Continuous Peripheral Block as a Pain Treatment for Redressment and Physical Therapy in a 7-Year-Old Child - A Case Report.

Continuous peripheral nerve block, also known as "local anesthetic perineural infusion," refers to percutaneous placement of a catheter near a peripheral nerve or plexus followed by administration of a local anesthetic through a catheter to provide anesthesia, or analgesia for several days, in some cases even for a month. This report describes the case of a 7 year old boy with left elbow contracture with limited flexion and extension who was admitted to the Clinic of Pediatric Surgery for redressment of the elbow and physical therapy. An ultrasound-guided axillary brachial plexus block was performed, with placement of a non-tunneled perineural catheter. Redressment of the left elbow was performed twice and before each redressment boluses of local anesthetic were applied through the perineural catheter. Physical therapy was performed painlessly with continuous perineural infusion. On the 5th day of catheter placement, the perineural catheter was removed without any prior complications such as hematoma, infection, catheter dislocation or leakage of local anesthetic. Our goal is to minimize the psychological and physical trauma to the patient, no matter how immature the patient is. Continuous regional anesthesia in children is a safe technique in postoperative pain management that facilitates early mobilization due to its sufficient analgesia and better comfort. It can provide in-home treatment, with adequate education for patients and parents, and improve rehabilitation in children.

Minimally invasive treatment of 56 consecutive supracondylar fractures of the humerus in children.

OBJECTIVE: to present our results from the minimally invasive approach in the treatment of 56 consecutive Gartland types II and III supracondylar fractures of the humerus in school-age patients. METHOD: Including criteria were isolated supracondylar fractures Gartland types II and III, in the period from January 2011 to November 2011. We admitted 56 children aged four to 12 years (mean 6.9 y.). The most common mechanism of injury was fall with the elbow extended. The treatment procedure consisted of four steps: 1) Classification of the injury according to x-ray findings; 2) Under general anaesthesia, the injured child was placed in a prone position; 3) Closed reduction was obtained by placing the elbow on a special table with the elbow flexed at 90 degrees, using gravity to help reposition; 4) After x-ray verification of the reduction two Sommer pins were inserted to stabilize the fracture. The pins were placed percutaneously through the medial and lateral humeral condyles respectively. After the intervention all elbows were immobilized in a splint cast for 3 weeks. RESULTS: All patients were followed up for six months. Control radiographs were performed postoperatively, three weeks and two months after the injury. There were no malunions or nonunions. We estimated the elbow function using the Mayo elbow performance index. The functional results were excellent and very good according to the Mayo score. CONCLUSION: We recommend this one-day surgical approach for the treatment of Gartland type II and III supracondylar fractures.

[The influence of stress hyperglycemia on the prognosis of patients with acute myocardial infarction and temporary electrical cardiac pacing].

INTRODUCTION: Elevated glucose levels on admission in many emergency conditions, including acute myocardial infarction (AMI), have been identified as a predictor of hospital mortality. OBJECTIVE: Since there are no data in the literature related to stress hyperglycaemia (SH) in patients with both AIM and temporary electrical cardiac pacing, we aimed to investigate the influence of stress hyperglycaemia on the prognosis of patients with AMI and temporary electrical cardiac pacing. METHODS: The prospective study included 79 patients with diagnosed AMI with ST-segment elevation (STEMI), admitted to the Coronary Care Unit of the Clinic for Cardiovascular Diseases, Clinical Centre Nis, from 2004 to 2007, who were indicated for temporary electrical cardiac pacing. The blood was sampled on admission for lab analysis, glucose levels were determined (as well as markers of myocardial necrosis troponin I, CK-MB). Echocardiographic study was performed and ejection fraction was evaluated by using area length method. RESULTS: The ROC analysis indicated that the best glycaemic level on admission, which could be used as a predictor of mortality, was 10.00 mmol/l, and the area under the curve was 0.82. In the group without SH, hospital mortality was 3-fold lower 11/48 (22.91%) compared to the group with SH 19/31 (61.29%), p < 0.0001. Patients with SH were more likely to have higher troponin levels, Killip >1, lower ejection fraction and heart rate, as well as systolic blood pressure. CONCLUSION: The best cut-off value for SH in patients with AMI (STEMI) and temporary electrical cardiac pacing is 10 mmol/l (determined by ROC curve) and may be used in risk stratification; patients with glucose levels <10 mmol/l on admission are at 3-fold lower risk compared to those with glucose levels >10 mml/l. Our results suggest that SH is a more reliable marker of poor outcome in AMI patients with temporary pace maker, without previously diagnosed DM.

