Unidirectional endobronchial valves for management of persistent air-leaks. Results of a multicenter study

Background: To evaluate the efficacy of Endo-Bronchial Valves in the management of persistent air-leaks (PALs) and the procedural cost. Methods: It was a retrospective multicenter study including consecutive patients with PALs for alveolar pleural fistula (APF) undergoing valve treatment. We assessed the efficacy and the cost of the procedure. Results: Seventy-four patients with persistent air leaks due to various etiologies were included in the analysis. In all cases the air leaks were severe and refractory to standard treatments. Sixty-seven (91%) patients underwent valve treatment obtaining a complete resolution of air-leaks in 59 (88%) patients; a reduction of air-leaks in 6 (9%); and no benefits in 2 (3%). The comparison of data before and after valve treatment showed a significant reduction of air-leak duration (16.2±8.8 versus 5.0±1.7 days; P<0.0001); chest tube removal (16.2±8.8 versus 7.3±2.7 days; P<0.0001); and length of hospital stay (LOS) (16.2±8.8 versus 9.7±2.8 days; P=0.004). Seven patients not undergoing valve treatment underwent pneumo-peritoneum with pleurodesis (n=6) or only pleurodesis (n=1). In only 1 (14%) patient, the chest drainage was removed 23 days later while the remaining 6 (86%) were discharged with a domiciliary chest drainage removed after 157±41 days. No significant difference was found in health cost before and after endobronchial valve (EBV) implant (P=0.3). Conclusions: Valve treatment for persistent air leaks is an effective procedure. The reduction of hospitalization costs related to early resolution of air-leaks could overcome the procedural cost

Prognostic value of soluble major histocompatibility complex class I polypeptide-related sequence A in non-small-cell lung cancer - significance and development

Soluble major histocompatibility complex class I polypeptide-related sequence A (sMICA) is a useful marker in surveillance of lung cancer. High serum sMICA level in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) seems to be a poor prognostic factor being correlated with poor differentiation and advanced stage. However, the low specificity limits its role as a single prognostic marker of NSCLC, but its evaluation, in addition to standard serum markers, could improve the staging of NSCLC. Despite promising, all current studies are insufficient to assess the real efficiency of sMICA as a prognostic marker of NSCLC, and hence, future studies are required to validate it

Three-dimensional (3D) Printed Model to Plan the Endoscopic Treatment of Upper Airway Stenosis

Background: Endoscopic management of tracheal stenosis may be challenging, especially in the case of complex stenosis placed near the vocal folds, and needing stent placement. Herein, we evaluated the utility of the three-dimensional (3D) airway model for procedural planning in a consecutive series of patients with complex airway stenosis and scheduled for endoscopic treatment. Methods: This strategy was applied to 7 consecutive patients with tracheal stenosis unfit for surgery. The model was printed in a rubber-like material, and almost 7 hours were needed to create it. All patients presented respiratory failure with a mean value of 3.4±0.4 Medical Research Council (MRC) dyspnea scale, 47±3.9 forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1%), and an impairment in the 6-minute walking test (6MWT) (mean value, 175±53 m). The mean length of the stenosis was 19±3.4 mm; 3 of the 7 (43%) patients presented a subglottic stenosis. In 4/7 (57%) patients the stenosis was >5 mm, but its treatment required the placement of a stent because of the presence of tracheal cartilage injury. Results: The mean operation time was 22.7±6.6 minutes. No complications were observed during and after the procedure. A significant increase of MRC (3.4±0.4 vs. 1.6±0.5; P=0.003), of FEV1% (47±3.9 vs. 77±9.7; P=0.001), and of 6MWT (175±53 vs. 423±101; P=0.0002) was observed after the procedure (mean follow-up, 11.1±8.8 mo). Conclusion: Our 3D airway model in the management of airway stenosis is useful for procedural planning, rehearsal, and education. The fidelity level of the 3D model remains the main concern for its wider use in patient care. Thus, our impressions should be confirmed by future prospective studies

