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Biomedical subjects

J R Utley

Publications and source records attributed to J R Utley.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Coronary artery bypass grafting in the octogenarian.

We have performed coronary bypass grafting in 25 patients 80 years of age or more. The patients' preoperative conditions were characterized by recent myocardial infarction (16/25, or 64%), obesity (15/25, or 60%), hypertension (14/25, or 56%), and left ventricular dysfunction (21/25, or 84%). There were no deaths in the hospital or within 30 days of operation (0/25, or 0%). Postoperative complications occurred in five cases (20%). Complications were leg incision infection (2/25, or 8%), urinary tract infection (1/25, or 4%), stroke (1/25, or 4%), and transient neurologic deficit (1/25, or 4%). There were no instances of reoperation for bleeding, perioperative myocardial infarction, renal failure, pulmonary failure, intraaortic balloon pump use, or sternotomy infection in these patients. Eleven patients (44%) were hospitalized for fewer than 10 days after operation, and all but two (23/25, or 92%) were discharged within 20 days after operation. All patients were followed up, and survival and New York Heart Association functional class were determined. Cumulative survival rate was 94% at 1 year and 88% at 5 years. The cumulative percent survival rate with class I or II function was 92% at 1 year and 80% at 5 years. No patient had recurrent angina.

Aged

Pathophysiology of cardiopulmonary bypass: current issues.

Much of the research related to cardiopulmonary bypass in recent years has been directed toward defining the changes in plasma and blood cells during bypass. In this review, recent information is reexamined for six areas of current interest. These areas are complement activation, immune response, anaphylactic reactions, coagulation, and cerebral dysfunction. Complement may be activated by either the classical or alternate pathway during cardiopulmonary bypass and protamine administration. Membrane oxygenators appear to diminish the degree of complement activation. Complement is a major factor in the whole body inflammatory response; which often accompanies cardiopulmonary bypass. A product of complement activation, C5a- desArg, causes activation and aggregation of granulocytes. Other products of complement activation lead to lysis of blood cells including granulocytes and red cells. Bubble oxygenators appear to have a distinct disadvantage compared to membrane oxygenators regarding infection. Airborne microorganisms are more likely to be entrained into circulating blood with bubble oxygenators than with membrane oxygenators. Bubble oxygenators cause a greater decrease in leukocyte number and function than membrane oxygenators. Anaphylactic reactions have been associated with use of antibiotics, blood products, protamine, and volume expanders during cardiopulmonary bypass. Protamine reactions may be on an immunological basis or due to direct toxicity of the drug. Free radicals including superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, and the hydroxyl radical may be generated during cardiopulmonary bypass and reperfusion. Free radical scavengers including; vitamin E, coenzyme Q, vitamin C, mannitol, and glutathione have been studied. The avoidance of blood transfusion because of risk of transmitted infection including AIDS has become a major goal in cardiac surgery. Factors that correlate with increased transfusion requirement include low hematocrit, female gender, increased age, small body size, low ejection fraction, reoperation, and emergency operation. Heparin resistance due to antithrombin III deficiency is being recognized more commonly. Antithrombin III deficiency may be corrected with fresh frozen plasma. Patients with heparin induced thrombocytopenia may be difficult to manage. Several management protocols are suggested. The most straightforward appears to be the use of aspirin preoperatively and platelet transfusions postoperatively. The incidence of cerebral dysfunction after cardiopulmonary bypass depends on the sensitivity of the test or indicator used. Perioperative stroke is associated with intrinsic cerebrovascular disease and atherosclerosis of the ascending aorta. Retinal angiograms during cardiopulmonary bypass show that microemboli are very common. Cerebroplegia has been shown to extend the period of safe circulatory arrest in animals. Much of the new knowledge concerning cardiopulmonary bypass is the result of close collaboration between cardiac surgeons and nonsurgical scientists.

Anaphylaxis

The role of thymectomy in red cell aplasia.

Red cell aplasia is an unusual cause of anemia. Fifty percent of all patients with red cell aplasia will have a thymoma. Twenty-five to 30% of those who undergo thymectomy will be cured. Data are presented that suggest that any patient with red cell aplasia should have thymectomy through a median sternotomy. One of 3 such patients who underwent the operation has had complete remission for two years.

Aged

Control of hemorrhage from a common carotid arterial-cutaneous fistula by temporary implantation of a balloon catheter.