[Clinical and echocardiographic characteristics of patients with diabetic cardiomyopathy]. / Klinicke i ehokardiografske karakteristike bolesnika sa dijabetesnom kardiomiopatijom.

The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical and echocardiographic characteristics of patients with diabetic cardiomyopathy. The study included 72 patients, divided into two groups. The experimental group consisted of 32 diabetics, while 40 gender and age-matched healthy subjects were in the control group. In the experimental group there were 17 patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, and 15 patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. The average duration of diabetes mellitus was 9.53 years. All the patients underwent the following diagnostic procedures: standard laboratory tests, 12-lead ECG, chest X-ray, 24-h Holter ECG, and complete echocardiographic examination. More frequent appearance of ventricular rhythm disturbances (65.6% vs. 47.5%), increased heart rate (78.3 +/- 8.2 vs. 72.1 +/- 4.6 beats per minute), and alteration of diastolic (56.25% vs. 12.5%) and systolic function (43.8% vs. 0%) was registered in patients with diabetes, compared to the control group. Experimental group was divided, according to their left ventricular dimensions, into two subgroups: the subgroup with normal left ventricular dimensions, and the subgroup with the increased left ventricular dimensions. Patients with the increased left ventricular dimensions not only had significantly lower ejection fraction (37.4 +/- 7.0 vs. 61.3 +/- 4.2%), but also had significantly longer duration of diabetes (12.6 +/- 5.8 vs. 8.01 +/- 3.01 years), worse quality of glycoregulation (13.1 +/- 2.5 vs. 10.4 +/- 2.1%), and higher Shapiro's microvascular complications index (2.7 +/- 1.26 vs. 0.68 +/- 0.56). High degree of correlation was also found between the duration of diabetes, left ventricular ejection fraction (-0.86), and left ventricular mass (0.86). The similar level of correlation was shown with Shapiro's index (-0.77 and 0.88), as well as with morning glycaemia (-0.57 and 0.41). According to the obtained results it could be concluded that the changing rate of diabetic cardiomyopathy was in direct correlation with the quality of diabetes control, the duration of diabetes, and the presence of complications in other organs.

[Predictive significance of residual ischemia detected by the dobutamine stress-echocardiography test soon after the first uncomplicated myocardial infarction]. / Prognosticki znacaj rezidualne ishemije procenjene dobutaminskim stresehokardiografskim testom rano posle nekoplikovanog infarkta miokarda.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the long-term prognostic value of dobutamine stress-echocardiography (ECG) test for new coronary events (new episodes of angina pectoris, cardiac-related deaths, and reinfarctions) early after the first uncomplicated myocardial infarction. METHODS: Dobutamine stress-echocardiography tests were performed in all of 104 patients 10-20 days after the first myocardial infarction. Patients were followed-up for 36 (29 +/- 7) months. Kaplan-Meier cumulative survival curves were tested by Breslow test (Log Rank). RESULTS: Two cardiac deaths (1.92%), nine nonfatal myocardial infarctions (8.65%), and three cases of recurrent angina pectoris (2.88%) occurred during the prospective follow-up. Cumulative survival curves showed that in patients with negative findings of dobutamine stress-echocardiography test, survival time without significant events was 35.31 months, while in the group with positive findings of dobutamine stress-echocardiography test it was 30.91 months (log Rank 7.22; p<0.01). Prognostic value of dobutamine stress-echocardiography test was analyzed by Cox regression model and was 2.92, meaning that the risk of significant events was 2.92 times higher in the group of patients with positive findings of dobutamine stress-echocardiography test. CONCLUSION: Patients with negative findings of dobutamine stress-echocardiography test were with significantly higher possibility of surviving without significant events in comparison with the patients in whom the findings of dobutamine stress-echocardiography test were positive. In combination with clinical signs and ECG results, the results of dobutamine stress-echocardiography test improved prognostic value in the patients with the first uncomplicated myocardial infarction, and in that way influenced the strategy of their further treatment.