The role of Angiology and Vascular Surgery in the COVID-19 pandemic

The New Coronavirus Epidemic (2019-nCoV), discovered in the city of Wuhan, China, in December 2019, presents mainly with pulmonary pneumonia that is preceded by fever, cough and myalgia. However, as the disease spread globally and the number of hospitalizations increased exponentially, it was noted that most serious patients hospitalized by COVID-19 have laboratory changes worthy of attention, such as lymphopenia, neutrophilia, increased time of prothrombin and increased levels of D-dimer. Due to these changes proving to be crucial for the mortality and morbidity rates in this subset of infected people, several studies focusing on the pathophysiology, mainly hematological, of the disease appear every day. Deepening these studies, several published works have shown SarsCoV-2 infection to the installation of a prothrombotic state in hospitalized patients, which leads to the potential occurrence of thrombotic or arterial events in this cohort. Thus, in order to understand how the departments of Angiology and Vascular Surgery are acting in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, this work aims to gather studies that reveal from protocols applied in vascular services in the current situation, until to the role of vascular surgeons and angiologists in the clinical and surgical management of patients infected or not, as a way of helping and clarifying this specialty during the context of a pandemic due to the new coranavirus. For the selection of works, the following search criteria were used: “Coronavirus and venous thrombosis”, “Coronavirus and thrombosis”, “COVID-19 and venous thrombosis” and “COVID-19 Coronavirus and thrombosis”

Opioid-free anesthesia versus opioid-inclusive anesthesia for breast cancer surgery: a retrospective study

Background: Breast cancer surgery is usually managed using opioid-inclusive anesthesia (OIA), although opioids are associated with several adverse events, including nausea, vomiting, and constipation. Multimodal opioid-free anesthesia (OFA) has been introduced to reduce the incidence of these side effects. In this single-center retrospective study, we investigated whether ketamine, combined with magnesium and clonidine, could effectively control postoperative pain in patients undergoing quadrantectomy, while reducing postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). Results: A total of 89 patients submitted to quadrantectomy were included and divided into an OFA group (38 patients) and an OIA group (51 patients) according to the received anesthetic technique. Analgesia in the OIA group was based on an intraoperative infusion of remifentanil, and analgesia in the OFA consisted of an intraoperative infusion of ketamine and magnesium sulfate. Postoperative pain in both groups was managed with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and paracetamol. Postoperative pain, assessed with the numeric rating scale (NRS), requirements for additional analgesics, the incidence of PONV, and patient satisfaction evaluated using a QoR-40 questionnaire were compared between the two groups. Levels of pain at 30 min and 6, 12, and 24 h after surgery; number of paracetamol rescue doses; and the incidence of PONV were lower in the OFA group (p &lt;0.05). Patient satisfaction was comparable in the two groups. Conclusions: A combination of ketamine, magnesium, and clonidine could be more effective than opioid-based analgesia in reducing postoperative pain and lowering PONV occurrence after quadrantectomy for breast cancer

Ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block versus intercostal nerve block for post-minithoracotomy acute pain management: a randomized controlled trial

Objective: Several nerve block procedures are available for post-thoracotomy pain management.Design: In this randomized trial, the authors aimed to determine whether the analgesic effect of preoperative ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block (ESPB) might be superior to that of intraoperative intercostal nerve block (ICNB) in pain control in patients undergoing minithoracotomy.Setting: University hospital.Participants: Sixty consecutive adult patients scheduled to undergo minithoracotomy for lung resection were enrolled.Interventions: Patients were allocated randomly in a 1:1 ratio to receive either single-shot ESPB or ICNB.Measurements and Main Results: The primary outcome was the intensity of postoperative pain at rest, assessed with the numeric rating scale (NRS). The secondary outcomes were (1) dynamic NRS values (during cough); (2) perioperative analgesic requirements; (3) patient satisfaction, on the basis of a verbal scale (Likert scale); and (4) respiratory muscle strength, considering the maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP) and maximum expiratory pressure (MEP) variation from baseline. The ESPB group showed lower postoperative static and dynamic NRS values than the ICNB group (p &lt; 0.05). Total remifentanil consumption and requirements for additional analgesics were lower in the ESPB group (p &lt; 0.05). Patient satisfaction was higher in the ESPB group (p &lt; 0.001). A significant overall time effect was found in MIP and MEP variation (p &lt; 0.001); ESPB values were higher at all points, reaching a statistically significant level at the first and sixth hours for MIP, and at the first, 12th, 24th, and 48th hours for MEP (p &lt; 0.05).Conclusions: ESPB was demonstrated to provide superior analgesia, lower perioperative analgesic requirements, better patient satisfaction, and less respiratory muscle strength impairment than ICNB in patients undergoing minithoracotomy. (C) 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Harmonic technology versus neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet laser and electrocautery for lung metastasectomy: An experimental study

