Application of autologous blood patch in patients with non-expanded lungs and persistent air leak.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of pleurodesis procedure by ensuring the expansion of the lung and occluding lung parenchyma leaks with an autologous blood patch. METHODS: A total of 24 patients (17 males, 7 females; mean age 59.9±12.2 years; range, 30 to 86 years) who underwent autologous blood patch pleurodesis in our clinic between November 2015 and November 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were not eligible to undergo chemical pleurodesis due to a nonexpandable lung or poor general condition. Demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients and postoperative data were evaluated. RESULTS: The air leak stopped within 48 h after autologous blood patch pleurodesis in seven patients. The air leak significantly decreased in 13 patients, while it remained unchanged in four patients. A Heimlich valve was placed in the patients in whom the air leak stopped or significantly decreased. The follow-up chest X-rays showed that the respective lungs of these patients became completely expandable. CONCLUSION: Our study results suggest that the autologous blood patch procedure is a favorable option for the patients who are unable to benefit much from the conventional chemical pleurodesis methods due to contraindications to surgery or the presence of non-expandable lungs.

Retained foreign body after chest stab wound.

Foreign bodies may occur after a thoracic trauma, but foreign bodies retained after stab wounds are rare. This paper reports the case of a 20-year-old man who was admitted with the diagnosis of haemothorax following a single stab wound on the chest. One month later, he was referred to the authors' clinic with symptoms of pain and swelling under the left scapula due to a previously overlooked foreign body on the chest wall.

Is a neutral head position as effective as head rotation during landmark-guided internal jugular vein cannulation? Results of a randomized controlled clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: Central venous access remains a cornerstone procedure for a variety of clinical conditions. Ultrasound studies suggest that rotation of the head increases the magnitude of the overlap of the internal jugular vein with the carotid artery. The authors assessed whether a neutral position of the head during anatomic landmark-guided cannulation of the internal jugular vein (IJV) was an attractive alternative to rotating the neck to a >45° head turn. DESIGN: A prospective, randomized, controlled study. SETTING: An education and research hospital and a university-affiliated hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Eighty patients requiring central venous catheterization in the right IJV. INTERVENTIONS: Under general anesthesia, patients were positioned in the Trendelenburg position with extension of the neck. In the rotated group, the head was rotated to the left at >45°. In the neutral group, the head was placed in the neutral position. Right IJV cannulation was performed using the central approach with the needle angled toward the ipsilateral nipple. The primary outcome variable was the cumulative success rate, which was defined as IJV puncture achieved in the first 3 attempts using a finder needle. A p value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Groups were similar in terms of demographic data. The success rates of finder needle passes into the IJV on the first attempt were 87.5% and 37.5% (p < 0.05), and the cumulative success rates on the first 3 attempts were 97.5% and 57.5% in the rotated and neutral groups, respectively (p < 0.05). Carotid artery puncture only occurred in 2 patients in the rotated group. CONCLUSIONS: Because of the lower success rate, the neutral head position is not an attractive alternative for IJV catheterization when compared with the rotated head position in a central landmark IJV approach.

Early and midterm results of single-port video-assisted thoracoscopic sympathectomy.

BACKGROUND: Video-assisted thoracoscopic sympathectomy (VATS) is the gold standard for patients with hyperhidrosis of the upper limbs. The primary aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the midterm outcome and the degree of satisfaction of patients who underwent single-port VATS. METHODS: Forty three patients diagnosed with hyperhidrosis underwent T3, T4 VATS single-port approach, between January 2009 and May 2011. Early and midterm outcome with particular emphasis on patient satisfaction were collected by hospital chart and telephonic interview. RESULTS: The mean follow-up was 14 months. No major perioperative complication occurred except for chylothorax in a case. During the immediate postoperative period, all the patients reported palmar anhydrosis. Compensatory sweating (6.9%) and recurrence of hyperhidrosis (6.9%) are responsible mainly for dissatisfaction. No patients experienced moderate or severe chronic pain. CONCLUSIONS: Single-port VATS is a feasible and minimally invasive technique with a low incidence of chronic pain for the treatment of hyperhidrosis. A few patients may experience compensatory sweating and recurrence of hyperhidrosis. The degree of patient satisfaction with the midterm surgical results is high.

