A&A practice
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Hyperbaric bupivacaine, the local anesthetic routinely selected for single-injection spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery (CD), was in short supply in 2018. Hospital stocks were significantly less than before and after the shortage period. ⋯ Retrospective chart review revealed that elective and emergency CDs were performed without delays or increase in rate of general anesthesia during this period. However, trainees had fewer opportunities to perform spinal anesthesia for CD.
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Case Reports
Two Case Reports of Upper Extremity Venous Thrombosis From Midline Catheter Placement in Pregnancy.
Midline catheters are often inserted in pregnant women for whom a prolonged hospital stay is anticipated to facilitate the administration of medications and for blood sampling. Midline catheters compared with peripheral intravenous catheters are associated with fewer venipunctures and scheduled line changes. We present 2 cases of pregnant women with no personal or family history of thrombosis who underwent midline catheter insertion and developed venous thromboembolism of the upper extremity requiring anticoagulation therapy. Studies are needed to evaluate the safety profile of midline catheters in pregnancy.
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Critically ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been observed to be hypercoagulable, but the mechanisms for this remain poorly described. Factor VIII is a procoagulant factor that increases during inflammation and is cleaved by activated protein C. To our knowledge, there is only 1 prior study of factor VIII and functional protein C activity in critically ill patients with COVID-19. Here, we present a case series of 10 critically ill patients with COVID-19 who had severe elevations in factor VIII activity and low normal functional protein C activity, which may have contributed to hypercoagulability.
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Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) can be a debilitating, persistent, and treatment-resistant pain condition. This report presents a case of severe CRPS affecting multiple limbs, resistant to standard treatment modalities. Treatment with spinal cord stimulation (SCS) had an initial good effect. ⋯ A lead fracture resulted in a rapidly developing recurrence of CRPS in the patient's arm, necessitating amputation. SCS may be an effective modality for treatment of severe CRPS. However, mechanical problems should always be considered when an SCS-implanted patient experiences rapid symptom progression or abrupt cessation of stimulation.