AIMS: To evaluate the advantages and limits of one day surgery operations performed between January 1990 and December 2000. METHODS: Pre-operative study of out patients with indications to surgical treatment with short-stay hospitalisation and research of criteria of feasibility of day-surgical program: a) morning hospitalisation; b) surgical intervention; c) post-operative control; d) night control; e) careful evaluation of admission 24 hour after operation and instruction for house-therapy; f) program of follow-up (7 and 14 days after operation). RESULTS: Mortality 0%; immediate post-operative complications 1.8%; post-operative sequelae (one year after surgery): 0.5%; high satisfaction gradient of patients one year after treatment: 89%. DISCUSSION: The Day-Surgery seems to be, after ten years of experience, available in high number of patients, with progressive extension of indications to ever more surgical fields and results very satisfactory, in term of cost-effectiveness too, with an high compliance of the patients to surgical program.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[New perspectives in the treatment of liver metastasis from colorectal cancer: radiofrequency thermal ablation].

Preliminary results of new treatment of metastatic hepatic malignancies from colo-rectal cancer, the radiofrequency ablation (RFA), are reported. The method is limited by few cases treated and short follow-up but it opens new perspectives in metasurgical treatment of these lesions as regards the previous experiences based on wide numbers of patients, recently reported in the literature.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

BIS and Ramsay score in critically ill patient: what future?

BACKGROUND: The recent introduction of BIS has improved the concept of utilizing it as a method for the assessment of the sedation level, thus opening new frontiers in critically ill patients care. Its validity in measuring the hypnotic drug effects has been repeatedly proved, but it has rarely been used in ICU. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the correlation between BIS and Ramsay score and its fluctuations with the sedative dosage variations, as a possible utilization in ICU. METHODS: In this study, 20 patients with severe lung disease requiring ventilator support, were recruited. All patients were sedated with propofol and/or midazolam to maintain a Ramsay score of 4. Continuous infusion techniques were commonly used. At time 0 and every half an hour, the patients were evaluated by 2 investigators, using the Ramsay score and the BIS simultaneously. The BIS was calculated by a 1-min recording every time that the sedation score was recorded, for a total of 960 observations. In addition BIS was continuously recorded to establish a baseline value, when the patient was not stimulated. Ventilator settings, medications and vital signs were also recorded. RESULTS: With the increase of the Ramsay score there was a progressive decrease in the BIS score (Ramsay score=2, BIS=88 +/- 15.1; Ramsay score=6, BIS=52.2 +/- 10.7); between BIS and Propofol dosages and between Ramsay score and systolic pressure. CONCLUSIONS: The data obtained show a good correlation between Ramsay score and BIS.

Critical Care↗

PubMedDate not supplied