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The hazards of dealing with infected false femoral aneurysms resulting from intra-arterial narcotic injection are highlighted in six patients. Two patients were human immunodeficiency virus positive and three patients were hepatitis B surface antigen positive. Because of these infections exploration of groin swellings as presumed soft tissue abscesses is potentially hazardous without proper proximal vascular control. All patients underwent reconstruction following arterial ligation and five grafts became infected, with life threatening haemorrhage occurring in four patients. Five grafts have subsequently occluded or have been removed without loss of limb viability, although two patients have been regrafted. A high index of suspicion and assessment by a vascular surgeon, with angiography if indicated, is required in any intravenous drug abuser presenting with a groin swelling following injection. Because of the great risk of graft infection, it is suggested that ligation and debridement alone be carried out, with immediate arterial reconstruction only for non-viability.

Cutaneous blood flow in the foot was assessed by 125I iodoantipyrine clearance in patients with peripheral vascular disease. Three groups were studied: group (a) consisted of 10 controls, Group (b) of 10 patients who had arterial reconstruction, and Group (c) of 10 patients having lumbar sympathectomy. Skin blood flow remained constant in the control patients. In Group (b) arterial reconstruction increased skin blood flow from mean 4.3 ml/100g/min to a mean of 14.9 ml/100g/min (p less than 0.001). In group (c) skin blood flow did not significantly change from a mean preoperative value of 7.6 ml/100g/min to a mean postoperative value of 8.1 (ml/100g/min). These results suggest that lumbar sympathectomy does not affect nutritional blood flow.

The presentation and subsequent management of 53 patients with volvulus of the small bowel are reviewed. Important features of the presentation are the acute onset of the abdominal pain and its severity which is often inconsistent with the findings on clinical examination. The diagnosis was made preoperatively from plain abdominal x-rays in only 1 patient, although several radiological features are described. In 16 patients there were no obvious predisposing factors, although in the remaining 37 patients the volvulus occurred as a consequence of a predisposing anatomical abnormality. The mortality rate associated with volvulus in the presence of gangrenous small bowel is 47%. In the management of a patient presenting with small bowel obstruction, the possibility of volvulus must be considered in order to reduce this high mortality.

Fifty patients presenting with acute volvulus of the sigmoid colon have been analyzed. The diagnosis was made in 39 patients from the presenting features and abdominal radiographs. Deflation by sigmoidoscopy and flatus tube was performed in 19 patients with initial success in 15. Recurrent volvulus occurred in 6 of these patients. Laparotomy was carried out in 36 patients and colonie gangrene was present in 6 patients. The operative mortality rate was 42%. Mortality was related to a combination of age, intercurrent medical illness, and sepsis. Simple operative reduction was associated with a lower mortality when compared to resection but had a higher incidence of recurrent volvulus. This study supports the use of sigmoidoscopic reduction as the primary treatment of acute sigmoid volvulus. Laparotomy and colonic resection should be reserved for those patients who are medically fit and should ideally be performed on an elective basis after preliminary decompression. In unfit patients in whom sigmoidoscopic reduction fails, detorsion and colopexy is advocated.

Mitral regurgitation was produced in the open-chest dog by permitting blood to flow from left ventricle through a flow meter into the left atrium during systole. The hemodynamic effects of known amounts of regurgitation were studied. Two liters per minute of mitral regurgitant flow had relatively little effect on effective cardiac output, aortic pressure, left atrial pressure and on the left ventricular function curve.

The hemodynamic determinants of myocardial oxygen utilization were ascertained in the isolated, metabolically supported, nonfailing canine heart. The primary determinant was found to be the total tension developed by the myocardium as indicated by the area beneath the systolic pressure curve (Tension-Time Index). The significance of these findings for the understanding of the low efficiency of the failing heart and the consequently increased importance of Laplace's law are discussed.

Performance characteristics, stability and ventricular function curves were studied in an isolated heart preparation in which the metabolic state of the perfusing blood was kept at or near normal by continued exchange with a supporting dog. In contrast to the progressive failure exhibited by the classical isolated heart or heart-lung preparations, the isolated supported heart's performance did not differ from the performance of the heart in an open-chest, anesthetized dog with a complete circulation. Myocardial O2 consumption could be determined with a high degree of precision. O2 debt comparable to that which occurs in skeletal muscle was not observed.

The involvement of the entire colon in an ischemic process is unusual because of the dual source of blood supply to the large bowel. Three cases of total ischemic colitis are presented. A precipitating cause to account for the distribution of ischemia was identified in each patient.

Thirty four neonates presented with acute duodenal obstruction due to malrotation during a 9 year period between 1973 and the end of 1981. Of these, 20 patients (58.8%) presented in the first week of life, and 24 (70.5%) had an associated midgut volvulus. This frequent association is stressed as bowel necrosis occurs very rapidly. Massive gangrene of small bowel was present in 5 patients, extensive resection was necessary in 3 patients, of whom 2 died postoperatively (5.8%). Five patients required reoperation and 10 had additional G.I. malformations (29.4%).

Summary A case in which an infiltrating mucinous carcinoma developed within a suprasphincteric fistula-in-ano is presented. The diagnosis was suspected on biopsy and confirmed by repeat biopsy. The clinical and histological features of this case establish with certainty that the carcinoma arose within the fistula and was not a secondary manifestation of the tumour. It is suggested that this rare complication of chronic fistula-in-ano may be prevented by prompt expert management of complex primary fistula.

Although the general dependence of coronary flow on myocardial qo2 was confirmed in an in situ heart preparation, changes in aortic pressure and cardiac output were observed to be capable of influencing this relationship. Neither myocardial qo2 nor coronary flow were found to be dependent on left ventricular filling pressure.

Summary A case of small bowel stricture developing 2 months after blunt abdominal trauma from a lap seat belt is presented. The cause of the stricture was probably a small perforation sustained at the time of the injury but overlooked clinically. At operation an abscess around the terminal ileum was found. The patient made an uneventful recovery following resection of the strictured small bowel.

Volvulus of the splenic flexure is a rare cause of large-bowel obstruction. Three cases are presented and the features of 17 previously reported cases reviewed. Resection with or without primary anastomosis is the procedure of choice to prevent recurrence.