Superior vena cava (SVC) lies in the upper mediastinum, laterally to the right in the great vessel area. It serves the venous drainage of the upper part of the body, including the brain, directing the flow to the right atrium. Lung cancer, mediastinal malignancies, benign conditions and a variety of other diseases and clinical conditions in the adult population may lead to surgery involving this large vein.
Continue readingPerioperative hypercoagulation in cancer patients is frequently a concern for the anesthesiologist. Ιt is not clarified yet whether the choice of anesthetic technique offers significant advantages for the prevention of postoperative complications. For this purpose, a prospective, randomized clinical trial was conducted. Forty-two female patients with ovarian cancer, undergoing abdominal hysterectomy, were randomized in three groups.
Continue readingNitric oxide (NO) inhalation has been used after mitral valve surgery in attempts to control pulmonary hypertension. The cost of NO therapy in some countries has made its use prohibitive and has led to attempts to use aerosolized nitroglycerin.
Continue readingSeveral techniques have been described for percutaneous internal jugular vein catheterization. Some of them are associated with complications, such as tracheal tube cuff puncture. We describe two cases of this rare but potential devastating complication, after which our patients recovered uneventfully
Continue readingThe value of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in cardiac surgery is well proven[1]. TEE is evolving as a perioperative monitoring and diagnostic tool in noncardiac surgery as well, especially for the treatment of high-risk cardio-vascular patients. Its significance lies in that it is the only direct method for imaging and eva-luating heart function.
Continue readingMedical equipment can interfere with an electrocardiogram (ECG) and mimic a dysrhythmia [1-7]. Unnecessary interventions may occur when artifact is misdiagnosed as ventricular tachycardia (VT) [8,9]. We encountered such an ECG artifact when an orthopaedic shaver was engaged during knee arthroscopy.
Continue readingΌπως όλοι γνωρίζουμε, υπάρχουν σοβαροί περιορισμοί στη δημιουργία ανθρώπινων μοντέλων σχετικά με την επιτέλεση πειραμά-των, που αφορούν τους μηχανισμούς και τις οδούς αίσθησης του πόνου. Τα ερεθίσματα, που μπορούν να εφαρμοστούν σε εθελοντές, είναι απαραίτητα μικρής έως μέσης έντασης και συνήθως εξαρτώνται από τις χειρουργικές συν-θήκες και την υποκείμενη νόσο.
Continue readingAlthough the experience of nociceptive pain ultimately depends on interpretation by the cerebral cortex, it occurs primarily as a result of a noxious stimulus (one which when prolonged produces damage resulting in the humoral and cellular responses of inflammation) activating myelinated A-δ and unmyelinated C noci-ceptors.
Continue readingNSAIDs are widely used compounds in the management of several acute and chronic pain syndromes. NSAIDs induce their action by blocking the cyclooxygenase enzymes, cox-1 and cox-2, during the conversion of arachidonic acid to prostaglandins. Conventional NSAIDs inhibit both cox isoforms and are therefore at risk of serious complications as gastrointestinal irritation, postoperative bleeding, renal failure, water and sodium retention and hepatic failure.
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