A&A practice
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Rapid sequence induction and intubation was performed for a patient in respiratory distress after a gunshot wound to the neck. Resistance was noted distal to vocal cords. With a bronchoscope unavailable, the endotracheal tube was advanced with a corkscrew maneuver. ⋯ The patient was emergently explored. An intraluminal bullet was removed, lateral wall tracheal defect was repaired, and a tracheostomy was placed. The intubating provider should secure the airway by the method they are most comfortable, have high suspicion of airway injury, and prepare to manage airway disruption.
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The erector spinae plane block is a novel interfascial plane block that can provide thoracic and abdominal analgesia. We describe a patient with opioid intolerance scheduled for breast surgery who received an erector spinae plane block with liposomal bupivacaine as well as a supplemental T1 paravertebral block resulting in profound analgesia throughout her postoperative course. This case report demonstrates that use of liposomal bupivacaine in the erector spinae plane block can be successful in providing extended duration postoperative analgesia and minimizing systemic opioid requirements.
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We present a detailed report of an awake craniotomy for recurrent third ventricular colloid cyst in a patient with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension in the setting of Eisenmenger syndrome, performed 6 weeks after we managed the same patient for a more conservative procedure. This patient has a high risk of perioperative mortality and may be particularly susceptible to perioperative hemodynamic changes or fluid shifts. The risks of general anesthesia induction and emergence must be balanced against the risks inherent in an awake craniotomy on a per case basis.
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Point-of-care ultrasound may elucidate reversible causes of cardiac arrest, and its use is supported by international guidelines in the periarrest setting. We present a case in which the treatment of cardiac arrest caused tension pneumothoraces and cardiac tamponade by pneumopericardium. ⋯ Cardiac imaging was false negative for tamponade, because the latter was caused by air and not fluid. Diagnoses are not to be excluded with inconclusive point-of-care ultrasound examinations, which should prompt further clinical evaluation and imaging.