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- Jideus, Lena, et al.
(author)
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Thoracic epidural anesthesia does not influence the occurrence of postoperative sustained atrial fibrillation
- 2001
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In: Annals of Thoracic Surgery. - 0003-4975 .- 1552-6259. ; 72:1, s. 65-71
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background. To evaluate whether thoracic epidural anesthesia (TEA) can reduce the incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).Methods. Forty-one patients undergoing CABG were treated with TEA intraoperatively and postoperatively. Another 80 patients served as the control group. The sympathetic and parasympathetic activities were evaluated by analysis of neuropeptides, catecholamines and heart rate variability (HRV), preoperatively and postoperatively.Results. Postoperative AF occurred in 31.7% of the TEA-treated patients and in 36.3% of the untreated patients (p = 0.77). TEA significantly suppressed sympathetic activity, as indicated by a less pronounced increase of norepinephrine and epinephrine (p = 0.03, p = 0.02) and a significant decrease of neuropeptide Y (p = 0.01) postoperatively in TEA-treated patients compared to untreated patients. The HRV variable expressing sympathetic activity was significantly lower and the postoperative increase in heart rate was significantly less in the TEA group than in the control group after surgery (p = 0.01, p < 0.001). Among patients developing AF, the maximal number of supraventricular premature beats per minute increased significantly in untreated patients postoperatively but remained unchanged in TEA-treated patients (p = 0.004 versus p = 0.86).Conclusions. TEA has no effect on the incidence of postoperative sustained AF, despite a significant reduction in sympathetic activity.
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- Linde, Torbjörn, et al.
(author)
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The use of pretransplant erythropoietin to normalize hemoglobin levels has no deleterious effects on renal transplantation outcome
- 2001
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In: Transplantation. - : Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). - 0041-1337 .- 1534-6080. ; 71:1, s. 79-82
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to establish the outcome of renal transplantation in patients given pretransplant erythropoietin (EPO) treatment targeted at reaching a normal hemoglobin concentration (Hb), compared to those given EPO-treatment aimed at maintaining subnormal Hb. METHODS: A total of 416 patients from Scandinavian countries and with renal anaemia were enrolled to examine the effects of increasing Hb from a subnormal level (90-120 g/liter) to a normal level (135-160 g/liter) by EPO treatment. Half of the patients were randomized to have their Hb increased, with the other half randomized to maintain a subnormal Hb. Thirty-two patients from the normal Hb group and 24 patients from the subnormal group received a renal graft during the study period. The outcomes of these transplantations were examined prospectively for 6 months. RESULTS: Preoperative Hb levels were 143+/-17 and 121+/-14 g/liter in the two groups, respectively (P<0.0001). The Hb remained higher in the normal Hb group during the first 2 weeks after transplantation. The percentage of patients requiring postoperative blood transfusions in the normal Hb group was 16%, compared with 50% in the subnormal group (P<0.01). No statistically significant difference in the proportion of functioning grafts or in the serum creatinine levels could be detected. No correlation between EPO treatment and creatinine levels after transplantation was found. The frequency of adverse events was similar in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: EPO treatment aimed at reaching a normal Hb in renal transplant recipients reduces the postoperative requirement for blood transfusions and has no deleterious effects on kidney graft function.
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