rectal catheter or sigmoidoscopy (6 cases; 5,9 percent). The ulceration frequency was compared in both groups of resections, using chi-square RESULTS: The pathological anatomy - of surgery resection obtained at urgency surgeries, showed 26 cases of ulceration (25,5 percent) and in electively resections were verified 21 cases of ulceration (8,25 percent). The difference observed was statistically significant. The comparison among the groups of volvulus; fecal impaction and volvulus with fecal impaction, separately with electively surgery group evidenced significant differences in relation to volvulus and fecal impaction CONCLUSIONS: The higher frequency of ulcerations in the megacolon operated at urgency character emphasizes the needs of immediate resection of sigmoid colon, instead of conservative conduct of simple decompression colostomy, even in exploration laparotomy which the macroscopic examination of sigmoid does not show necrotic signs. This way, should prevent the occurrence of perforation in megacolon at mediate postoperative, with serious results.

[Ulcerations in Chagas' megacolon operated at urgency and electively]. / Ulceras em megacólons chagásicos operados na urgência e eletivamente.

BACKGROUND: [corrected] The megacolon is a frequent disease in our emergencie hospital, and approached in the urgency by your complications as fecal impaction, volvulus and perforations. The ulcerations in the megacolons contribute as probable sites of perforations AIM: To compare the frequencies of stercoral ulceration in Chagas' megacolon operated at urgency, by volvulus or fecal impaction, and electively, aiming at a better surgical conduct in the urgency surgery METHODS: It was analyzed 356 anatomy-pathological exams from colon resection of operated patients due to Chagas' megacolon at urgency (102 cases; 29%) and electively (254 cases; 71%), from 1980 to 2000. The surgical urgency indications were attributed to volvulus (71 cases; 69,6%), fecal impaction (25 cases; 24,5%), perforated acute abdomen after rectal catheter or sigmoidoscopy (6 cases; 5,9%). The ulceration frequency was compared in both groups of resections, using chi-square RESULTS: The pathological anatomy - of surgery resection obtained at urgency surgeries, showed 26 cases of ulceration (25,5%) and in electively resections were verified 21 cases of ulceration (8,25%). The difference observed was statistically significant. The comparison among the groups of volvulus; fecal impaction and volvulus with fecal impaction, separately with electively surgery group evidenced significant differences in relation to volvulus and fecal impaction CONCLUSIONS: The higher frequency of ulcerations in the megacolon operated at urgency character emphasizes the needs of immediate resection of sigmoid colon, instead of conservative conduct of simple decompression colostomy, even in exploration laparotomy which the macroscopic examination of sigmoid does not show necrotic signs. This way, should prevent the occurrence of perforation in megacolon at mediate postoperative, with serious results.

Sistema de drenagem torácica e uso de antimicrobianos: avaliação bacteriológica após troca do frasco coletor com seu conteúdo com 12 e 24 horas / Chest drainage system and antimicrobial use: bacteriological evaluation after exchange of the bottle and the solution seal within 12 and 24 hours

Objetivo: Avaliar a contaminação bacteriológica do líquido de drenagem torácica sob sistema fechado, após troca com 12 e 24 horas do frasco coletor e de seu conteúdo, em pacientes sob drenagem torácica, em vigência ou não de antibióticos. Método: Investigou-se o líquido de 54 drenagens torácicas, sobsistema fechado, de 44 pacientes com trauma torácico fechado ou com pneumotórax espontâneo, divididosem dois grupos, de acordo com o tempo de intervalo na substituição da solução de soro fisiológico e do frasco coletor. No grupo A (23 pacientes: 28 drenagens) a troca foi realizada a cada 12 horas e no grupo B (21 pacientes: 26 drenagens) com troca a cada 24 horas. Foram empregados os testes de distribuição normal para análise dos dados paramétricos e qui-quadrado para análise dos dados não paramétricos. Excluiu-se os casos de empiemas pleurais e traumas torácicos por arma de fogo ou arma branca. Resultados: Dos 44 pacientes submetidos à drenagem torácica, 15 (34,2%) apresentavam hemopneumotórax, 13 (29,5%) pneumotórax isoladamente,seis (13,6%) hemotórax, seis (13,6%) pós-toracotomia, três (6,8%) por derrame pleural e um (2,3%) por enfisema subcutâneo. Não houve diferença significativa quanto ao uso de antibióticos ou ao número de culturas positivas (onze em cada) nos dois grupos, mesmo quando se analisou o número de novos casos positivos diários em cada grupo (p>0,05). Conclusão: Através deste estudo constatou-se que a substituição do frasco coletor e do líquido drenado neste frasco, pelo soro fisiológico estéril, tanto por intervalo de tempo de 12h quanto 24h, não mostrou diferença nos índices de colonização bacteriana, independente do uso deantimicrobianos.

