We have compared two methods of reducing hypotension during spinal anaesthesia in elderly patients, 6% hetastarch and crystalloid or methoxamine 10 mg i.m., in terms of haemodynamic stability and requirements for additional vasopressors. Sixty-two patients (aged 60-97 yr) undergoing surgical fixation of fractured neck of femur were allocated randomly to receive 6% hetastarch (Hespan) 500 ml fol...

In complex systems, a critical transition is a shift in a system's dynamical regime from its current state to a strongly contrasting state as external conditions move beyond a tipping point. These transitions are often preceded by characteristic early warning signals such as increased system variability. However, early warning signals in complex, coupled human-environment systems (HESs) remain ...

INTRODUCTION Trauma-induced coagulopathy, acidosis, and hypothermia form a "lethal triad" that is difficult to treat and is associated with extremely high mortality. This study was performed at three academic centers to evaluate whether resuscitation with blood components could reverse the coagulopathy in a complex polytrauma model. METHODS Yorkshire swine (40 +/- 5 kg) were subjected to a th...

Background: Umbilical Cord Blood (UCB) has steadily gained prominence in haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Despite UCB advantages, the main disadvantage of (HSCT) is its limited dose. Initially, used to be processed and then made undergo cryopreservation as whole cord blood banking leading problem storing sufficiently large number cryoprotected units which requires vast amounts c...

The effects on porcine arterial structure and permeability of a 4-hour in vitro incubation at 37 degrees C in eight different blood-derived and synthetic nutrient media were examined. Changes in arterial permeability were inferred from the normalized, 1-hour, pressurized, transendothelial uptake (M/c0 cm) of porcine 125I-albumin in 60 porcine aortic tissue preparations using an organ-support sy...