A&A practice
-
Case Reports
Large Iatrogenic Tracheal Injury From Attempted Endotracheal Cuff Leak Remedy: A Case Report.
Continuous insufflation of oxygen into the pilot balloon of an endotracheal tube has been documented as a viable method to fix an incompetent endotracheal tube cuff. We present a case of a large iatrogenic tracheal injury resulting from an improvised cuff leak management device. Valuable lessons are discussed to prevent similar incidents.
-
We describe a patient with acute on chronic respiratory failure after a cardiac arrest who was cannulated to venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. The patient developed right-sided interstitial emphysema with air leak and left-sided hemothorax with secondary atelectasis. ⋯ The patient's overall pulmonary function improved, and he was successfully decannulated from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. In conclusion, differential lung ventilation may be performed in patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation with disparate lung disease as an alternative ventilation strategy.
-
It is well known that antithrombin (AT) deficiency results in decreased heparin sensitivity, also known as "heparin resistance." However, non-AT-mediated causes of heparin resistance are generally poorly characterized and less prevalent in the literature. We present 2 case reports of non-AT-mediated heparin resistance during cardiac surgery due to paraproteinemia and hyperfibrinogenemia. These cases highlight the challenges posed by unusual conditions in achieving adequate anticoagulation for cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). The pros and cons of the treatment selections for these cases are discussed, and the potential complications of large doses of unfractionated heparin are considered.
-
Comparative Study
Comparison of Twitter Use of the American Society of Anesthesiologists and the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists.
Twitter has become a powerful tool for dissemination of information. The objective of this study was to evaluate Twitter usage of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) and the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA). All tweets from ASA ("@ASALifeline") and AANA ("@aanawebupdates") were collected over a 1-year time period. ⋯ Twitter use was highest in October for ASA and September for AANA. Both societies are actively using Twitter. Future work should evaluate the impact of societal Twitter use.
-
We present a case of a pediatric patient who developed recurarization after a cardiac catheterization procedure. Intraoperative neuromuscular blockade was achieved with 2 doses of rocuronium, and the blockade was reversed with a bolus dose of sugammadex at the end of the procedure. While recovering in the pediatric cardiac intensive care unit, the patient developed respiratory failure and a decline in the train-of-four response. The patient fully recovered after receiving a second dose of sugammadex.