No description available.

Thesis--Wisconsin. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 177-192).

Thesis (M.S. (honours))--University of Western Sydney, 2003. / Title from PDF title page (viewed Sept. 19, 2007). Made available through Australian Digital Theses Program. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S. (honours))--University of Western Sydney, 2003. / Title from PDF title page (viewed Feb. 2, 2005). Includes bibliographical references (p. 142-150). Issued also in print. Print ed. accompanied by 1 CD-ROM.

Patients with an anterior mediastinal mass pose significant risk for cardiorespiratory compromise during surgical procedures and general anesthesia. Several techniques have been described to reverse airway obstruction in these patients. In extreme circumstances, patients may require cardiac bypass or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) until definitive treatment of the mass and patient stabilization is achieved. We present a case in which the RulTract (R) system was used for emergency sternal elevation as a bridge to ECMO in acute respiratory collapse in an 11-year-old female with a minimally symptomatic anterior mediastinal mass. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Le traitement de la douleur après chirurgie cardiaque avec sternotomie reste à ce jour un défi pour le clinicien. Chez ces patients à risque, une prise en charge non adaptée de la douleur peut altérer la réhabilitation postopératoire et majorer les complications métaboliques, immunologiques, cardiovasculaires, respiratoires, ou psychiques de la chirurgie. L’objectif de ce travail de recherche clinique en chirurgie cardiaque était : 1) d’évaluer les effets analgésiques d’une anesthésie locorégionale continue par un bloc bi-latéro-sternal (bloc BLS) par perfusion continue de ropivacaïne,2) d’évaluer l’effet du bloc BLS sur la durée de séjour en réanimation et morbidité postopératoire, chez les patients présentant un risque respiratoire accru, 3) d’évaluer l’effet analgésique d’un antiinflammatoire non stéroïdien (AINS) de référence, le kétoprofène, à une posologie conventionnelle et des posologies réduites. Les deux techniques étaient appliquées pendant les 48 heures suivant la chirurgie cardiaque.Testé (contre placebo) sur une population standard, le bloc BLS continu diminue de 41% la douleur à la mobilisation (dynamique), diminue la douleur au repos et la consommation de morphine (d’environ 40%). Il permet une reprise plus précoce de l’alimentation et du traitement per os, une mobilisation plus précoce et une plus grande satisfaction des patients. En revanche, il ne permet pas une amélioration des paramètres respiratoires (spirométrie et gaz du sang artériel). Testé (contre une prise en charge standard) sur une population à risque respiratoire accru, contrairement aux attentes, il ne réduit pas la durée de séjour en réanimation et à l’hôpital, mais il a des effets bénéfiques sur la douleur dynamique, la satisfaction des patients, l’incidence de nausées/vomissements et de troubles neurologiques de type confusionnel. Un bénéfice en termes médico-économique est suggéré par une analyse secondaire. Testé (contre placebo) sur une population à faible risque, l’utilisation du kétoprofène en plein dose permet de réduire la douleur dynamique et au repos, sans augmentation des effets indésirables rénaux et hémorragiques, habituellement craints avec les AINS. Bien que les arguments manquent pour pouvoir utiliser des posologies réduites, le kétoprofène peut néanmoins être conseillé chez ce type de patients, alors qu’il est à ce jour insuffisamment prescrit. L’étude de protocoles d’administration utilisant des posologies réduites potentialisées par une dose de charge est suggérée. / The treatment of pain after cardiac surgery with sternotomy remains to this day a challenge for the clinician. In these frail patients, non-appropriated pain treatment can alter the postoperative rehabilitation and increase metabolic, immunologic, cardiovascular, respiratory, and psychological postoperative complications. The goal of this clinical research was to evaluate:- the analgesic effects of bi-latero-sternal (BLS) block by a continuous infusion of ropivacaine, - the effect of the BLS block on the length of stay in intensive care and postoperative morbidity in patients with increased respiratory risk,- evaluate the analgesic effect of ketoprofen, the standard non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), at a conventional and reduced dosages.The two techniques were applied during the 48 hours following cardiac surgery.Tested (against placebo) on a standard population, the BLS continuous block decreased pain at mobilisation (dynamic pain) by 41%, decreased pain at rest, and morphine consumption (by 40%). It allowed an earlier postoperative first dietary and oral medication intake, earlier mobilisation and a greater patients’ satisfaction. On the other hand, it did not show any significant improvement of respiratory parameters (spirometry and arterial blood gases).Tested against a standard treatment in patients with increased respiratory risk, the BLS block did not reduce the length of stay in intensive care and in hospital, but it had beneficial effects on dynamic pain, patients’ satisfaction, the incidence of nausea/vomiting and of postoperative delirium. A benefit in economics terms is suggested by a secondary analysis.Tested against placebo in a low-risk population, the use of ketoprofen in full dose regimen, reduced pain at mobilisation and at rest, without increasing renal adverse effects or bleeding (as it could be feared with NSAIDs). We missed to demonstrate the ketoprofen efficacy at reduced doses. Ketoprofen may be recommended on a low-risk population, while it is insufficiently prescribed so far. The study of protocols using a reduced dosage potentiated by a loading dose is suggested.

