Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to S Berliner.
A 68-year-old woman developed malignant pericardial effusion seven years after mastectomy for adenocarcinoma. Daily evacuation of the pericardial fluid and tetracycline instillations brought about the complete disappearance of the pericardial effusion, lasting already for one year.
Twelve surgical procedures were performed in eight patients with circulating lupus anticoagulant. Bleeding complications were noted intra and postoperatively in three patients, either with an associated hypoprothrombinemia and/or thrombocytopenia. Five patients in whom only circulating lupus anticoagulant was found had an uneventful intra and postoperative course. It is concluded that the presence of lupus anticoagulant, when unassociated with other hemostatic defects, is not a contraindication for surgery.
During the last ten years, 15 major operations have been performed in our ward on 14 patients with leukemia. Nine had an uncomplicated postoperative course, two succumbed to overwhelming postoperative infections, another two died from cardiovascular complications and one from carcinomatous spread. There were no wound-related complications and no granulocyte or platelet transfusions were necessary. It is concluded that major surgery should not be avoided in patients solely because of the presence of a leukemic process.
The results of thirteen major operations performed in twelve patients with various forms of hepatitis are reviewed. five patients succumbed shortly after surgery, four of them with acute yellow atrophy of liver and one following septic shock. In the patients with acute viral hepatitis, associated malignancy is assumed to have contributed to death. One patient with chronic active hepatitis treated by corticosteroids had an uneventful recovery, while two patients with the same disease, to whom corticosteroids were not administered, succumbed to hepatic failure.
The purpose of the present study was to document the increased leukocyte adhesiveness/aggregation (LAA) and tissue leukostasis that follow surgical trauma. We found that following major abdominal surgery, the percentage of aggregated leukocytes in the peripheral blood increased from 8.6 +/- 7 to 21.7 +/- 11.5 (p < 0.001), while the respective values for patients undergoing minor surgery were 3.7 +/- 2.4 and 19.7 +/- 7.6% (p < 0.001). The state of LAA was also determined in eight dogs after partial collectomy and four controls. A clear increment in the degree of tissue leukostasis (especially in the spleen, liver and lungs) was noted in the operated as compared to the control animals. In addition, a significant correlation was found between the state of LAA, determined in the venous (p = 0.0004) and arterial (p = 0.002) blood of these animals and the degree of tissue leukostasis. We conclude that a state of increased LAA in the peripheral blood is induced by surgical trauma and that this increased LAA correlates with tissue leukostasis.