Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of selective head cooling with mild systemic hypothermia in hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) in newborn infants. Study design Infants with HIE ...were randomly assigned to the selective head cooling or control group. Selective head cooling was initiated within 6 hours after birth to a nasopharyngeal temperature of 34° ± 0.2°C and rectal temperature of 34.5° to 35.0°C for 72 hours. Rectal temperature was maintained at 36.0° to 37.5°C in the control group. Neurodevelopmental outcome was assessed at 18 months of age. The primary outcome was a combined end point of death and severe disability. Results One hundred ninety-four infants were available for analysis (100 and 94 infants in the selective head cooling and control group, respectively). For the selective head cooling and control groups, respectively, the combined outcome of death and severe disability was 31% and 49% (OR: 0.47; 95% CI: 0.26-0.84; P = .01), the mortality rate was 20% and 29% (OR:0.62; 95% CI: 0.32-1.20; P = .16), and the severe disability rate was 14% (11/80) and 28% (19/67) (OR: 0.40; 95% CI: 0.17-0.92; P = .01). Conclusions Selective head cooling combined with mild systemic hypothermia for 72 hours may significantly decrease the combined outcome of severe disability and death, as well as severe disability.
We report a novel T-shaped linear-stapled intrathoracic esophagogastric anastomosis for minimally invasive Ivor Lewis esophagectomy. A unique feature of this technique is a “gastric pouch” that is ...preserved proximal to the gastric conduit and which serves as the stapler-firing pathway to protect the gastric conduit. The linear stapler is placed through an auxiliary port in the seventh intercostal space on the right posterior axillary line and fired along the longitudinal axis of the thorax, without being constrained by limited intrathoracic space. This technique, which has been performed in 8 patients, is efficient, reliable, and easy to perform.
