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PubMed1988

Might the aphorism "there is no indication in medicine for a pint of blood" lie behind some of the residual morbidity and mortality of surgery?

Reconsideration of, and some uncertainty about, the risks of whole blood transfusion are stimulating renewed debate around and about transfusion policy. This essay -- 1) considers probable risks of retreating in fright from the approach which has significantly reduced the morbidity and mortality of surgical operations over the last 100 years, so that we may balance them against the known and putative risks of transfusion. 2) questions the universality of the aphorism "There is no indication in medicine for a pint of blood" -- because it presumes and implies that everyone can "tolerate"/not be harmed by/minor blood loss, or minor hypovolaemia from any other cause, and leads surgeons and anaesthetists to aim at "minimising" the degree and duration of hypovolaemia during surgery rather than to prevent it entirely. 3) proposes that circulating volume deficiencies, including small ones, are intrinsically intolerable pathological events to be prevented by a "positive" policy aiming at normovolaemia throughout operative procedures by "priming" patients about to undergo major operations with volume expanders before surgery, minimising their intraoperative blood loss, giving non-blood plasma expanders until dilution threatens significant anaemia, and whole-blood transfusion as a last resort when it does. 4) proposes that averting "minor" short-lived circulating volume depletion might avert the residual "minor" morbidity and mortality caused by venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, bronchopneumonia, intestinal ileus, postoperative abdominal distension, wound and anastomotic dehiscence, fat embolism, (alone or in various combinations) and give us a greater (insight into and) control over fluid and electrolyte balance.

Blood Transfusion↗
PubMed1995

Incidence and hemodynamic characteristics of near-fainting in healthy 6- to 16-year old subjects.

OBJECTIVES: We studied the incidence and hemodynamic characteristics of near-fainting under orthostatic stress in healthy children and teenagers. BACKGROUND: Orthostatic stress testing is increasingly used to identify young subjects with unexplained syncope. However, the associated incidence of syncope and hemodynamic responses in normal young subjects are not well known. METHODS: Eighty-four healthy subjects 6 to 16 years old performed forced breathing, stand-up and 70 degrees tilt-up tests. An intravenous line to sample blood for biochemical assessment of sympathetic function was introduced between the stand-up and tilt-up tests. Finger arterial pressure was measured continuously. Left ventricular stroke volume was computed from the pressure pulsations. RESULTS: Sixteen of the 84 subjects were excluded because of technical problems. The incidence of a near-fainting response in the remaining 68 subjects was 10% (7 of 68) for the stand-up test and 40% (29 of 68) for the tilt-up test. Baseline parasympathetic and sympathetic activity of nonfainting and near-fainting subjects was not different. Near-fainting was characterized by attenuated systemic vasoconstriction and exaggerated tachycardia that occurred as early as 1 min after return to the upright position. On tilt-up, plasma adrenaline levels increased by a factor of 2, with slightly higher increments in the near-fainting subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Inadequate vasoconstriction is the common underlying mechanism of near-fainting in young subjects. The remarkably high incidence of near-fainting during the tilt-up test after intravascular instrumentation raises serious doubts about the utility of this procedure in evaluating syncope of unknown origin in young subjects.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Conjunctival oxygen tension monitoring during a controlled phlebotomy.

A decrease in the conjunctival oxygen tension (Pcjo2) and conjunctival index (Pcjo2/Pao2) has been shown to be an early marker of acute blood loss. We sequentially measured Pcjo2, Pcjo2/Pao2, blood pressure, and pulse rate in five healthy adults after controlled phlebotomy of 450 mL and after intravenous fluid repletion. No significant changes occurred in either the Pcjo2 or Pcjo2/Pao2 after phlebotomy or after fluid replacement. We conclude that a blood loss of 450 mL in healthy, euvolemic adults is insufficient to perturb the conjunctival index. The lower limits of sensitivity of changes in Pcjo2 and Pcjo/Pao2 in response to acute blood loss remain to be established.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Rapid venous access using saphenous vein cutdown at the ankle.

