Procedural sedation and analgesia for percutaneous trans-hepatic biliary drainage: Randomized clinical trial for comparison of two different concepts.

Procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) is important during painful dilatation and stenting in patients undergoing percutaneous trans-hepatic biliary drainage (PTBD). A prospective, nonblinded randomized clinical trial was performed comparing different analgesic regimens with regard to the patient's comfort. Patients were randomly assigned to two treatment groups in a parallel study, receiving either remifentanil or combined midazolam, piritramide, and S-ketamine. The primary study endpoint was pain intensity before, during, and after the intervention using the numerical rating scale (0, no pain; 10, maximum pain). The secondary study endpoint was the satisfaction of the interventional radiologist. Fifty patients underwent PTBD of whom 19 (38.0%) underwent additional stenting. During intervention, the two groups did not differ significantly. After the intervention, the need for auxiliary opioids was higher (12.5% vs 7.7%; p = 0.571) and nausea/vomiting was more frequently observed (33.4% vs 3.8%; p = 0.007) in patients with remifentanil than in patients with PSA. Overall, 45 patients (90.0%) needed additional administration of non-opioid analgesics during postinterventional observation. Remifentanil and combined midazolam, piritramide, and S-ketamine obtained adequate analgesic effects during PTBD. After the intervention, medications with antiemetics and long-acting analgesics were more frequently administered in patients treated with remifentanil (EudraCT No. 2006-003285-34; institutional funding).

Aortic stent graft placement under extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in severe multiple trauma.

Placement of an aortic stent graft under extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was the life-saving procedure in a case of severe head trauma and traumatic aortic dissection after injured by a railroad engine. Timely access to neurosurgery, heart surgery, and radiology providing minimal invasive interventions increase the chances of a favorable outcome.

Transcatheter embolization for the management of acute active inferior epigastric artery hemorrhages.

PURPOSE: To report a retrospective review of all patients who were admitted to the interventional radiology unit at our hospital for transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) of an acute active hemorrhage of the inferior epigastric artery. METHODS: From 1996 to 2012, 52 consecutive patients (26 men; mean age 63±15 years) with hemodynamically relevant active abdominal wall hematoma were admitted for TAE of the inferior epigastric artery. Of these, 19 patients had spontaneous hemorrhage due to use of anticoagulants, 18 due to abdominal trauma, and 15 due to an iatrogenic complication. All superselective embolizations were performed using a coaxial catheter technique with a 0.018-inch microcatheter introduced through the diagnostic macrocatheter. Various embolization methods, alone or in combination, were applied, including primarily microcoils and polyvinyl alcohol particles. RESULTS: Primary technical success was achieved in 47/52 (90%) patients; the remainder needed a second embolization session (secondary success 100%). The mean puncture-to-hemostasis time was 65.4±35 minutes. No patient developed a large hematoma or pseudoaneurysm at the puncture site. The 30-day mortality was 19% (n=10) and the total cumulative mortality rate was 23% (n=12). Over a mean 67-month follow-up of 39/40 survivors (1 lost to follow-up), no complications from the embolization procedure, such as abdominal wall ischemia, were observed. There were no differences in outcomes based on etiology of the hemorrhage. CONCLUSION: In selected patients with acute active hemorrhage of the IEA in the anterior abdominal wall, TAE is a fast, safe, minimally invasive, and reliable method with a high technical success rate and no long-term complications.

Resolution of biliary stricture after living donor liver transplantation in a child by percutaneous trans-hepatic cholangiography and drainage: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: Intra-hepatic cholestasis arising from biliary strictures is a frequent complication in pediatric patients after liver transplantation. Minimally invasive procedures such as percutaneous drainage placement and balloon dilation are the preferred diagnostic and therapeutic modalities. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the case of a 12-month-old Caucasian boy with biliary atresia who was initially treated with hepatoportoenterostomy. In the following months, he developed biliary cirrhosis, accompanied by cystic bile retention, recurrent bile duct infections and malabsorption. Six months after the initial surgical intervention, he underwent living donor liver transplantation. Within two months, the hepatico-jejunostomy became occluded leading to progressive intra-hepatic cholestasis. Under sonographic guidance, external drainage of bile was accomplished by percutaneous trans-hepatic cholangiography and drainage. In total, our patient underwent 12 interventions under general anesthesia until balloon dilatation of the hepatico-jejunostomy was successfully performed. Finally, our patient's general condition improved and he gained weight. CONCLUSIONS: Minimally invasive techniques are preferred to surgical revisions and justify even multiple attempts. Interventions under general anesthesia, though not without risks, are still reasonable. Co-operation with parents and multidisciplinary approach to complication management by the involved surgeon, radiologist, pediatrician and anesthesiologist are important.

