Two different manifestations of locked-in syndrome.

Locked-in syndrome (LIS) is an entity that usually occur a consequence of the lesion of ventral part of pons. Etiology of locked-in syndrome can be vascular and nonvascular origin. Locked-in syndrome usually occurs as a consequence of thrombosis of intermedial segment of basilar artery that induces bilateral infarction of the ventrobasal part of the pons. Additionally, LIS can be caused by trauma which often leads to posttraumatic thrombosis of basilar artery. The incidence of locked-in syndrome is still unknown. The basic clinical features of locked-in syndrome are: quadriplegia (a consequence of disruption of corticospinal pathways located in ventral part of pons), different stages of paralysis of mimic musculature, paralysis of pharynx, tongue and palate with mutism and anarthria. The patient can not move, but is conscious and can communicate only by eye movements. Two patients with locked-in syndrome were present in this article. In the first case, the patient had classic locked-in syndrome that was first described by Plum and Posner. Other patient had incomplete form of locket-in syndrome which was first described by Bauer. In these two patients locked-in syndrome occurred as a consequence of trauma. In the first patient locked-in syndrome was caused by direct contusion of ventral part of pons while in other patient locked-in syndrome was a consequence of posttraumatic thrombosis of vertebrobasilar artery. The introduction of anticoagulant therapy, besides the other measures of intensive therapy, has shown complete justification in the second patient. The gradual partial recovery of neurologic deficit has developed in the second patient without any additional complications.

Effects of midazolam co-induction to general anesthesia: A randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine the potential advantages of midazolam co-induction with general anesthesia (GA) over the use of propofol alone. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled, single-blinded clinical trial of 102 patients, aged 18 to 65, American Society of Anesthesiologists II and III, who underwent elective laparoscopic gallbladder surgery. Patients were randomly divided into 3 groups: the placebo group (C) received 1 mL of 0.9% saline intravenously and the test groups received intravenous midazolam at doses of 0.03 mg/kg (M1) or 0.06 mg/kg (M2) before induction of GA. We assessed effects of midazolam co-induction on arterial pressure and heart rate (HR) in the early stage of GA prior to surgical incision and effects on perioperative and postoperative glycemia and cortisol levels. Systolic/mean/diastolic (SAP/MAP/DAP) arterial pressure and HR were measured 4 times (preoperative, on the third, sixth and ninth minute after atracurium administration). Cortisol was measured on 3 occasions (preoperatively, 60 minutes after surgical incision, and the following morning) and glucose on 4 occasions (preoperatively, 15 and 60 minutes after incision, and the following morning). We also assessed the incidence of postoperative anxiety, postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), and propofol requirement for induction. RESULTS: SAP/MAP/DAP were significantly higher in M2 immediately after induction compared to the other study groups (P = .002/.004/.013). Midazolam co-induction led to a significant reduction in postoperative anxiety (P = .03), reduced cortisol concentration 60 minutes after surgical incision (P < .001) and propofol requirements (P < .001). CONCLUSION SUBSECTIONS: Midazolam co-induction prevented a marked decline in SAP/MAP/DAP immediately after induction of GA, led to reduced postoperative anxiety and cortisol response to surgery, and reduced propofol requirements for induction.

Effects of humoral immunity and calreticulin overexpression on postoperative course in breast cancer.

The aim was to investigate whether the humoral immunity and overexpression of calreticulin in tumor tissue determined before surgery, correlate with incidence of metastases in breast cancer patients within two years after operation. Before operation, their humoral immunity and overexpression of caleticulin and Her-2/neu in tumor tissue were analyzed by immunohystochemistry. In 23 patients with metastases in regionally lymph nodes, seven had Her-2/neu overexpression. Among those seven patients, three developed distant metastasis (two women one year and in one woman two years after surgery) and all of them showed the presence of stromal IgG immunoreactivity and overexpression of calreticulin in their tumors tissue. Preliminary data showed that serum IgG immunoreactivity to tumor stroma in combination with overexpression of calreticulin in tumor cells correlate with postoperative appearance of metastases, particularly in the group of patients with Her-2/neu overexpressed tumors and metastases in axillary lymph nodes.

Intraperitoneal analgesia for laparoscopic cholecystectomy: bupivacaine versus bupivacaine with tramadol.