Comparison between intermittent intravenous analgesia and intermittent paravertebral subpleural analgesia for pain relief after thoracotomy.

OBJECTIVE: In the present prospective double-blind randomized trial, the effects of intermittent paravertebral subpleural bupivacaine and morphine on pain management in patients undergoing thoracotomy were evaluated and compared with intermittent systemic analgesia. METHODS: Forty-five patients undergoing elective lobectomy were included in the present study. Three randomized groups consisting of 15 patients each were compared. Those in the control group were administered intravenously with tramadol 100 mg plus metamizol 1000 mg every 4 h for 3 days. We placed the catheter just below the parietal pleura along the paravertebral sulcus at the level of T5-T7. At the end of the operation and every 4 h thereafter, the patients received either 1.5 mg kg(-1) bupivacaine (bupivacaine group) or 0.2 mg kg(-1) morphine sulfate (morphine group) with paravertebral subpleural catheter for 3 days. Data regarding demographics, visual analog pain scores, need for supplementary intravenous analgesia, pulmonary function tests, and postoperative pulmonary complications were recorded for each patient. RESULTS: Visual analog pain scores (visual analog scale (VAS)) were lower in the morphine and bupivacaine groups compared with control group at all postoperative time points. The mean postoperative VAS was significantly different between the control and bupivacaine groups at postoperative hour 12, the control and morphine groups at postoperative hours 6, 12, 48, and 72, and the bupivacaine and morphine groups at postoperative hours 6 and 24 (p<0.05). In the control group, additional analgesic requirement was significantly higher than in the bupivacaine and morphine groups (p<0.05). Postoperative pulmonary complications occurred in three patients (20%) in the control group, in two patients (13%) in the bupivacaine group, and in one (6%) in the morphine group. CONCLUSIONS: The patients undergoing lung resection through a thoracotomy were observed with reduced postoperative pain and better surgical outcomes with respect to the length of hospital stay, postoperative forced expiratory volume in the first second, pulmonary complications, and need for bronchoscopic management, when paravertebral subpleural analgesia was induced by morphine.

Effects of flurbiprofen on CRP, TNF-α, IL-6, and postoperative pain of thoracotomy.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to evaluate serum levels of acute phase reactants, such as CRP and cytokines (TNF-α and IL-6) in patients who have undergone thoracotomy and to investigate the effects of flurbiprofen on postoperative inflammatory response. METHODS: Forty patients undergoing posterolateral thoracotomy were randomly divided into 2 groups of 20 each. Control group received tramadol (4 x 100 mg) intravenously for four days, and flurbiprofen group received both tramadol (4 x 100 mg) and flurbiprofen (2 x 100 mg). Blood samples were collected before surgery and at the 3th and 168th hours after surgical procedure to measure serum CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α. Pain visual analog scales were recorded daily during the first four postoperative days. Spirometric measurement of forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV 1) was done before and four days after the operation. RESULTS: The serum CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α levels in both groups increased significantly at 3th hour after thoracotomy. Serum TNF-α levels did not differ significantly between the groups at postoperative 4th day. However, IL-6 and CRP were significantly lower in flurbiprofen group than in control group at the same day (p < 0.05). Visual analog scale was significantly lower in flurbiprofen group at 6th, 12th, 48th, 72th, and 96th hours postoperatively (p < 0.05). The patients receiving flurbiprofen had higher FEV 1 values when compared with control group at postoperative 4th day. CONCLUSIONS: Patients undergoing thoracotomy showed reduced postoperative pain, mean additional analgesic consumption, and serum IL-6 and CRP levels, when flurbiprofen was added to systemic analgesic therapy. Analgesia with anti-inflammatory drug may contribute to the attenuation of the postoperative inflammatory response and prevent postoperative pain in patients undergoing thoracotomy.