Displacement of a dental implant into the maxillary sinus: report of an unusual complication when performing staged sinus floor elevation procedures

Grafting of the maxillary sinus in both one- and two-stage protocols has become a highly predictable surgical technique for site development and for the placement of implants to support dentures. However, despite the predictability and high success rates reported for dental implants placed either simultaneously with or after a sinus floor elevation (SFE) procedure, complications have been reported. The aim of the following case report is to present an uncommon complication in a staged SFE procedure: the displacement of a dental implant into the maxillary sinus during insertion. As implant dentistry is becoming more and more popular among practitioners, and ever more demanding procedures for initial site development in jaws with bony deficiencies are being introduced into daily practice, the displacement of dental implants into the maxillary sinus during implant placement may become a more frequent complication. Management of this complication is presented, discussed, and evaluated in light of the current literature.

[Pathophysiology of capnoperitoneum. Implications for ventilation and hemodynamics]

Laparoscopic surgery was introduced into clinical practice in the early 1950s by gynaecologists. Technical improvements allowed its use for more complex and longer lasting procedures. Reduction of postoperative pain, more favourable cosmetic results, quicker recovery and reduced length of hospital stay proved to be advantageous when compared to open surgery. As a result progressively older patients with corresponding pulmonary and cardiovascular comorbidities and morbidly obese patients are now undergoing advanced laparoscopic surgery. Detailed knowledge of the respiratory and hemodynamic pathophysiology induced by capnoperitoneum is necessary to administer safe anaesthesia to such patients. This review addresses the most important effects of capnoperitoneum and recent research as well as the possible implications for clinical practice.

Intraoperative hypothermia during vascular neurosurgical procedures

Increasing evidence in animal models and clinical trials for stroke, hypoxic encephalopathy for children, and traumatic brain injury have shown that mild hypothermia may attenuate ischemic damage and improve neurological outcome. However, it is less clear if mild intraoperative hypothermia during vascular neurosurgical procedures results in improved outcomes for patients. This review examines the scientific evidence behind hypothermia as a treatment and discusses factors that may be important for the use of this adjuvant technique, including cooling temperature, duration of hypothermia, and rate of rewarming.

Increased splanchnic oxygen extraction because of routine nursing procedures

OBJECTIVE: Multiple organ failure is a common complication of acute circulatory and respiratory failure. We hypothesized that therapeutic interventions used routinely in intensive care can interfere with the perfusion of the gut and the liver, and thereby increase the risk of mismatch between oxygen supply and demand. DESIGN: Prospective, observational study. SETTING: Interdisciplinary intensive care unit (ICU) of a university hospital. PATIENTS: Thirty-six patients on mechanical ventilation with acute respiratory or circulatory failure or severe infection were included. INTERVENTIONS: Insertion of a hepatic venous catheter. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Daily nursing procedures were recorded. A decrease of >or=5% in hepatic venous oxygen saturation (Sho2) was considered relevant. Observation time was 64 (29-104) hours (median [interquartile range]). The ICU stay was 11 (8-15) days, and hospital mortality was 35%. The number of periods with procedures/patient was 170 (98-268), the number of procedure-related decreases in Sho2 was 29 (13-41), and the number of decreases in Sho2 unrelated to procedures was 9 (4-19). Accordingly, procedure-related Sho2 decreases occurred 11 (7-17) times per day. Median Sho2 decrease during the procedures was 7 (5-10)%, and median increase in the gradient between mixed and hepatic venous oxygen saturation was 6 (4-9)%. Procedures that caused most Sho2 decreases were airway suctioning, assessment of level of sedation, and changing patients' position. Sho2 decreases were associated with small but significant increases in heart rate and intravascular pressures. Maximal Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores in the ICU correlated with the number of Sho2 decreases (r: .56; p < 0.001) and with the number of procedure-related Sho2 decreases (r: .60; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients are exposed to repeated episodes of impaired splanchnic perfusion during routine nursing procedures. More research is needed to examine the correlation, if any, between nursing procedures and hepatic venous desaturation.

Effects of Gender on the Incidence of Cardiac Tamponade Following Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation: Results from a Worldwide Survey in 34,943 AF Ablation Procedures.

BACKGROUND -Cardiac tamponade is the most dramatic complication observed during atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation and the leading cause of procedure-related mortality. Female gender is a known risk factor for complications during AF ablation; however, it is unknown whether women have a higher risk of tamponade. METHODS AND RESULTS -A systematic Medline search was used to locate academic electrophysiologic (EP) centers that reported cases of tamponade occurring during AF ablation. Centers were asked to provide information on cases of acute tamponade according to gender and their mode of management including any case of related mortality. Nineteen EP centers provided information on 34,943 ablation procedures involving 25,261 (72%) males. Overall 289 (0.9%) cases of tamponade were reported: 120 (1.24%) in females and 169 (0.67%) in males (odds ratio 1.83, P<0.001). There was a reciprocal association between center volume and the occurrence of tamponade with substantial lower risk in high volume centers. Most cases of tamponade occurred during catheter manipulation or ablation; females tended to develop more tamponades during transseptal catheterization. No gender difference in the mode of management was observed. However, 16% cases of tamponade required surgery with lower rates in high volume centers. Three cases of tamponade (1%) culminated in death. CONCLUSIONS -Tamponade during AF ablation procedures is relatively rare. Women have an almost twofold higher risk for developing this complication. The risk of tamponade among women decreases substantially in high volume centers. Surgical back-up and acute management skills for treating tamponade are important in centers performing AF ablation.

3D Face Reconstruction from 2D Pictures: First Results of a Web-Based Computer Aided System for Aesthetic Procedures

The human face is a vital component of our identity and many people undergo medical aesthetics procedures in order to achieve an ideal or desired look. However, communication between physician and patient is fundamental to understand the patient’s wishes and to achieve the desired results. To date, most plastic surgeons rely on either “free hand” 2D drawings on picture printouts or computerized picture morphing. Alternatively, hardware dependent solutions allow facial shapes to be created and planned in 3D, but they are usually expensive or complex to handle. To offer a simple and hardware independent solution, we propose a web-based application that uses 3 standard 2D pictures to create a 3D representation of the patient’s face on which facial aesthetic procedures such as filling, skin clearing or rejuvenation, and rhinoplasty are planned in 3D. The proposed application couples a set of well-established methods together in a novel manner to optimize 3D reconstructions for clinical use. Face reconstructions performed with the application were evaluated by two plastic surgeons and also compared to ground truth data. Results showed the application can provide accurate 3D face representations to be used in clinics (within an average of 2 mm error) in less than 5 min.