Endovascular management of inadvertent subclavian artery catheterization during subclavian vein cannulation.

PURPOSE: To retrospectively review a 9-year experience with endovascular management of inadvertent subclavian artery catheterization during subclavian vein cannulation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From June 2000 through July 2009 (109 months), 13 patients underwent endovascular management of inadvertent subclavian artery catheterization. All catheters were still in situ, including one 7-F catheter, six 8-F catheters, and six large-bore 10-11-F catheters. Treatment was performed with an Angio-Seal device (n = 6) or balloon catheters (n = 7) and by additional stent-graft placement (n = 4). RESULTS: Mean follow-up was 27.3 months (range, 0.4-78 months). The 30-day mortality rate was 7.7% and the late mortality rate was 46.1%. Primary technical success was achieved in nine patients (69.2%), in four with the use of a compliant balloon catheter and in the other five with an Angio-Seal device. Complications required additional stent-graft placement in four patients (30.8%), one because of stenosis after Angio-Seal device deployment and three as a result of insufficient closure of the puncture site by balloon tamponade. Stent-graft repair was successful in all four patients, for a primary assisted technical success rate of 100%. CONCLUSIONS: Endovascular techniques offer a less invasive alternative to surgery. The present limited experience shows that the use of the Angio-Seal device is not without risks, whereas balloon tamponade is not always reliable in closing the puncture site. Stent-graft placement may be required in patients in whom balloon tamponade fails or in whom the use of the Angio-Seal device is contraindicated.

Transcatheter arterial embolization for the management of iatrogenic and blunt traumatic intercostal artery injuries.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) for the management of iatrogenic and blunt traumatic intercostal artery (ICA) injuries associated with hemothorax and clinical deterioration. METHODS: From May 1999 through April 2007, 24 consecutive patients (17 men, 7 women; mean age 53 years) presenting with active ICA hemorrhage underwent TAE mainly by means of coils combined with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) particles. Eleven of them had blunt traumatic injuries (group A, n = 11) and 13 had iatrogenic injuries (group B, n = 13). In all patients, ICA injuries resulted in acute bleeding with clinical deterioration and hemothorax. Before discharge, all patients underwent clinical examination, laboratory tests, and chest x-ray. After discharge, no specific follow-up protocol was required, and the patients were questioned on their state of health at regular intervals and underwent CT or chest x-ray as needed. RESULTS: Primary technical success (PTS) was achieved in 21 of 24 patients (87.5%). In group A, it was achieved in all but one patient (90.9%) and in group B in 11 of 13 patients (84.6%). A total of three patients needed secondary interventions, which failed in one of them, amounting to a secondary technical success rate (STS) of 8.3%. The total cumulative mortality rate was 37.5% (n = 9). In group A, it was 9.1% (n = 1) and in group B, it was 61.5% (n = 8). 30-day-mortality was 9.1% in group A, where one patient died due to multiple severe associated injuries, and 30.8% (n = 4) in group B, where one patient died due to treatment failure and three patients due to severe comorbidities. During follow-up, no more deaths occurred in group A, while in group B, four more patients died due to severe comorbidities, amounting to a late mortality rate of 30.8%. No technical complications and no complications such as chest wall or spinal cord ischemia were observed. The mean observation period was 44.6 months in group A and 23.8 months in group B. CONCLUSION: TAE of ICAs is a minimally invasive, safe, and reliable treatment option to control massive intrathoracic hemorrhage, especially in patients with serious comorbidities and/or multiple injuries. However, it should be performed only by experienced interventionalists and exact knowledge of the anatomic features of the affected artery and of collateral pathways is mandatory to avoid complications.