Injured adults can usually be treated adequately with peripheral intravenous lines. However, in hypotensive patients, alternative techniques such as venous cutdown may be necessary. There are no adult studies that document the success rate or time required to complete this procedure in the emergent situation. During a 1-year period, 73 cutdowns were attempted on 56 patients. Sixty-two of these attempts resulted in venous cannulation with a free flow of fluid (84.9%). The average time required for placement was 4.9 minutes. First-year residents had a significantly lower success rate (70%) than emergency department staff (89%) or second- through fifth-year surgical residents (94%). One patient who lived developed a local cellulitis. There were no other complications. In the hands of an experienced operator, saphenous vein cutdown at the ankle is a reliable method of rapidly gaining venous access in the adult patient. There are few immediate or late complications if the catheter is removed within 24 hours.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Recombinant erythropoietin overdose.

Deliberate self-administration of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEpo) in a patient without anemia has never been documented. The case of a 62-year-old man who worked in an allied health care field and surreptitiously injected the drug, causing his hematocrit to increase to a dangerously high level is presented. Resultant complications of the misuse of erythropoietin in this patient included worsening hypertension, exacerbation of chronic lung disease and development of new onset angina. Medical management consisted of endotracheal intubation with mechanical ventilation, intravenous hydration, and serial phlebotomy. The unusual possibility of erythropoietin abuse must be added to the differential diagnosis with a patient with unexplained polycythemia. This case highlights the potential abuse of biological growth factors that may mask medical conditions.

Angina Pectoris↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Recurrent asystole associated with vasovagal reaction during venipuncture.

A patient with a documented history of 2 asystolic episodes associated with venipuncture demonstrates the profound cardioinhibitory effects that vasovagal reactions to blood and injury ("blood-injury phobia") can produce. In approaching a patient with blood-injury phobia, the clinician should place the patient in the Trendelenburg position, apply a cardiac monitor, administer oxygen, and consider the need for atropine, transcutaneous pacing, and cough cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) prior to venipuncture. Diagnosis of vasovagal syncope is discussed. Long-term prophylactic interventions may be beneficial for certain patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Children's venipuncture pain: influence of technical factors.

Several aspects of venipuncture technique were evaluated to assess their relationship to reported pain. Subjects were 514 children aged 5-17 who had venipuncture performed by a technician in a hospital outpatient laboratory. A research assistant timed the duration of venipuncture and then obtained visual analogue pain scores from the children following venipuncture. Blood volume obtained from venipuncture was also measured. The technician who performed the procedure, amount of blood drawn, and time required to complete the venipuncture did not contribute to the prediction of children's pain. Age and anxiety, which were treated as covariates, were significant predictors of pain. The distribution of pain experienced by children was positively skewed and about one-third of children were above the mean pain score. From the results of this study, venipuncture pain can be recommended for the study of issues in children's pain. Further, the findings recommend the development and utilization of interventions to reduce children's venipuncture pain.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Brachial plexus lesions following cardiac surgery with median sternotomy and cannulation of the internal jugular vein.

There are many possible complications after cannulation of the internal jugular vein (IJV) including injury to the brachial plexus. Neurologic injuries can also occur from sternal splitting. The present study looked at the incidence of brachial plexus lesions after cardiac surgery with and without IJV cannulation. Over 12 months, 815 patients were studied after all types of cardiac surgery. In one half of the group, cannulation of the IJV was avoided when possible. Reducing the incidence of IJV catheterization did not lower the overall incidence of brachial plexus lesions (1.8% to 1.4%). However, there was a higher incidence of neurologic lesions in patients with IJV catheters (3.0% to 0.8%) during the entire study period. All 13 plexus lesions were in the C8-T1 distribution, and seven of the patients had a Horner's syndrome on the same side. No posterior first rib fractures could be detected by radiographs. The brachial plexus lesions were transient but the Horner's syndromes were longer-lasting. It is concluded that the injuries are due to compression and traction of the plexus due to stretching and possibly from hematoma formation from the IJV punctures.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Phlebotomy via the pulmonary artery catheter introducer for intraoperative autotransfusion.

