How Much Blood Could a JP Suck If a JP Could Suck Blood?

OBJECTIVE: Active surgical drains minimize fluid accumulation in the postoperative period. The Jackson-Pratt (JP) system consists of a silicone drain connected by flexible tubing to a bulb. When air in the bulb is evacuated, negative pressure is applied at the surgical site to aspirate fluid. The objective of this study was to determine if the evacuation method and volume of accumulated fluid affect the pressure generated by the bulb. METHODS: Bulbs were connected to a digital manometer under various experimental conditions. A random number generator determined the initial evacuation method for each bulb, either side-in or bottom-up. Subsequent evacuations were alternated until data was collected in triplicate for each method. Predetermined amounts of water were placed into the bulb; air was evacuated; and pressure was recorded. The digital manometer was allowed to equilibrate for 1 minute prior to data acquisition. RESULTS: The average amount of pressure after a side-in evacuation of a JP bulb was 87.4 cm H2 O compared to 17.7 cm H2 O for a bottom-up evacuation (P < 0.0001). When the drain contained 25 mL, 50 mL, 75 mL, and 100 mL of fluid, the pressure applied dropped to 72.6, 41.3, 37.0, and 35.6 cm H2 O, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: JP drains generate negative pressure in order to reduce fluid accumulation at surgical sites. Although its function is frequently taken for granted, this study demonstrates that both the specific method for evacuating the bulb as well as the amount of fluid in the bulb significantly affect the performance of this device. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA Laryngoscope, 129:1806-1809, 2019.

Dizziness Handicap Inventory Score Is Highly Correlated With Markers of Gait Disturbance.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between Dizziness Handicap Inventory-Screening version (DHI-S) score and spatiotemporal gait parameters using SoleSound, a newly developed, inexpensive, portable footwear-based gait analysis system. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional. PATIENTS: One hundred eighteen patients recruited from otology clinic. INTERVENTION(S): Subjects completed the DHI-S survey and four uninterrupted walking laps wearing SoleSound instrumented footwear on a hard, flat surface for 100 m. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): For each subject, mean and coefficient of variation (CV) of stride length, cadence, walking speed, foot-ground clearance, double-support time, swing period, and stance-to-swing were computed by considering 40 strides of steady-state walking within each lap. Linear regression models were employed to study correlations between these variables and DHI-S scores after adjusting for age, sex, and race/ethnicity. RESULTS: Patients with higher DHI-S score took shorter steps and less steps per minute (-0.017 m and -1.1 steps/min per every four-point increase in DHI-S score, p < 0.05) than patients with a lower DHI-S score, with slower walking speed (-0.025 m/s per every four-point increase in DHI-S score, p < 0.01). Additionally, patients with higher DHI-S scores showed larger variability in all analyzed temporal parameters (+0.1% for CV of cadence, +0.5% for CV of double support period, +0.2% for CV of swing period, and +0.4% for CV of stance-to-swing, per every four-point increase in DHI-S score, p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: SoleSound was effective in measuring a wide range of gait parameters. Patients' self-perception of vestibular handicap, as assessed with DHI-S, is associated with deterioration in measurable gait parameters independent of age.

Residual Tricuspid Regurgitation following Tricuspid Valve Repair during Concomitant Valve Surgery Worsens Late Survival.

BACKGROUND: Concomitant tricuspid valve repair (TVr) for functional tricuspid regurgitation (TR) at the time of left-sided valve surgery has become increasingly more common over the past decade. The impact of residual post-repair TR on late outcomes remains unclear. METHODS: All patients undergoing TVr during concomitant left-sided valve surgery at our institution from 2005-2012 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were stratified into 2 groups according to the degree of post-cardiopulmonary bypass TR observed on intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography; 0-1+ TR (No TR, n = 246) and ≥2+ TR (Residual TR, n = 26). Primary outcomes of interest were 30-day survival, 4-year survival, and follow-up TR grade. A propensity-matched subgroup analysis was performed in addition to the overall cohort analysis. RESULTS: Mean age for all patients was 70.3 ± 13.0 years and 107 (39%) patients were male. There was no difference in 30-day survival between groups (92% No TR versus 96% Residual TR, P = .70). Kaplan-Meier analysis of overall 4-year survival showed a trend toward worsened survival in the Residual TR group (log rank P = .17) and propensity-matched subgroup analysis showed significantly worse 4-year survival for Residual TR (log rank P = .02). At mean echocardiographic follow up of 11.9 ± 22.5 months, TR grade was significantly worse in the Residual TR group compared to No TR (1.5 ± 0.8 Residual TR versus 0.9 ± 0.9 No TR, P = .005), although TR severity was significantly improved from immediately post-bypass. CONCLUSIONS: Patients left with residual TR following TVr during concomitant left-sided valve surgery have significantly decreased late survival compared to patients left with no post-repair TR.