Mehmet Sah Topcuoglu

A background infusion of morphine enhances patient-controlled analgesia after cardiac surgery

PurposeWe compared the efficacy of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA), with or without a background infusion of morphine, on postoperative pain relief in patients extubated in the operating room after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery.MethodsWith Faculty Ethics approval, 60 consenting adults undergoing elective coronary artery surgery were randomly assigned to receive either morphine PCA alone (group PCA-A,n = 30) or morphine PCA plus a background infusion (group PCA-B,n = 30) for 24 hr postoperatively Pain scores with verbal rating scale (VRS1 from 0 to 10) at rest, sedation scores, morphine consumption and delivery/demand ratios were assessed at zero, one, two, four, six, 12 and 24 hr after surgery. Hemodynamic variables and arterial blood gases were also recorded in the same periods.ResultsSedation scores in the two groups were similar. At all study periods after the first postoperative hour, VRS remained below 5 in both groups. Pain scores were significantly lower in the background infusion group, which also had greater cumulative morphine consumption (61.7 ± 10.9 mg vs 38.5 ± 16.2 mg). There were no episodes of hypoxemia or hypertension.ConclusionMorphine PCA effectively controlled postoperative pain after cardiac surgery. The addition of a background infusion of morphine enhanced analgesia and increased morphine consumption.RésuméObjectifNous avons comparé les effets de l’analgésie autocontrôlée (AAC), avec ou sans une perfusion de morphine de base, sur l’analgésie postopératoire des patients extubés au bloc opératoire à la suite d’un pontage aortocoronalre.MéthodeSoixante adultes consentants devant subir une opération de pontage aortocoronalre réglée ont été recrutés dans notre étude après l’accord du Comité d’Éthique de la Faculté. Les patients ont reçu soit de la morphine en AAC seule (Groupe AAC-A, n = 30), soit de la morphine en AAC plus une perfusion de base continue (Groupe AAC-B, n =30) pendant 24 h après l’opération. La douleur au repos selon une échelle verbale analogique (score de 0 à 10), les scores de sédation, la consommation de morphine, ainsi que les niveaux sérlques de morphine à zéro, une, deux, quatre, six, 12 et 24 h après l’opération ont été évalués. Le bilan hémodynamique et les gaz du sang ont aussi été enregistrés durant la même période.RésultatsIl n’y avait pas de différence dans les scores de sédation entre les deux groupes. Après la première heure postopératoire l’échelle verbale analogique était en dessous de 5 dans les deux groupes. Les scores de douleurs étalent slgnlfcatlvement moins élevés dans le groupe perfusion de base; ce dernier groupe avait aussi une plus grande consommation cumulative de morphine (61,7 ± 10,9 mgvs38,5 ± 16,2 mg). Il n’y a pas eu d’épisode d’hypoxle ni d’hypertension.ConclusionLAAC avec la morphine réduit efficacement la douleur postopératoire en cardiochirurgie. L’ajout d’une perfusion de base de morphine améliore l’analgésie et augmente la consommation de morphine.

Intravenous leiomyomatosis extending into the right ventricle after subtotal hysterectomy

A case of intravenous leiomyomatosis with extension into the right ventricle is described. A tumor in the inferior vena cava was detected three years after a subtotal hysterectomy had been performed for a myomatous uterus but was misdiagnosed as a thrombus. The tumor enlarged and intruded into the right ventricle for which she underwent surgery. The correct diagnosis was made during the surgery, therefore a two-stage resection was planned. Surgical resection is the best treatment for intracardiac extension of intravenous leiomyoma. We recommend iliac venotomy to remove the ilio-caval portion of the tumor in both stages of operations.

A rare presentation of cardiac hydatid cyst: stroke and acute aortic occlusion.

Cardiac involvement in hydatid disease is uncommon. We report a case of a surgically treated ruptured left ventricular hydatid cyst, which presented with acute stroke and was later complicated by distal aortic embolism due to perioperative dislodgement of the germinative membrane.

Effects on Reperfusion Injury of Adding Diltiazem to Tepid Blood Cardioplegia

BACKGROUND Although the present techniques of myocardial preservation for limiting ischemia/reperfusion injury in open heart operations yield excellent results for most patients, certain subgroups of patients with advanced coronary artery disease present a challenge in terms of intraoperative safety. METHODS In a prospective, randomized, controlled study, we assessed the myocardial protective effects of a total dose of 150 +/- 150 = 300 microg/kg diltiazem added to induction and terminal (reperfusion) doses of tepid blood cardioplegia. We determined the myocardial morphological (ultrastructural) and enzymatic (serum assays for the cardiospecific isoenzyme of creatine kinase [CK-MB]) changes and functional recovery (atrioventricular [AV]-node recovery time and postoperative need for inotropic support) in patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass operations. The determinations were made with respect to values for control patients, who received the same cardioplegia but without the addition of diltiazem. RESULTS The mean isoenzyme CK-MB levels and semiquantitative ultrastructural score values of the diltiazem group were significantly less than those of the control group. Although AV-node recovery time was significantly prolonged (P < .05), this factor did not have major clinical impact. CONCLUSIONS We concluded that the addition of 150 +/- 150 microg/kg diltiazem to the induction and terminal doses of tepid cardioplegia enhanced myocardial protection in elective aortocoronary bypass surgery in high-risk patients and presented no significant additional operative risk.

Short- and mid-term results of xenograft–bovine pericardial patch in the repair of intracardiac defects: final results of a single-centre study

INTRODUCTION A variety of patch materials have been used in the repair of intracardiac defects. We evaluated the short- and mid-term clinical and echocardiography results of glutaraldehyde-preserved bovine pericardium patches used to repair intracardiac defects in our clinic. METHODS AND RESULTS This study examines the short- (up to 30 days post-operatively) and mid-term (up to 24 months post-operatively) results of 533 patients with intracardiac defects who underwent surgical correction with glutaraldehyde-preserved bovine pericardium patches between 2004 and 2010 at a university clinic. Short- and mid-term post-operative echocardiographic studies showed no evidence of calcification, thrombus, or aneurysmal dilatation on the patch. Vegetation developed in two (0.37%) of the 533 patients. CONCLUSION These results that have been obtained from a group of large number of patients imply that the glutaraldehyde-preserved bovine pericardium patches may be preferable in the closure of cardiac defects because of their low complication rates and ease of use.

Urgent surgery for cardiac hydatid cyst located in interventricular septum.

A 6-year-old girl was referred with acute chest pain and dyspnea. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a single large well-defined intramyocardial cystic mass in the interventricular septum. A serologic test was positive for echinococcal infection. Urgent open heart surgery was undertaken to remove the cyst, and albendazole treatment was started. The postoperative course was satisfactory, and the patient was discharged on the 5th postoperative day without any complication.