Fear of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome and other blood-transmitted diseases has created a revival of autologous transfusion during cardiac surgery. The present report is of 200 patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass during cardiac surgery in whom phlebotomy was performed via the sideport of the introducer for the pulmonary artery catheter for later reinfusion. Each unit of phlebotomized blood was replaced with 500 mL of normal saline. Cardiac output and mean arterial blood pressure decreased significantly after phlebotomy (P less than 0.05) and returned toward control values after administration of the sodium chloride. The autologous blood was replaced after cardiopulmonary bypass. Fresh frozen plasma and platelets were not administered to the patients in the operating room. Eleven patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting received fresh frozen plasma in the recovery room because they were receiving aspirin and dipyridamole up to the day of surgery. Prolonged duration of cardiopulmonary bypass in two double-valve replacements, and one coronary artery bypass graft patient who required insertion of an intra-aortic balloon, accounted for the administration of fresh frozen plasma and platelets in three patients. The average volume of phlebotomized blood was 875 mL, which resulted in a decrease of the hematocrit from 40.5% +/- 0.5% (P less than 0.05) to 29.75% +/- 0.5% and 30.5% +/- 0.5% at the end of surgery and at discharge from the hospital, respectively. Phlebotomy via the Y port of the introducer of the pulmonary artery catheter is an easy, simple, and cost-effective way to remove autologous blood in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Biochemical epidemiology in community-based studies: practical lessons from a study of T-cell subsets.

Elaborate laboratory tests are increasingly being incorporated into traditional epidemiologic research designs, a concept commonly termed biochemical epidemiology. Some of the issues encountered are illustrated by a recent population-based survey of healthy individuals in the Washington, D.C. area designed to examine the effects of demographic characteristics, lifestyle, and medical conditions on peripheral blood T-cell subsets. The study was conducted in three phases: selection of households by random digit dialing (Phase I); telephone interviews (Phase II), and self-administered questionnaires and phlebotomy (Phase III). Although this design facilitated the selection of the final study population, it influenced the participation rates by offering opportunities for nonresponse at each phase. Race was the strongest determinant of response rate despite the use of highly-trained, racially-matched telephone interviewers and repeated attempts at refusal conversion. Also discussed are issues of confidentiality, and logistics of biologic specimen collection and handling. The difficulties encountered in this survey are examined, with suggestions for future population-based investigations involving biochemical epidemiology.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Anesthesia for polycythemia vera.

Cystoscopy was postponed on an 80-year-old male found to have a hematocrit of 57%. After the diagnosis of polycythemia vera was made, he was phlebotomized and treated with hydroxyurea. He was readmitted 2 months later for transurethral resection of the prostate. After the induction of general endotracheal anesthesia with thiopental and succinylcholine, anesthesia was maintained with nitrous oxide, oxygen, thiopental, and atracurium. Recovery was uneventful. Polycythemia vera is a disease process in which control prior to surgery decreases the frequency of perioperative complications. A discussion and short literature review on polycythemia vera and anesthesia are included.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Patient acceptability and practical implications of pharmacokinetic studies in patients with advanced cancer.

We have studied the practical implications and acceptability to patients of pharmacokinetic studies in 34 women receiving anthracyclines for advanced breast cancer. The following parameters were recorded: age, ECOG performance status, psychological state (Rotterdam Symptom Checklist), cytotoxic drug and dose, number of venepunctures for treatment and sampling, and time when the sampling cannula was removed. Immediately after finishing pharmacokinetic sampling, patients completed a questionnaire which revealed that (i) all patients understood sampling was for research, (ii) 35% of patients experienced problems with sampling, (iii) benefits from participation were perceived by 56% of patients. Of 20 patients later questioned after completion of their treatment course, 40% recalled difficulties with blood sampling. Factors identifying in advance those patients who tolerate pharmacokinetic studies poorly were not identified but the number of venepunctures should be minimised. Patients may also perceive benefits from 'non-therapeutic' research.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

A safer technique of internal jugular venipuncture: experience with 320 cases.

Placement of central venous catheters for monitoring or long-term access has become an indispensable surgical procedure. Various routes to establish central venous access have previously been described. The internal jugular vein can be cannulated percutaneously from several access points, using the clavicle and the sternocleidomastoid muscle as reference landmarks. An alternate method of internal jugular venipuncture using a previously undescribed point of entry is described. Experience with this modified technique in 320 cases where it was used for various purposes is reviewed. The incidence of complication was less than 1% and the improved safety of the procedure is attributed to the vertical direct method of venipuncture through the new access point.

Anesthesia, Local↗