Purpose Osteomyelitis of the sternum may arise either as a primary condition or secondary to median thoracotomy after cardiac surgery, with the latter being decidedly more frequent. Deep sternal wound infections appear as a complication of median thoracotomy in 0.2 to 4.4% of cases and may encompass the infection of the sternal bone. To date, there are no exhaustive histopathological studies of the sternal osteomyelitis. Methods Our work group developed a surgical technique to remove the complete infected sternal bone in deep sternal wound infections. We therefore prospectively examined the en bloc resected sternal specimens. Seven standard histological sections were made from the two hemisternums. Results Forty-seven sternums could be investigated. The median age of the patients in the cohort was 66 (45–81) years and there were 10 females and 37 males. Two methods were developed to examine the histological findings, with one model dividing the results in inflammatory and non-inflammatory, while the second method using a score from 0 to 5 to describe more precisely the intensity of the bone inflammation. The results showed the presence of inflammation in 76.6 to 93.6% of the specimens, depending on the section. The left manubrial sections were more prone to inflammation, especially when the left mammary artery was harvested. No further risk factors proved to have a statistical significance. Conclusion Our study proved that the deep sternal wound infection may cause a ubiquitous inflammation of the sternal bone. The harvest of the left mammary artery may worsen the extent and intensity of infection.

Introduction: Deep sternal wound infection is a rare but feared complication of median thoracotomies and is usually caused by microorganisms from the patient’s skin or mucous membranes, the external environment, or iatrogenic procedures. The most common involved pathogens are Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and gram-negative bacteria. We aimed to evaluate the microbiological spectrum of deep sternal wound infections in our institution and to establish diagnostic and treatment algorithms. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the patients with deep sternal wound infections at our institution between March 2018 and December 2021. The inclusion criteria were the presence of deep sternal wound infection and complete sternal osteomyelitis. Eighty-seven patients could be included in the study. All patients received a radical sternectomy, with complete microbiological and histopathological analysis. Results: In 20 patients (23%) the infection was caused by S. epidermidis, in 17 patients (19.54%) by S. aureus, in 3 patients (3.45%) by Enterococcus spp., in 14 patients (16.09%) by gram-negative bacteria, while in 14 patients (16.09%) no pathogen could be identified. In 19 patients (21,84%) the infection was polymicrobial. Two patients had a superimposed Candida spp. infection. Methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis was found in 25 cases (28,74%), while methicillin-resistant S. aureus was isolated in only three cases (3,45%). The average hospital stay for monomicrobial infections was 29.93 ± 13.69 days and for polymicrobial infections was 37.47 ± 19.18 (p = 0.03). Wound swabs and tissue biopsies were routinely harvested for microbiological examination. The increasing number of biopsies was associated with the isolation of a pathogen (4.24 ± 2.22 vs. 2.18 ± 1.6, p < 0,001). Likewise, the increasing number of wound swabs was also associated with the isolation of a pathogen (4.22 ± 3.34 vs. 2.40 ± 1.45, p = 0.011). The median duration of antibiotic treatment was 24.62 (4–90) days intravenous and 23.54 (4–70) days orally. The length of antibiotic treatment for monomicrobial infections was 22.68 ± 14.27 days intravenous and 44.75 ± 25.87 days in total and for polymicrobial infections was 31.65 ± 22.29 days intravenous (p = 0.05) and 61.29 ± 41.45 in total (p = 0.07). The antibiotic treatment duration in patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococci as well as in patients who developed an infection relapse was not significantly longer. Conclusion: S. epidermidis and S. aureus remain the main pathogen in deep sternal wound infections. The number of wound swabs and tissue biopsies correlates with accurate pathogen isolation. With radical surgical treatment, the role of prolonged antibiotic treatment remains unclear and should be evaluated in future prospective randomized studies.

We present an unusual example of multiple mesosternal foramina (MMF). The alignment of the paired defects is unlike any previously described. Although single sternal defects are often encountered, paired defects are quite uncommon. This is the first documented example of bilateral paired defects in the sternum.

Factors affecting the risk of ribcage injury in adult subjects during CPR were investigated using the torso region of the THUMS model, a full human body FE-model, representing an average adult male. The thoracic dynamic response of the model was compared to experimental PMHS hub loading impact data and live-subject CPR data found in the literature. The model was then used to study the risk of obtaining injuries in various simulated CPR conditions, also varying the stiffness of the costal cartilage. Parameters that are known to predict induced injuries were extracted from the model simulations, i.e. chest deflections, and maximum 1st principal strain and von-Mises stress in the ribs and sternum, as well as the pressure in the heart muscle. These were compared with values that have been reported to have the potential to cause injury. The predictions were compared to experimental findings of the probability of CPR resulting in fractures of the ribs and sternum. The previously mentioned parameters did not reach high enough values to predict fracture occurrences, but interesting trends were highlighted with regards to the different loading conditions investigated. It was demonstrated that human body FE-model simulation studies can be useful for investigating the influence of different CPR related loading conditions on the risk of occurrences of rib and sternal fractures.