Recovery process and determinants of adverse event occurrence in bronchoscopic procedures performed under general anaesthesia.

OBJECTIVE: Regarding the fact that rigid bronchoscopy is generally performed under general anaesthesia and this patient subgroup is remarkably morbid, encountering procedure and/or anaesthesia related complications are highly likely. Here, we aimed to assess factors influencing recovery and detect possible determinants of adverse event occurrence during these operations performed in a tertiary referral centre. METHODS: Eighty-one consecutive ASA I-IV patients were recruited for this investigation. In the operating theatre after induction of anaesthesia and advancement of the device, maintenance was provided with total intravenous anaesthesia. Neuromuscular blockage was invariably administered, and patients were ventilated manually. In addition to preoperative demographic and procedural characteristics, perioperative hemodynamic variables, recovery times and observed adverse events were noted. RESULTS: Basic demographic properties, ASA and Mallampati scores, and procedure specific variables as lesion localization, lesion and procedure type were comparable among groups assembled with reference to event occurrence. Patients who had experienced adverse event had higher heart rates. Recovery times were comparable between Event (-) and Event (+) groups. Relationship of recovery process were individually tested with all variables and only lesion type was detected to have an effect on respiration and extubation times. Among all parameters only procedural time seemed to be associated with adverse event occurrence (mins, 22.9 ± 11.9 vs 41.6 ± 28.8, P < .001). CONCLUSION: Recovery times related with return of spontaneous respiration were significantly lower in procedures performed for treatment of tumoral diseases in this study and procedure length was determined to be the ultimate factor which had an impact on adverse event occurrence.

Computed Tomography (CT) Findings of a Diagnostic Dilemma: Atypically Located Acute Appendicitis.

BACKGROUND: Acute appendicitis is an emergent surgically treated disease generally represented by right lower abdominal pain. The most common location of the appendix is descending intraperitoneal. However, it can also show atypical locations such as inguinal canal, femoral canal, subhepatic, retrocecal, intraperitoneal abdominal midline and left side in situs inversus or intestinal malrotation patients. Atypical location can lead to atypical clinical presentations. Ultrasonography is the first choice modality for imaging. However, it can be insufficient for demonstration of the appendix. Therefore, computed tomography (CT) is needed for further examination. We aim to review the CT findings of atypically located acute appendicitis with cases and remind the clinicians and radiologists the importance of the prompt diagnosis. CASE REPORT: We presented five atypically-located appendix cases, including four with acute appendicitis that presented to our emergency department with acute abdominal pain. Two of the acute appendicitis cases had normal, the other two had elevated white blood cell count, but all of them had elevated CRP. Ultrasonography imaging was performed as a first-line imaging modality. Because of the inconclusive results of both clinical-laboratory findings and ultrasonography, CT imaging was performed. Abdominal CT demonstrated all of the atypically localised appendices successfully, which were left-sided in a malrotated patient, retrocecal, subhepatic, retrocecal ascending, intraperitoneal abdominal midline localised. CONCLUSIONS: Atypically located acute appendicitis can show atypical presentation and result in misdiagnosis. If ultrasonograpgy is inconclusive, we suggest abdominal CT in such confusing, complicated cases, because misdiagnosis or delay in the right diagnosis can result in complications and increased morbidity and mortality rates.

Transmurality of scar influences the effect of a hybrid-intervention with autologous bone marrow cell injection and aortocoronary bypass surgery (MNC/CABG) in patients after myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Cell therapy (CTx) is a strategy to support cardiac regeneration after myocardial infarction (MI). Thus far, clinical studies provided mixed results. Here, we investigated whether transmurality of the infarct may play a relevant role. METHODS: 18 patients (63 ± 3 years, 15 male) undergoing elective coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery 2.2 ± 0.7 months post MI participated. 10 had transmural and 8 non-transmural infarct scars assessed by Tc-99m-MIBI Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) and F18-FDG-Positron-Emission-Tomography (PET). During surgery, 10 ml of sternal bone marrow were obtained, mononuclear cells (MNC) were isolated. At the end of surgery MNC were injected into the infarctions' center and border zones (10 injections, 2 ml total, 6.6 ± 1.3 × 10(7) MNC). RESULTS: No major complications attributable to cell therapy were observed. The sizes of non-transmural scars were reduced at 3 and 24 months after treatment (7.7 ± 1.1% and 5.5 ± 1.8 vs. 17.5 ± 4.9%, P=0.05 and P=0.04), while transmural scars remained unchanged (23.5 ± 2.6% and 23.8±3.2 vs. 23.5 ± 2.6%, P>0.99 and P=0.95). A trend towards improved LVEF was seen in patients with non-transmural scars (MRI: 48.8 ± 5.1% vs. 30.6 ± 8.7%, P=0.3; SPECT: 54.1 ± 3.1 vs. 41.0 ± 4.0, P=0.086), but not in patients with transmural scars (MRI: 36.7 ± 3.9 vs. 34.3 ± 5.0, P=0.63, SPECT: 37.8 ± 3.1 vs. 37.9 ± 2.3%, P=0.96). CONCLUSIONS: A single hybrid intervention of MNC recovery, purification and injection with CABG-surgery (MNC/CABG) may be an attractive modality for cell therapy. However, no regeneration of avital transmural scar tissue seems to occur, while the contribution of MNC to improved perfusion in non-transmural myocardial infarct scars remains to be determined.

No evidence of myocardial restoration following transplantation of mononuclear bone marrow cells in coronary bypass grafting surgery patients based upon cardiac SPECT and 18F-PET.

BACKGROUND: We tested the hypothesis, that intramyocardial injection of mononuclear bone marrow cells combined with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery improves tissue viability or function in infarct regions with non-viable myocardium as assessed by nuclear imaging techniques. METHODS: Thus far, 7 patients (60 +/- 10 [SD] years) undergoing elective CABG surgery after a myocardial infarction were included in this study. Prior to sternotomy, bone marrow was harvested by sternal puncture. Mononuclear bone marrow cells were isolated by gradient centrifugation and resuspended in 2 ml volume of Hank's buffered salt solution. At the end of CABG surgery 10 injections of 0.2 ml each were applied to the core area and borderzones of the infarct. Global and regional perfusion and viability were evaluated by ECG-gated 99mTc-tetrofosmin myocardial single-photon emission computed tomograph (SPECT) imaging and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) in all study patients < 6 days before and 3 months after the intervention. RESULTS: Non-viable segments indicating transmural defects were identified in 5 patients. Two patients were found to have non-transmural defects before surgery. Concomitant surgical revascularisation and bone marrow cell injection was performed in all patients without major complications. The median total injected mononuclear cell number was 7.0 x 10(7) (range: 0.8-20.4). At 3 months 99mTc-tetrofosmin SPECT and 18F-FDG-PET scanning showed in 5 patients (transmural defect n = 4; non-transmural defect n = 1) no change in myocardial viability and in two patients (transmural defect n = 1, non-transmural defect n = 1) enhanced myocardial viability by 75%. Overall, global and regional LV ejection fraction was not significantly increased after surgery compared with the preoperative value. CONCLUSION: In CABG surgery patients with non-viable segments the concurrent use of intramyocardial cell transfer did not show any clear improvement in tissue viability or function by means of non-invasive bioimaging techniques.