Background: We evaluated the bacteriological contamination of chest drainage liquid under closed system after exchanging the bottle and the solution seal with 12 and 24 hours, in patients with or without antibiotics.Methods: The fluid of 54 chest drainage, under closed tube thoracostomy,was investigated in 44 patients with closed chest injury or with spontaneous pneumothorax, dividedinto two groups, in accordance to the interval to replace the physiological serum solution in the collector bottle. In the group A (23 patients, 28 drainages) the exchange of the bottle and of thesolution seal was performed every 12 hours and in the group B (21 patients, 26 drainages) every 24 hours. A normal distribution test for the analysis of parametric data and chi-square test for the analysis of no parametric data were used. Pleural empyema and thoracic trauma by firearms or stab were excluded. Results: From 44 patients subjected to chest drainage, 15 (34,2%) presented hemopneumothorax, 13 (29,5%) isolated pneumothorax, six (13,6%) hemothorax, six (13,6%) postthoracotomy, three (6,8%) by pleural effusions and 1 (2,3%) subcutaneous emphysema. There wasn’tsignificant difference regarding to antibiotic use and the number of positive cultures (eleven in each case) in the two groups, as well as when it was analyzed the number of new positive cases per day in each group (p>0,05). Conclusions: The analysis of this study confirmed that the replacement of drainage fluid in collector bottle, by sterile physiological serum, in an interval time of 12 or 24 hours, showed no difference in the bacterium colonization index, independent of antimicrobian use.

Nitric oxide sera levels as an inflammatory marker in asthma.

BACKGROUND: Nitric oxide is an important regulator of various biological activities in human physiology, and it has been studied in the physiopathology of asthma, especially in exhaled air. OBJECTIVE: We studied the presence of NO in sera of patients with distinct degrees of asthma severity in order to determine a parameter of diagnosis and control of efficacious treatment. METHODS: We determined the presence of NO based upon the Griess reaction in the sera of 124 donors--34 controls and 90 asthmatic subjects. RESULTS: Asthmatic patients presented higher levels of nitric oxide in peripheral blood (56.54 +/- 33.37) compared to the control group (3.06 +/- 4.48). A statistically significant difference (p < 0.0001) between the nitric oxide sera levels from the two groups was demonstrated. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that nitric oxide sera levels can be used as an additional inflammatory marker in asthma, especially as an auxiliary diagnostic method in children where NO exhaled air analysis is difficult.

Avaliação das infecções do sítio cirúrgico em pacientes operados numa enfermaria de cirurgia geral no HC-UFU, no período de janeiro à junho de 2000 / Infection valuations of surgical site infection on patients to have operated on general surgey ward in HC-UFU, period from january to june 2000

Trezentos e dois procedimentos cirúrgicos foram avaliados quanto a ocorrência de infecção do sítio cirúrgico, classificando-se de acordo com: cirurgia contaminada ou infectada, ASA III, IV ou V e tempo cirúrgico prolongado, empregando-se o índice de Culver. Avaliou-se também o uso ou não de antibióticos. Obteve-se uma taxa total de infecção de 14,24 por cento de todos os procedimentos. Quanto a classificação do risco potencial de contaminação, ocorreram 8,3 por cento de infecções em cirurgias limpas, 7,03 por cento para potencialmente contaminadas, 23,47 por cento para contaminadas e 37,5 por cento para infectadas. De acordo com o índice de Culver, obteve-se: 4,1 por cento para índice 0,16,37 por cento para 1,28,58 por cento para 2, e 28,58 por cento para índice 3. Os procedimentos que fizeram uso de antibioticoprofilaxia apresentaram taxa de infecção de 6,76 por cento contra 8,91 por cento daqueles que não o fizeram. Todas as taxas de infecção do sítio cirúrgico relacionadas com as categorias de Culver foram acima dos valores aceitáveis pela literatura, além de detectar-se uma alta taxa de infecção nos procedimentos limpos, podendo indicar quebra da técnica de assepsia