The type of pain after laparoscopic surgery differs considerably from that seen after laparotomy. Whereas laparotomy results mostly in parietal pain, patients after laparoscopic cholecystectomy complain more of visceral pain results from the stretching of intraabdominal cavity, peritoneal inflammation and phrenic nerve irritation caused by residual carbon dioxide in the peritoneal cavity. Intraperitoneal (IP) administration of some drugs can be effective for pain relief after laparoscopic surgery. The purpose of this study was to asses the effects of intraperitoneal application of bupivacaine or bupivacaine in combination with tramadol on pain relief after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. After informed written consent and local ethic committee approval, ninthy patients of ASA I and II grade undergoing elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy for cholelythiasis were recruited in the study. At the end of laparoscopic cholecystectomy 30 patients in each group received 50 mL saline 0.9% (group C), bupivacaine 0.25% (group B) or bupivacaine 0.25% with tramadol 100 mg (group T). VAS pain was estimated at 30 minutes, 1, 2, 4 and 24 hours after surgery. Postoperative analgesic requires were also assessed. Pain scores were significantly lower in group receiving the IP bupivacaine with tramadol and bupivacaine compared to saline group. Intraperitoneal applications of these drugs reduced consumption of supplementary postoperative analgesic medication. Intraperitoneal administration of bupivacaine with tramadol and bupivacaine are simple to use and effective in a reduction ofpain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. In our study we found no differences between bupivacaine with tramadol and bupivacaine in postoperative VAS score and analgesic requirements.

An increasing older population dictates the need to organise palliative care and estabilish hospices.

The aim of this study is to assess population needs for the organisation of palliative care and establishment of hospices. An opinion poll was created to investigate these needs. The research was carried out in 2007/2008 among 1564 citizens not working in health services, and 789 health service workers--a total of 2353 people questioned in 7 towns of the Republic of Croatia. The significant results obtained using adequate statistical methods confirm that 90.6% of all respondents favour the introduction of a palliative care system and 88% favour the establishment of hospices. This leads us to conclude that the need to establish a palliative care system and hospices has been recognised by citizens and health service workers, thus their implementation in the Republic of Croatia without further delay should be recommended.

Risk factors for wound infection after oral cancer surgery.

Wound infection is a common complication after oral cancer surgery and may result in significant functional morbidity, poor cosmetic results and prolonged hospitalization. The purpose of this study was to identify the most important factors contributing to operative wound infections in patients with oral and oropharyngeal cancer. A retrospective review of complications in 111 patients after oral and oropharynx cancer surgery with an immediate reconstruction is presented. Potential risk factors for infection were categorized based on the patient, the disease, and the treatment. Flap-related complications developed in 73 patients (65.76%). Wound infection occurred in 69 (62.12%), and a fistula in 10 patients (9%). Other complications developed in 41.44% of the patients. The analysis of risk factors for the development of infection showed the following factors to be significant: male sex, T and S tumour stages, reconstruction, tracheostomy, nasogastric tube or gastrostomy feeding and extent of surgery.

Influence of the "Rijeka model" of bioethics education on attitudes of medical students towards death and dying--a cross sectional study.

The aim of this study was to assess attitude towards euthanasia, and the influence of socio-demographic data and death education carried out through the "Rijeka model" of bioethics education for the first-year medical students of the School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Croatia. The cross-sectional study was conducted in the academic year 20031 2004. 124 (61% female) participants were surveyed by using an anonymous questionnaire before and after training. Catholics (p = 0.003) and students from areas with populations of less than 50,000 inhabitants (p = 0.001) had significantly negative attitude towards euthanasia than others before the course, yet no differences were found following this training. Attitude towards euthanasia was significantly positive after the course (p = 0.005). All items in the questionnaire, except "Croatia should legalise euthanasia", received more positive scores after the course. Death education carried through the "Rijeka model" of bioethics education has changed attitudes of medical students towards a more positive perception of euthanasia.

Relationship between injury severity and lactate levels in severely injured patients.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the correlation of blood concentration of lactate and severity of injury and survival in severely injured patients. DESIGN AND SETTING: A prospective study of severely injured patients admitted directly from an emergency surgical unit to a surgical intensive care unit with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) of 16 points or more. The study was conducted over 30 months. PATIENTS: 98 severely injured subjects aged between 16 and 82 years with ISS range from 16 to 75 points, overall 25.5% mortality. INTERVENTIONS: Blood lactate concentrations were measured once on admission, twice daily during the first 2 days and once daily during the next 3 days. ISS, Revised Trauma Score, Shock Index, and Trauma and Injury Severity Score were calculated for each subject. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Of 98 severely injured patients 91 had elevated blood lactate concentration (over 2.0 mmol/l). Regression analyses demonstrated that injury severity, as measured by ISS, can be predicted from lactate concentration on admission, while survival, either actual or predicted by Trauma and Injury Severity Score higher than 0.5, can be predicted from lactate concentration after 12 h. We also found that patients with Shock Index higher than 0.9 had significantly higher lactate levels during the first 36 h than those with values less than 0.9. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed the relationship between blood lactate levels and injury severity as well as the prognostic value of blood lactate level for survival of severely injured patients.

Study of the healing process after transplantation of pasteurized bone grafts in rabbits.

