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Biomedical subjects

G C Pugh

Publications and source records attributed to G C Pugh.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

Acute phase responses following minimal access and conventional thoracic surgery.

OBJECTIVES: Major thoracic surgery is associated with trauma-related immunological changes. These may impair anti-tumour immunity. We hypothesize that the reduced operative trauma associated with a video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) approach may decrease acute phase responses and, consequently, lead to better preservation of immune function. This prospective randomized study compared the effects of conventional open thoracic surgery and VATS on acute phase responses in patients undergoing pulmonary lobectomy. METHODS: Acute phase indicators were analyzed in patients undergoing lobectomy for suspected bronchogenic carcinoma. Surgery was prospectively randomized to pulmonary lobectomy by VATS or limited postero-lateral thoracotomy. Blood was taken pre-operatively and at 4, 24, 48, 72, 120 and 168 h post-operatively for analysis of C-reactive protein (CRP; 41 patients: open, n=22; VATS, n=19) interleukin (IL)-6, tumour necrosis factor (TNF) receptors (TNF-sR55, TNF-sR75) and P-selectin (24 patients: open, n=12; VATS, n=12). Samples taken at 48 and 168 h were also analyzed for phagocyte reactive oxygen species (ROS) production (25 patients: open, n=16; VATS, n=19). RESULTS: Surgery increased acute phase responses. VATS was associated with lower CRP and IL-6 levels. In the open surgery group, significant increases in ROS in neutrophils (up to 36% greater than before surgery, n=12, P<0.02-0.05) were detected at 2 days after surgery, but in the VATS group, the increase after surgery (of up to 17%, n=18) did not reach significance. Similarly, monocyte ROS increases of up to 25% in the mean ROS in the open surgery group and of up to 17% in the VATS group were detected on days 2 and 7 after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: VATS pulmonary lobectomy is associated with reduced peri-operative changes in acute phase responses. This finding may have implications for peri-operative tumour immuno-surveillance in lung cancer patients.

Acute-Phase Reaction↗

Ketorolac as a component of balanced analgesia after thoracotomy.

Ketorolac 10 mg or 30 mg i.m., 6 hourly or placebo was given to 75 patients who had undergone thoracotomy, in a randomized double-blind study. All subjects were given intercostal nerve blocks with bupivacaine and had access to i.v. patient-controlled morphine. I.m. ketorolac improved the success rate of the analgesic regimen, with fewer patients withdrawing from the study because of inadequate pain relief.

Adult↗

Complications of tracheotomy.

A patient underwent elective tracheotomy before resection of the floor of the mouth. After operation, several life-threatening complications arose from this tracheotomy, including surgical emphysema of the tracheal mucosa which has not been described previously.

Airway Obstruction↗

Thoracoscopic pulmonary lobectomy. Early operative experience and preliminary clinical results.

Thoracoscopic video-assisted lobectomy procedures were performed in 11 patients (7 men, 4 women; age range 40 to 74 years, mean 66 years). Ten patients had peripheral pulmonary opacities: eight of these were bronchogenic carcinomas, one was an atypical carcinoid lesion, and one was a pulmonary infarct. All of these cases had preoperative evaluation by computed tomographic scanning to exclude mediastinal lymphadenopathy. The remaining patient had preoperatively diagnosed lobar bronchiectasis. Surgical access was gained via three stab (1 cm) incisions and one short (7 cm) submammary incision, which was made without rib separation and was used for specimen delivery. Lobes resected were the left upper (n = 4), left lower (n = 2), right upper (n = 2), and right lower (n = 3). All patients survived. Overall mean operative time was 3.3 hours and blood loss 263 ml. For the latter five cases, however, these figures were reduced to 2.3 hours and 100 ml, respectively, indicating improvement with experience. In no cases was ventilatory assistance required. Mean high-dependency unit time was 41 hours. In each case, it was possible to perform a standard dissectional lobectomy with lobar lymph node clearance equal to that obtained at open thoracotomy. Comparison with a series of 33 open lobectomy procedures demonstrated reduced postoperative pain, morphine consumption, and high-dependency unit stay. This preliminary experience supports the development of video-assisted thoracoscopic pulmonary lobectomy for patients with small peripheral opacities or known benign disease.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Effect of diclofenac on renal function and prostacyclin generation after surgery.

We have examined the effect of diclofenac on renal function after major surgery in a randomized, double-blind, controlled study of 20 patients undergoing oesophagogastrectomy. Diclofenac 75 mg or placebo was given i.m. 12-hourly for 2 days. I.v. fluid administration was standardized. Renal function was assessed by fluid balance and measurement of serum creatinine and electrolyte concentrations, creatinine and free water clearance, and urinary sodium and potassium excretion. Urinary 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha (6-keto-PGF1 alpha) was measured by radioimmunoassay to assess renal prostacyclin production. After surgery, 6-keto-PGF1 alpha production increased, but this did not occur with diclofenac. On the first day after surgery, use of diclofenac was associated with a decreased urine flow rate, decreased urinary sodium and potassium excretion and a tendency to hyperkalaemia. Frusemide was required more often in the diclofenac group. One patient was withdrawn from the diclofenac group because of impaired renal function. Urine flow rate and blood potassium concentration should be monitored if diclofenac is used after major surgery.

