Presidential address. Commercialism, consumerism, capitalism and care of the acutely ill surgical patient.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to C E Lucas.
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The effects of furosemide on renal function and hemodynamics were evaluated in 54 critically ill surgical patients. Standard clearance techniques were used to measure glomerular filtration rate (GFR), renal plasma flow (RPF), osmolar clearance (COsm), sodium clearance (CNa), and renal blood flow (RBF). RBF distribution to outer cortex, inner cortex-outer medulla, and inner medulla was measured by the radioactive xenon disappearance technique. Furosemide produced a marked rise in urine output, COsm, and CNa; it produced no change in GFR, RPF, RBF, and RBF distribution. Twelve of the 54 patients received furosemide for therapy not related to the study; six patients developed renal failure and five became hypotensive 2 to 10 hours after administration of furosemide. These data demonstrate that furosemide does not protect against renal failure by altering or increasing RBF but may cause renal failure by producing hypovolemia.
Hypervolemia with hypertension often occurs 36-72 hours following massive blood and fluid replacement for hypovolemic shock. This syndrome of "fluid overload" has been attributed to the rapid intravascular flux of previously sequestered fluid in patients with impaired diuresis. This hypothesis was tested in 35 injured patients who received a mean of 9.3 L of blood and 17.4 L of salt during resucitation. The renal parameters measured soon after resuscitation included: 1) renal clearance of inulin (GFR), para-amino hippurate (ERPF), milliosmoles, sodium, and free water; 2) inulin space, renal vascular resistance (RVR), O2 consumption, renin, renal blood flow (RBF), and response to furosemide. Eighteen patients developed hypertension, hypervolemia, and respiratory insufficiency. When compared to the 17 normovolemic, non-hypertensive patients, the 18 hypervolemic patients had significantly increased RVR, with a significant decrease in RBF despite an increase in plasma volume and cardiac output. Furosemide produced less diuresis and natriuresis in the hypertensive patients. The balance between hypovolemia and "fluid overload" seemed percarious in the hypertensive patients. Peripheral renin and catecholamine levels were normal in both groups. Patients with post-traumatic "fluid overload" appear to have a combination of hypervolemia, respiratory insufficiency, hypertension, increased cardiac output, decreased extracellular fluid space, and decreased renal perfusion. These findings suggest that decreased interstitial fluid space compliance rather than "fluid overload" is the underlying factor leading to respiratory insufficiency. The therapeutic aspects of these findings are discussed.
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We describe a case of severe bleeding from left-sided colonic diverticula, 2 1/2 years following right-sided colectomy for massive rectal bleeding confirmed angiographically to be from the right part of the colon. This experience demonstrates that total abdominal colectomy with ileoproctostomy is the only way to ensure that there is no bleeding postoperatively from diverticula, regardless of angiographic findings.
The present study was designed to determine the gastric hemodynamics in a septic model that causes both a hyperdynamic state and acute erosive gastritis. Sepsis was established in twelve pigs by the intramuscular shank injection of Pastuerella multocida (42 X 10(8) colonies) in triptose phosphate broth; four pigs received sterile broth injections (shams) and eight received sterile saline injections (controls). After 18 hours, cardiac output was measured by both the cardiogreen dilution technic and the radioactive microsphere dilution technic; cardiac output was then compared to total and regional gastric blood flow measured by the raioactive microsphere entrapment technic. Acute erosive gastritis developed in septic pigs in the fundus and body of the stomach; the antrum was spared. Cardiac output was significantly increased in septic pigs compared with sham and control pigs. Total gastric blood flow and regional blood flow to the fundus, body, and antrum were also increased in direct proportion to the increase in cardiac output. These data suggest that acute erosive gastritis is primarily due to an end-organ cellular insult from sepsis and is not primarily due to a decrease or redistribution in gastric blood flow.
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Primary closure with "minimal tension" of an inadequately debrided massive abdominal wall defect invariably results in further necrosis and dehiscence. Rotation flaps and prosthetic materials are potentially hazardous in severely traumatized and contaminated wounds. An alternate technique, utilizing an abdominal wall pack and porcine skin graft has been used in two patients with close-range shotgun blasts and one patient with postoperative necrotizing fascitis. The combination of a biological dressing and an abdominal wall pack, stinted by strategically placed retention sutures, controls infection, promotes healthy granulation tissue, and prevents bowel erosion with fistula formation.
