Does minimal extracorporeal circulation ( MECC ) result in less hypertrophic scar formation as compared to conventional extracorporeal circulation ( CECC ) with dexamethasone?
MECC does not reduce hypertrophic scar formation compared with CECC with dexamethasone, but its use is more beneficial than the use of CECC/dexamethasone because of the circulatory and immunological advantages and because treatment with dexamethasone can be omitted.
This study does not support the hypothesis that systemic inflammation is the cause of accelerated loss of fat free mass in COPD patients, but suggests a role for TNF-α in already cachectic COPD patients.