Tracheostomy was first described by Greco-Roman physicians, including Paulus of Aegina. Medieval Islamic clinicians extended the Greco-Roman ideas with substantial contributions to the field of surgery, including tracheostomy. Although Al-Zahrawi (936-1013 CE) stated that he had not heard or read of any Islamic physicians having performed tracheostomy, there is evidence that many prominent Islamic surgeons did practice this lifesaving procedure during medieval times. Throughout the Islamic Golden Age, Muslim physicians advanced the practice of tracheostomy with many modifications of the procedure, instrumentation, and adjuvant medicinal prescriptions.

In cardiac surgery patients in northwest Iran, the prevalence of cigarette smoking is relatively low (very low in women), as is alcohol use, compared with Western countries; however, opium use is twice as prevalent. We found higher pulmonary complication rates in men who smoked, but no increase in postoperative cardiopulmonary complications and in-hospital mortality rates in patients who abused opium and consumed alcohol.

The anti-inflammatory cytokine response in the MST group is significantly better than in the DN group. This may be due to shorter intervals of the MST cardioplegia solution administration, which prevents rewarming of the myocardium, increased metabolic demand and hypoxia. Decreasing the intervals of DN administration may improve its cardioprotective properties.

Background:Heparinized saline solution is used to prevent occlusion in the arterial catheters and central venous pressure monitoring catheters. Even at low dose, heparin administration can be associated with serious complications. Normal saline solution can maintain patency of arterial catheters and central venous pressure monitoring catheters.Objectives:The current study aimed to compare the efficacy of normal saline with that of heparinized one to maintain patency of arterial and central venous catheters after cardiac surgery.Patients and Methods:In the current randomized controlled trial, 100 patients, with an age range of 18 - 65 years of valve and coronary artery surgery were studied in Rajaie heart center, Tehran, Iran. Patients were randomized to receive either heparinized saline (n = 50) or normal saline flush solutions (n = 50). In the study, arterial catheters and central venous pressure monitoring catheters were daily checked for any signs of occlusion in three postoperative days as primary end-point of the study.Results:According to the information obtained from the study, four (8%) arterial catheters in the saline group (P value: 0.135) and three (6%) arterial catheters in the heparin group (P value = 0.097) were obstructed. Statistical analysis showed that the incidence of obstruction and changes in all other parameters between the two groups during the three-day follow-up was not significant (all P values > 0.05).Conclusions:It seems that there is no difference in the use of heparinized and normal saline solutions to prevent catheter occlusion of arterial and central venous pressure.