The methods of hemostasis used for liver injuries were evaluated prospectively in 637 patients treated at Detroit General Hospital during a 5-year period. Variables evaluated included severity of injury, presence or absence of bleeding, and methods of hemostasis, The liver injury was either not bleeding or was controlled by temporary pack compression during laparotomy in 325 patients: none of these patients, including the 284 in whom no hemostatic procedure was used, rebled postoperatively. Active bleeding at laparotomy was directly related to the severity of liver injury, and required some hemostatic procedure in 312 patients. The methods of hemostasis were liver sutures (244 patients), nonanatomic resection (30 patients), anatomic resection (21 patients), hepatic artery ligation (nine patients), hepatotomy with intraparenchymal vascular control (five patients), and temporary internal pack with later re-operation (three patients). Rebleeding occurred in eight of the 243 patients who survived (seven after liver sutures and one after nonanatomic resection) and four required re-operation for control of bleeding. Sixty-nine patients with active bleeding died. Death on the table in 38 patients was related primarily to uncontrolled bleeding from liver and major vessel injury. Postoperative rebleeding from the liver occurred in 14 of 31 patients who died after surgery: following initial control by liver sutures (seven patients); anatomic resection (four patients); and hepatic artery ligation (three patients). There was no apparent relationship between any hemostatic procedure and the subsequent appearance of the hepatic ischemia or parahepatic abscess. Based on this experience, the merits and detriments of individual hemostatic procedures are presented.
Forty patients with abdominal injury and massive hemoperitoneum had left thoracotomy and thoracic aortic occlusion. All 40 patients had tense abdominal distention and 37 patients were hypotensive at the time of skin incision despite aggressive resuscitation with blood and crystalloid solution. Laparotomy was performed initially in 11 patients; seven patients had sudden cardiovascular collapse as the abdominal wall tamponade was released and four patients remained hypotensive. With thoracotomy and thoracic aortic occlusion six of the 11 patients were resuscitated and had their injuries repaired. Thoracotomy and thoracic aortic occlusion were performed before laparotomy in 29 patients: seven patients remained hypotensive and expired; blood pressure was promptly restored in 22 patients and 11 of them survived the operative procedure. Left thoracotomy and thoracic aortic occlusion, before laparotomy, is offered as an alternative approach in patients with refractory hypotension and tense, abdominal distention. This technique aids in rapid restoration of vital signs, insures continued perfusion of the brain and myocardium, provides proximal arterial control, and prevents sudden cardiac arrest as the abdominal wall tamponade is released.
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Furosemide frequently is advocated as a prophylaxis against renal failure in septic and injured patients; this effect is thought to be secondary to an increase in renal blood flow. This postulate was tested within 72 hours of admission in 22 previously healthy patients with acute pancreatitis (two), massive trauma (ten), or severe sepsis (ten). Renal clearances of inulin (GFR), para-amino hippurate (ERPF), sodium (CNA), osmoles (COsm), and free water (CH2O) were measured in milliliters per minute before and after the intravenous infusion of furosemide (0.5 mg. per kilogram of body weight). Renal vein PAH levels (EPAH) in eight patients were used to calculate true renal plasma flow (TRPF), true renal blood flow (TRBF), and renal vascular resistance (RVR). Furosemide caused a significant increase in urine volume, CNa, and COsm; there were no significant changes in GFR, ERPF, RVR, TRBF, and EPAH. These findings also were observed when the patients were subgrouped according to elevated, normal, or low renal plasma flow and elevated renal vascular resistance. No significant changes were seen in EPAH, thus making a redistribution of renal blood flow unlikely. These studies indicate that furosemide has only a diuretic effect and no hemodynamic effect in the kidney; it has the potential of seriously reducing the circulatory volume and causing renal failure in critical patients.
Two patients with acute respiratory insufficiency requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation are described. Both patients developed fatal unilateral tension pneumothoracies after the respiratory insufficiency appeared to be improving. The pneumothorax in each patient appeared to be the result of high inspiratory pressures resulting from high tidal volumes and positive end expiratory pressure. Currently, we recommend bilateral chest tube thoracostomies for those patients with inspiratory pressures greater than 40 cm H2O as a prophylaxis against this fatal complication.
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Electrocoagulation of gastric or esophageal bleeding sites was evaluated in dogs using a flexible suction coagulator electrode passed through the endoscope using an electrocautery unit (Cameron-Miller model 80-7910). Acute and chronic coagulation studies in 25 dogs showed that electrocoagulation of both the esophageal and gastric mucosa was safe at an electrocautery unit setting of 5 for three to five seconds. This level of coagulation was successful in stopping bleeding created from actively bleeding esophageal and gastric mucosal defects by taking multiple large biopsy specimens. Based on these data, six patients with active bleeding gastric lesions have undergone mucosal coagulation. This successfully stopped the bleeding initially in all six patients; two patients rebled and required operative intervention within 48 hours. Further clinical evaluation is being implemented to determine its clinical role in the treatment of bleeding in the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract.
The frequent application of split thickness porcine skin grafts to cover an exposed vascular repair is a reasonable alternative to amputation in patients with severe extremity injury. It is essential that soft-tissue debridement be complete and at least one wall of the exposed vascular repair be supported by healthy, viable muscle. Limb salvage was achieved in seven of nine patients in whom this technique was used, including two patients with exposed Dacron grafts.