Functional changes of the heart and lung in perioperative period of orthotopic liver transplantation

Objective: To investigate the variation of functions of the heart and lung during orthotopic liver transplan- tation (OLT). Methods: Pulmonary artery cannula and right radial artery cannula were indewelled before anaesthesia and the parameters of hemodynamics in different pe- riods were monitored. Analysis of variance was used to reveal the variation among the groups. T hypothe- sis test in paired data was used to compare the preop- erative parameters with those in each period during operation and after operation respectively, and to compare the parameters immediately after operation with those in each period after operation respective- ly. Results: During the operation, heart rate increased, but blood pressure decreased significantly at the be- ginning of no-liver period, increased again in a short period and then increased progressively 12 h after op- eration. Pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) increased from before the no-liver period to 60 h after opera- tion. Pulmonary wedge pressure changed in accord- ance with the variation of PAP. Cardiac output was maintained at a high-output level from before opera- tion to 60 h after operation. Systemic vascular resist- ance (SVR) was within the normal limits before op- eration, whereas pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) was lower than normal. In the no-liver peri- od during the operation, SVR decreased significant- ly. Both SVR and PVR increased progressively and returned to normal postoperatively. Conclusions: The patients undergoing OLT have a high cardiac output and Iow resistance obstacle be- fore and during the operation, and will recover grad- ually after operation. Monitoring hemodynamics during the peri-operative period is of significance in the prevention and treatment of pneumonedema and cardiac functional insufficiency.

Influence of systemic immune and cytokine responses during the acute phase of zoster on the development of postherpetic neuralgia

Postherpetic neuralgia(PHN) is a severe sequela of herpes zoster(HZ).Until now,only age and pain severity were considered predisposing factors for the development of PHN.We evaluated 49 patients with acute phase HZ,10 of whom developed PHN(Group A) and 39 of whom did not develop PHN(Group B).Twenty-five healthy volunteers similar in age and gender distribution to the study group were recruited as controls(Group C).Numbers of serum CD3+(pan-T lymphocytes),CD4+(helper/inducer),and CD8+(suppressor/cytotoxic) lymphocytes were decreased significantly in Groups A and B relative to the control group,but there were no statistical differences between Groups A and B.Interleukin(IL)-1β,IL-6,tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α,IL-8,and IL-10 were significantly elevated in Groups A and B relative to Group C.IL-6 was significantly higher in Group A than in Group B,and was significantly positively correlated with pain severity scored on a visual analog scale.Therefore,we suggest that the inflammatory response,especially that of IL-6,in the acute phase of HZ may be associated with hyperalgesia and the development of PHN.