Aged↗

Effect of nalbuphine hydrochloride on the ventilatory and occlusion pressure responses to carbon dioxide in volunteers.

We studied the effect of nalbuphine on the ventilatory and occlusion pressure responses to carbon dioxide rebreathing in six healthy male volunteers (mean age 25.5 yr) in a single-blind laboratory study. On four separate days volunteers were assigned randomly to receive either placebo (0.9% sodium chloride) or three i.v. doses of nalbuphine (15, 30 and 60 mg 70 kg-1), followed 90 min later by naloxone 0.4 mg 70 kg-1. Duplicate rebreathing tests were performed and the mean intercept at PE'CO2 7 kPa and the slopes of the linear relationship between inspiratory minute ventilation (Vl) or occlusion pressure (P0.1) with PE'CO2 were measured. Nalbuphine significantly decreased the mean intercept of the Vl (P less than 0.01) and P0.1 (P less than 0.05) responses, but caused no changes in the slopes. No significant difference between the doses was noted, suggesting that an Effect maximum (E'max) for respiratory depression was reached with a dose of approximately 15 mg 70 kg-1. Naloxone was less effective in antagonizing the depression in Vl at the higher dose of nalbuphine. Similar P0.1 values were associated with the same inspiratory flow rate (1 litre s-1) before and after drug treatment, suggesting that nalbuphine acts centrally to depress ventilation. Sedation increased significantly following each dose of nalbuphine (P less than 0.001). No demonstrable difference between the doses was shown, suggesting an Effect maximum (E'max) for sedation was reached at about 15 mg 70 kg-1. Administration of nalbuphine was associated with pain at the injection site, dizziness, dreaming, nausea and vomiting. Cardiovascular stability was maintained in all subjects.

Adult↗

A dose-response study with nalbuphine hydrochloride for pain in patients after upper abdominal surgery.

Six male patients were studied on the morning following upper abdominal surgery for highly selective vagotomy. Nalbuphine hydrochloride was infused i.v. at different rates that increased progressively in each hour over a 4-h period. In the last 15 min of each hour, the plasma nalbuphine concentrations were almost steady (73-68, 71-82, 116-113 and 201-208 ng ml-1). Patients and an observer made hourly assessments of pain and sedation. Although the changes in the pain and sedation scores were not significant, the patients' mean pain scores increased when the mean plasma nalbuphine concentrations were greater (greater than 82 ng ml-1), which suggested that nalbuphine analgesia had been reversed. Nalbuphine caused sedation and possibly induced amnesia which could invalidate retrospective assessment, since the patients' assessment of analgesic efficacy at the end of the study was good. No cardiovascular depression or significant decrease in the ventilatory rate was recorded.

Adult↗

Constant i.v. infusions of nalbuphine or buprenorphine for pain after abdominal surgery.

A double-blind, sex-stratified, study compared the analgesic efficacy and side effects of nalbuphine 10 mg ml-1 (group N) and buprenorphine 0.15 mg ml-1 (group B) administered as a continuous infusion (0.2 ml kg-1/24 h), after abdominal surgery. Patients could request additional i.m. analgesic for pain. The study groups were well matched. The trial was stopped after 55 patients had been studied (nalbuphine 29, buprenorphine 26), because nine patients in the nalbuphine group had inadequate pain relief (P less than 0.01) shortly after surgery (mean 2.5 h). Analysis of the results on an "intention to treat" basis showed that the patients who received buprenorphine had significantly greater pain relief at 1, 3, 6 and 20 h after surgery. Patients who received buprenorphine were assessed by the physiotherapist to have less pain and better chest expansion. More additional analgesic was given to the patients receiving nalbuphine. In the patients receiving buprenorphine, the mean ventilatory rate was less (N = 19 b.p.m., B = 14 b.p.m.) (P less than 0.001) and the increase in PaCO2 was greater (N = 0.5 kPa, B = 1.1 kPa) (P less than 0.001), compared with the value before operation. Side effects were equal, and no serious adverse effects were observed in either group.

Abdomen↗

Continued experience with thoracoscopic major pulmonary resection.

Between April 1992 and March 1995, 83 patients underwent video-assisted (VATS) thoracoscopic major pulmonary resection (lobectomy: 72, bilobectomy: 4, or pneumonectomy: 7). Conversion to open thoracotomy was required in a further 21 cases (rate=20.2%). There was no in unit mortality; 2 patients died within 30 days (1.9% overall). Analysis (median values) of the VATS lobectomy cases demonstrated; operation time - 135 minutes; blood loss - 80 mls; High Dependency stay - 38 hours; total postoperative stay - 7 days. Comparison between 70 VATS lobectomies and a simultaneous group of 110 open thoracotomy cases confirmed reduced postoperative morphine consumption (83 mg open vs 57 mg VATS; p<0.001). One pneumonectomy patient exhibited a transient sympathetic dysaesthesia and one lobectomy patient developed a mild post thoracotomy pain syndrome. Long-term follow-up of VATS lobectomy for patients with primary bronchogenic carcinoma (49) revealed 1 bronchogenic cancer related death during an overall mean follow-up of 16.5 months.

Adult↗