Adequate restoration of intravascular volume remains an important therapeutic maneuver in managing the surgical patient. Definition of the ideal volume replacement strategy still remains one of the burning problems. Firstly, the choice between colloid and crystalloid solutions continues to generate controversy. Secondly, the highly controversial crystalloid/colloid dispute has been enlarged to a colloid/colloid debate because of the increasing number of colloids that are available. And lastly, whether high or low volume replacement strategies are favorable for the surgical patient is an another issue for the anesthesiologists. Volume replacement has been hitherto often based on art, dogma and personal beliefs. It was the aim of this overview to present the different solutions and to facilitate the strategies for above three main issues in the field of intraoperative fluid therapy.
Burns ; Colloids ; Dissent and Disputes ; Fluid Therapy ; Humans ; Isotonic Solutions ; Plasma ; Plasma Substitutes ; Plasma Volume

No abstract available.
Critical Care ; Intensive Care Units

As in type 1 diabetes, the loss of pancreatic β-cells leads to insulin deficiency and the subsequent development of hyperglycemia. Exercise has been proposed as a viable remedy for hyperglycemia. Lithium, which has been used as a treatment for bipolar disorder, has also been shown to improve glucose homeostasis under the conditions of obesity and type 2 diabetes by enhancing the effects of exercise on the skeletal muscles. In this study, we demonstrated that unlike in obesity and type 2 diabetic conditions, under the condition of insulin-deficient type 1 diabetes, lithium administration attenuated pancreatic a-cell mass without altering insulin-secreting β-cell mass, implying a selective impact on glucagon production.Additionally, we also documented that lithium downregulated the hepatic gluconeogenic program by decreasing G6Pase protein levels and upregulating AMPK activity.These findings suggest that lithium’s effect on glucose metabolism in type 1 diabetes is mediated through a different mechanism than those associated with exerciseinduced metabolic changes in the muscle. Therefore, our research presents the novel therapeutic potential of lithium in the treatment of type 1 diabetes, which can be utilized along with insulin and independently of exercise.

No abstract available.
Liver

No abstract available.
Delivery of Health Care ; Health Personnel ; Humans ; Korea ; Substance-Related Disorders

Fiberoptic intubation is an important method of tracheal intubation, especially in patients with difficult airway. As fiberoptic bronchoscopy relies on clear airspace ahead of the fiberscope tip, increasing airway obstruction may cause increasing difficulty. A clear airway that allows the passage of the fiberscope is usually present in awake patients, whereas in anesthetized patients the airspace in the oropharynx is reduced; the soft palate, base of tongue and epiglottis may be applied to the posterior pharyngeal wall due to the reduction in muscle tone. Hence, fiberoptic intubation may be difficult in anesthetized patients, and maneuvers to open the airway may be required. We report a simple and useful two-person intubation technique that uses the fiberoptic bronchoscope and conventional laryngoscope, which facilitated tracheal intubation in patients who had unanticipated difficult intubation.
Airway Obstruction ; Anesthesia, General* ; Bronchoscopes ; Bronchoscopy ; Epiglottis ; Humans ; Intubation* ; Laryngoscopes ; Oropharynx ; Palate, Soft ; Tongue

No abstract available.
Health Personnel/*ethics ; Humans ; Hypnotics and Sedatives/*adverse effects ; Propofol/*adverse effects ; Substance Abuse, Intravenous/*etiology

Severe portopulmonary hypertension (PPHT) is considered a contraindication for liver transplantation (LT) because of the associated high mortality and poor prognosis. We report the case of a 57-year-old cirrhotic woman with severe PPHT (mean pulmonary artery pressure [mPAP] > 65 mmHg), who underwent a successful living donor LT. Intra-operative use of inhaled iloprost, milrinone, dobutamine, and postoperative use of inhaled nitric oxide and oral sildenafil failed to lower the pulmonary artery pressure (PAP). The patient responded only to nitroglycerin and drainage of massive ascites. Meticulous intra-operative volume control, which included minimizing blood loss and subsequent transfusion, was carried out. The use of vasopressors, which may have elevated the PAP, was strictly restricted. Intra-operative PAP did not show an increase, and the hemodynamics was maintained within relatively normal range, compared to the preoperative state. The patient was discharged without any complications or related symptoms.
Ascites ; Dobutamine ; Drainage ; Female ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Iloprost ; Liver Transplantation* ; Living Donors ; Middle Aged ; Milrinone ; Mortality ; Nitric Oxide ; Nitroglycerin ; Prognosis ; Pulmonary Artery ; Reference Values ; Sildenafil Citrate

BACKGROUND: Despite progress in intubation techniques, dental trauma is one of the most common complications of general anesthesia. As the flange of the Macintosh blade appears responsible for most dental injuries, we modified the ordinary Macintosh blade by partially removing its flange and evaluated the effectiveness of the modified blade in terms of reducing potential of dental injuries. METHODS: Four hundred and eighty-three patients scheduled for elective surgery requiring general anesthesia with endotracheal tube placement were included in this prospective study. Laryngoscopy was performed twice, once using an ordinary Macintosh No. 3 blade and once using the modified Macintosh blade. The modification consisted of reducing the height of the flange by partial removal, as described by Callander et al. When optimum visibility of the glottis was obtained, the distance between the flange of the blade and the upper incisor was measured. We compared blade-tooth distances and laryngoscopic views for the two blades. RESULTS: The modified blade with low-height flange provided more distance than the ordinary type of blade (P<0.01). The incidence of direct contact between the blade and the upper tooth was 20.3% when the ordinary blade was used, and nearly 80% of these did not involve direct contact when using the modified blade. In addition, the modified blade provided a greater field of view than the ordinary blade (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The modified Macintosh blade used in this study proved to be a useful device, which could reduce dental injuries and provide a better laryngoscopic view during laryngoscopy.
Anesthesia, General ; Glottis ; Humans ; Incidence ; Incisor ; Intubation ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Laryngoscopes* ; Laryngoscopy ; Prospective Studies ; Tooth