A&A practice
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A 31-year-old G2P1 (gravida 2 para 1) woman at 34 weeks of gestation presented after a motor vehicle collision with an incomplete cervical spinal cord injury. The patient underwent emergent anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ACDF), immediately followed by cesarean delivery. We discuss the clinical decision making to perform ACDF first, weighing risks and benefits to both mother and baby. We also address important anesthetic considerations for this pregnant patient having emergent spine surgery, including positioning with left uterine displacement, rapid sequence intubation to minimize aspiration risk, choice of vasopressor, implications of total intravenous maintenance anesthetic, and the medical teams involved in this care.
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Case Reports
Combined Spinal-Epidural for Loop Ileostomy in a Patient With End-Stage Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Case Report.
Anesthesia can be a challenge for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This progressive neurological disease is associated with a high risk of aspiration and postoperative ventilatory failure. ⋯ He tolerated the procedure well with no perioperative pulmonary complications or worsening of his ALS. To reduce the risks of general anesthesia, we chose a neuraxial approach.
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The development of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) in a patient undergoing epilepsy surgery without perioperative hypertension is uncommon. A young man having epilepsy surgery with normal blood pressures had an unexplained drop in his processed electroencephalogram (pEEG) levels intraoperatively. This alerted and prompted us to search for the cause. ⋯ The intraoperative findings of pEEG, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and EEG postoperatively prompted a diagnosis of PRES. The patient was managed conservatively and had a full recovery. This case report highlights the role of brain electrical activity monitors in PRES.
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Case Reports
Dorsal Root Ganglion Stimulation to Treat Focal Postsurgical and Diffuse Chronic Pain: A Case Report.
Dorsal root ganglion stimulation (DRG-S) is widely accepted for treating focal pain syndromes. We present the case of a 46-year-old woman with severe lumbar radiculopathy with an implanted spinal cord stimulator (SCS) that had lost efficacy. ⋯ One-year after lumbar fusion, her refractory lumbar and radicular pain returned, which we ultimately treated with bilateral T12+S1 DRG-S. DRG-S was thus used to successfully treat focal postsurgical and diffuse chronic pain.
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One-lung ventilation (OLV) can be accomplished utilizing a double-lumen tube (DLT) and an endobronchial blocker (EBB) or intentionally placing a standard endotracheal tube (ETT) into a mainstem bronchus. However, secondary options must be available should the primary method fail. We present a case where an EBB and a fiberoptic bronchoscope (FOB) were successfully passed through a left-sided DLT to reestablish right-lung isolation after the DLT bronchial cuff was surgically damaged. We advocate competency in placing both DLTs and EBBs, as well as having EBBs readily accessible as a secondary isolation method during OLV.