Objectives: Median sternotomy is the incision of choice for most cardiac surgical procedures, but the full-length vertical skin incision generally leaves an unsightly scar. In certain patients undergoing short, low-risk procedures, cosmetic considerations are of relatively greater importance. Methods: A minimal transverse curvilinear skin incision with low median sternotomy is described which g...

1.1 Mechanical ventilation Mechanical ventilation is often employed to replace spontaneous breathing of patients under general anesthesia. Even after operation, the patient still needs ventilation support until the respiratory muscles regain full function. A ventilator delivers a certain amount of air flow through a facial mask or tracheal tube to the patient whose respiratory system fails to f...

The Ventilator Manager (VM) program is an experiment in expert system development that builds on our experience with rules in the MYCIN system. VM is designed to interpret on-line quantitative data in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a hospital. After a major cardiovascular operation, patient often needs mechanical assistance with breathing and is put in the ICU so that many parameters can be m...