We compared the efficacy of non-anatomical lung resections with that of three other techniques: monopolar electrocautery; neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet laser and harmonic technology. We hypothesized that the thermal damage with harmonic technology could be reduced because of the lower temperatures generated by harmonic technology compared with that of other devices.OBJECTIVES We compared the efficacy of non-anatomical lung resections with that of three other techniques: monopolar electrocautery; neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet laser and harmonic technology. We hypothesized that the thermal damage with harmonic technology could be reduced because of the lower temperatures generated by harmonic technology compared with that of other devices. METHODS Initial studies were performed in 13 isolated pig lungs for each group. A 1.5-cm capsule was inserted within the lung to mimic a tumour and a total of 25 non-anatomical resections were performed with each device. The damage of the resected lung surface and of the tumour border were evaluated according to the colour (ranging from 0 - pink colour to 4 - black colour), histological (ranging from Score 0 - no changes to Score 3 - presence of necrotic tissue) and radiological (ranging from Score 0 - isointense T2 signal at magnetic resonance imaging to Score 3 - hyperintense T2 signal) criteria. A total of seven non-anatomical resections with harmonic technology were also performed in two live pigs to assess if ex vivo results could be reproducible in live pigs with particular attention to haemostatic and air-tightness properties. RESULTS In the ex vivo lung, there was a statistical significant difference between depth of thermal damage (P < 0.0001) in electrocautery (1.3 [1.2-1.4]), laser (0.9 [0.6-0.9]) and harmonic (0.4 [0.3-0.5]) groups. Electrocautery had a higher depth of thermal damage compared with that of the laser (P = 0.01) and harmonic groups (P = 0.0005). The harmonic group had a less depth of thermal damage than that of the laser group (P = 0.01). Also, histological damages of tumour borders (P < 0.001) and resected lung surface (P < 0.001), radiological damage of tumour borders (P < 0.001) and resected lung surface (P < 0.001) and colour changes (P < 0.001) were statistically different between three study groups. Resections of in vivo pig lungs showed no bleeding; 2 of 7 cases of low air leaks were found; however, they ceased by sealing lung parenchyma with harmonic technology. CONCLUSIONS Our experimental data support the resections performed with the use of harmonic technology. The lack of severe tissue alterations could favour healing of parenchyma, assure air tightness and preserve functional lung parenchyma. However, randomized controlled studies are needed in an in vivo model to corroborate our findings

Evaluation of a Novel Method Using Computed Tomography to Predict New Onset of Atrial Fibrillation or Embolic Events after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation: the Role of Hounsfield Unit Density Ratio in the Left Atrial Appendage

Backgrounds: Evaluation of left atrial appendage (LAA) with angio-computed tomography (CCTA) in order to predict new onset of atrial fibrillation (AF) or embolic events is a new upcoming topic. No previous reported studies are available in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Methods: We analyzed pre-procedural CCTA scans of 325 patients who underwent TAVI performing a linear coefficient of attenuation analyses with Hounsfield units (HU) in LAA. HU in LAA distal and proximal was calculated, as well as the ratio. A sensibility and specificity analyses was conducted in order to identify the optimal cutoff to predict new onset AF or embolic events after TAVI. Results: Patients were divided into 4 groups according to the presence of AF. Baseline clinical and echocardiographic features were similar except for a significantly higher STS score and mitral regurgitation severity in PRE-TAVI AF group (p=0.003 and p=0.002 respectively). HU analyses showed a statistical difference in measure performed in LAA distal and in the HU LAA distal/Proximal ratio, with the lowest value in patients with pre-TAVI AF (p&lt;0.001 and p&lt;0.001 respectively). The ROC analyses found 0.84 as the cut-off for to predict the composite endpoint of new AF or embolic events, with sensitivity of 51% and specificity of 52% (p=0.008). Conclusion: In patients with aortic stenosis (AS), use of LAA assessment with CCTA to predict embolic events or new onset AF is no efficacy and cannot be substituted clinical indications for prevention and therapy of embolic events