Different bone allografts (pasteurized, autoclaved, and frozen) were compared based on their osteoinductive properties. Our primary purpose was to examine the biologic qualities of pasteurized allografts, as pasteurization inactivates most viruses transmitted by transplantation. Frozen, pasteurized, and autoclaved allografts were packed into a standard defect of rabbit ulna. The animals were sacrificed at 2 and 4 weeks after surgery. The parts of bones with experimental defects were explored en bloc, and a roentgenogram was carried out. Ulna bone samples were then embedded in methyl-methacrylate. Roentgenograms showed that after 2 weeks, calluses were well-formed, but irregular in shape in all 3 types of allografts. After 4 weeks, the calluses were regular in shape in all but the autoclaved grafts. After 2 weeks, the healing processes had begun in the frozen and pasteurized grafts, with the reaching approximately the same stage, while in the autoclaved grafts these processes were not seen and the bone particles were surrounded by connective tissue without any changes. After 4 weeks, osteoinductive processes were very strong, with the first signs of complete bone remodeling at the bone edges of the defect in pasteurized and frozen allografts. The osteoinductive values of these 2 types were very high and similar. Autoclaved allografts, on the other hand, had very low osteoinductive values, as they were still at the very beginning of the healing process. Histomorphometric analysis revealed a significant difference in both newly formed osteoid thickness and osteoblast number per microm of bone surface in all experimental groups (P < 0.005). Values of osteoid thickness and osteoblast number were significantly higher in both frozen and pasteurized grafts when compared with the autoclaved ones (P < 0.005). Osteogenic properties of pasteurized bone allografts were preserved, and the allografts have been gradually replaced with newly formed bone. As such, pasteurized bone grafts from a bone bank have approximately the same biologic validity as frozen grafts, while autoclaved grafts impair bone healing.

Posttraumatic locked-in syndrome with an unusual three day delay in the appearance.

We report a rare case of posttraumatic locked-in syndrome (LIS) that appeared after an unusual three day delay. LIS was diagnosed according to clinical status and diagnostic methods (roentgenograms, computerized tomography, transcranial Doppler, electroencephalography, magnetic resonance imaging). A fourteen-year-old girl had a cervical spine injury during floor exercises that provoked LIS 72 hours after trauma. A rapid diagnosis of basilar thrombosis followed by antioedema and continuous anticoagulant therapy significantly improved the neurological status. In conclusion, posttraumatic locked-in syndrome can have sometimes a prolonged three-day delay in the clinical appearance.

The impact of oral health and 0.2% chlorhexidine oral gel on the prevalence of nosocomial infections in surgical intensive-care patients: a randomized placebo-controlled study.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of oral health on the evolution of nosocomial infections and to document the effects of oral antiseptic decontamination on oral health and on the rate of nosocomial infections in patients in a surgical intensive-care unit (ICU). DESIGN: A prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. SETTING: Surgical ICU in University Hospital Dubrava. PATIENTS: The study included 60 nonedentulous patients consecutively admitted to the surgical ICU and requiring a minimum stay of three days. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: After randomization, the treatment group underwent antiseptic decontamination of dental plaque and the oral mucosa with chlorhexidine gel. The control group was treated with placebo gel. Dental status was assessed using a caries-absent-occluded (CAO) score, and the amount of plaque was assessed using a semi-quantitative score. Samples of dental plaque, oral mucosa and nasal and tracheal aspirates were collected for bacterial culture, and nosocomial infections were assessed. RESULTS: The plaque score significantly increased in the control group and decreased in the treated patients. Patients who developed a nosocomial infection had higher plaque scores on admission and during their ICU stay. The control group showed increased colonization by aerobic pathogens throughout their ICU stay and developed nosocomial infections (26.7%) significantly more often than the treated patients (6.7%); the control group also stayed longer in the ICU (5.1 +/- 1.6 vs. 6.8 +/- 3.5 days, P = 0.019). Furthermore, a trend in reduction of mortality was noted in the treated group (3.3% vs. 10%). CONCLUSIONS: Among surgical ICU patients, poor oral health had a significant positive correlation with bacterial colonization and the evolution of nosocomial infections. Oral decontamination with chlorhexidine significantly decreased oropharyngeal colonization, the incidence of nosocomial infections, length of ICU stay, and mortality in these patients.