Hemorrhage from an infected carotid arterial-cutaneous fistula was treated by occlusion of the common carotid artery with a 6-French (Swan-Ganz) balloon catheter. After nine months, there was no recurrence of bleeding or neurological sequelae. Temporary balloon occlusion to induce thrombosis of a major artery is an alternative to transcatheter embolization of small particulate material and larger foreign bodies.

Adult

Predicting the need for prolonged ventilatory support in adult cardiac patients.

Forty-nine cardiac surgical patients had ventilatory function tests and measurements of maximum inspiratory (MIP) and maximum expiratory (MEP) pressures preoperatively. The differences between the values of various function tests were compared for patients requiring less than 24 hours of ventilator support and those requiring more than 24 hours. There was a significant difference in the mean values for the two groups in vital capacity (VC) first-second forced expired volume (FEV) midexpiratory flow between 50 and 75 (MMEF 50--75) and 75--85 percent of expired volume (MMEF 75--85), and MEP. The standard deviations of each of the variables were so large that the clinical usefulness was limited. However, when discriminant analysis was used for more than one variable, the combination of MMEF 75--85 and MEP predicted success or failure to wean in 24 hours correctly in 90 percent of instances. On the basis of these simple tests, patients predicted to succeed should be weaned from ventilator support on recovery from anesthesia. Those predicted to fail should be placed on intermittent mandatory ventilation (IMV) and should be weaned following a planned, logical process.

Adult

Acute traumatic hemothorax.

Over the past 5 years, 107 patients have been evaluated for acute traumatic hemothorax at the University of Kentucky Medical Center. Immediate tube thoracostomy was performed on 90 patients for evacuation of blood and air. Only 2 patients died. Thoracotomy was performed as part of the initial therapy in 9 patients. Thoracotomy for continued hemorrhage from a pulmonary parenchymal injury was required in 3 patients from the entire group. Thoracentesis or observation was the initial therapy for limited hemothorax in 8 stable patients. Three of these patients subsequently required tube thoracostomy 2 to 23 days following injury due to expanding effusions, and 1 patient required multiple thoracotomies for sepsis, fibrothorax, and empyema. These observations indicate that early evacuation of blood by means of a tube thoracostomy is essential to minimize morbidity in acute traumatic hemothorax. If continuing hemorrhage after tube thoracostomy occurs, there is a higher association of injury to additional vital structures.

Abdominal Injuries

Results and patterns of perioperative myocardial infarction.

Myocardial injury during a variety of cardiac surgical operations was determined in 57 patients by serial electrocardiograms (ECG's), serial determinations of serum creatine phosphokinase (CPK), and perioperative and postoperative technetium-99m stannous pyrophosphate (PYP) scans. ECG evidence of injury developed in four patients, whereas positive localized injury by PYP scan developed in ten. Twenty-one patients had elevated CPK enzymes postoperatively. The localization of injury by PYP scan correlated with ECG evidence of infarction in only one of four patients. Localized left ventricular injury by PYP scan without new Q waves on the ECG was common (5/12) in patients undergoing aortic valve replacement with perfusion of the coronary arteries. The injury in patients with congenital heart disease occurred at sites of ventricular incision or suggested possible air embolization of the coronary arteries. Perioperative infarction is frequently segmental and nontransmural and occurs in patients with coronary, valvular, and congenital heart disease.

Adult

Intrathoracic splenosis.

Intrathoracic splenosis is a rare complication of combined diaphragmatic and splenic injury. This is the 79th reported case of splenosis and the seventh case of intrathoracic splenosis. That intrathoracic splenosis can mimic carcinoma of the lung on chest roentgenogram is exemplified by the similarity between the patient's chest film and that of his brother who died of lung cancer during the patient's hospital stay.

Diagnosis, Differential

Role of cardiac catheterization in infective endocarditis.

The benefits and hazards of catheterization and angiography were evaluated in 19 patients with acute aortic and/or mitral endocarditis and heart failure. In 14 patients (74%), the bedside diagnosis of valvular insufficiency and heart failure was proved correct. In three patients with both aortic and mitral valve disease, angiography (without hemodynamic measurements) was necessary to clarify the diagnosis. Angiography detected four aortic aneurysmal erosions that were unsuspected clinically, but missed three others. After angiography, heart failure worsened in two patients with severe progressive aortic insufficiency and one died. Thus, catheterization-angiography was of greatest value if more than one left-sided valve lesion was present, if extravalvular diseases mimicked heart failure, or if extravalvular infection was present. Patients with isolated, clear-cut mitral insufficiency usually do not need these diagnostic procedures, and they are probably contraindicated in patients with severe aortic regurgitation with rapidly progressing heart failure.

Adult