The role of nonenhanced magnetic resonance imaging in the early assessment of acute pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Computed tomography (CT), especially contrast-enhanced CT (CECT), provides important information on the severity and prognosis of acute pancreatitis (AP). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become a useful tool as an alternative to CT in the assessment of AP. The primary aim of our study was to determine the diagnostic value of nonenhanced MRI (NEMRI) to assess severity and predict outcome in patients with AP from the third to fifth day after admission. We also correlated MRI findings with CT and biochemical parameters. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included 101 patients (49 men, 52 women, median age 62 yr, range 20-82) with a diagnosis of AP admitted to our hospital between January 1, 2004 and June 31, 2005. The inclusion criteria consisted of a combination of clinical features, a typical case history, elevation of serum pancreatic enzymes, and diagnosis confirmed by imaging studies. Contrast-enhanced spiral CT exams were performed in all patients from the third to fifth day after admission, and Balthazar grade and CT severity index were calculated. All patients underwent NEMRI, and MR severity index (MRSI) was calculated. We also performed magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) in all patients to detect bile duct lithiasis. RESULTS: Significant correlation between CECT and NEMRI was found for Balthazar grade (P<0.001) and the assessment of pancreatic necrosis (P<0.001), as well as between the combined severity indices (rho=0.819, P<0.001). MRSI correlated with Ranson score (rho=0.656, P<0.01), C-reactive protein (CRP) levels 48 h after admission (rho=0.502, P<0.01), appearance of systemic complications (rho=0.576, P<0.01), and length of hospital stay (rho=0.484, P<0.01). Considering the Atlanta criteria as the gold standard and the Ranson score, no difference in sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of the two methods was observed. Comparing the group of patients with presumed acute pancreatic hemorrhage with the group of patients with severe AP, we found a significantly higher APACHE II score on the first day (P<0.05), that the development of systemic complications was more frequent (P < 0.05), and that the hospital stay and ICU management of patients with MRI signs of pancreatic hemorrhage tended to be longer. CONCLUSION: NEMRI is comparable to CECT in the early assessment of the severity of AP, and both methods are equally efficient in predicting local and systemic complications of AP. MRI has a potential advantage over CT in detecting bile duct lithiasis and pancreatic hemorrhage.

Evaluation of single intensive care unit performance by simplified acute physiology score II system.

AIM: To evaluate effectiveness and quality of care in a single intensive care unit (ICU) by the Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPS II). METHODS: A prospective study included 395 patients from the ICU at Rijeka University Hospital, Croatia. The sum of the SAPS II points was used for calculating predicted mortality for each patient. The observed death rate was compared with predicted mortality calculated by SAPS II system. The ability of the SAPS II prognostic system to predict probability of hospital mortality was assessed with discrimination (receiver operating characteristic [ROC] curve) and calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow test) measures. RESULTS: The SAPS II score on the first ICU day was low (median, 20; range, 3-83). SAPS II system showed a good ability to separate the patients predicted to live from those predicted to die, as shown by an area under the ROC curve of 0.827. The calibration curve demonstrated under-prediction of the actual death rate (Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test, C=22.961; df=8; P=0.003). The observed mortality was higher than predicted (observed-to-predicted ratio was 1.6). CONCLUSIONS: SAPS II system is a useful tool for the assessment of ICU performance. This system demonstrated a good ability of discrimination, but an under-prediction of the actual mortality rate in our ICU.

Saints-protectors from headache - historical hints of suggestive therapy?

A short overview of several saints, venerated in Christian tradition as protectors from headache, is offered as an introduction to a more substantial debate on the possibility and value of analysing historical literary and iconographic sources and their interpretation. Headache of possible psychosomatic origin allows (auto) suggestive therapy obtained by the invocation of saints to have had considerable success. This possibility favours the opinion that historical material can be useful not only for cultural-anthropological, but also for modern medical considerations as well.

Carpal tunnel release by limited palmar incision vs traditional open technique: randomized controlled trial.

AIM: To compare a limited palmar incision for carpal tunnel release (CTR) with a traditional open technique, which is still considered the gold standard. METHODS: Seventy-two patients with a carpal tunnel syndrome were individually randomized into the trial (limited incision CTR) (n=36) and control group (traditional technique CTR) (n=36). In the trial group, skin incision parallel to the thenar crease was made up to 2.5 cm in length, under an operating microscope and endoscopic transillumination. Skin incision in the control group began at the distal border of the carpal ligament, followed the longitudinal crease of the palm, and crossed the base of the palm in a zigzag fashion. Three months after surgery, the patients were asked about symptomatic relief and intervals between the operation and return to their daily activities and work, and examined for scar tenderness and esthetic outcome. Distal motor latency, conduction velocity, scar length, scar width, and operation time were measured. RESULTS: There were no differences between the two groups in symptomatic relief and electrophysiological parameters. Intervals between the operation and return to daily activities (median 5 days, range 2-15) were shorter in the trial group than in the control group (median 10 days, range 2-21; p<0.001), as well as the intervals between the operation and return to work (median 15 days, range 5-45 vs median 30 days, range 10-60; p<0.001). Scar/pillar tenderness, scar length and width, esthetic outcome, and operation time were significantly better in the trial group. CONCLUSION: Limited palmar incision CTR is as effective and safe as traditional CTR technique, but with better postoperative recovery and cosmetic results.