A&A practice
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Jehovah's Witness patients have unique perioperative challenges involving blood products. We describe the use of a novel method to maintain a closed circuit between a Jehovah's Witness patient's arterial blood and the epidural space while performing a blood patch for postdural puncture headache. Previously described methods have utilized venous catheters to maintain a closed circuit between the body and the epidural space. This is the first report we are aware of that utilizes a closed-circuit arterial blood supply to create an epidural blood patch in a Jehovah's Witness patient.
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Airway management and ventilation during a tracheobronchial stenting procedure are challenging given that mandatory positive pressure ventilation cannot be fully achieved while using a rigid bronchoscope due to leakage from the scope tip. Biphasic cuirass ventilation is a negative pressure ventilation method using an external cuirass fitted to the anterior chest, which could assist in spontaneous breathing and ventilation support. We report 3 successful anesthesia cases in which we could maintain adequate ventilation and oxygenation, supported by biphasic cuirass ventilation, in patients undergoing tracheobronchial stent placement or removal procedures using rigid bronchoscopy.
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Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of peripartum death in the United States during pregnancy. The presence of concomitant diagnoses may complicate or conflict with the management of the primary cardiovascular diagnosis and further complicate pregnancy and delivery. We describe the management of a 29-year-old, gravida 5, para 1 woman with severe peripartum cardiomyopathy during this and a previous pregnancy complicated by multiple endocrine neoplasia type and factor V Leiden thrombophilia, limiting therapeutic options and contributing to considerable perioperative management challenges.
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Pulmonary artery anastomosis stenosis is a rare cause of right ventricular failure after orthotopic heart transplantation. In this case report, direct ultrasound of the pulmonary artery helped diagnose stenosis at a location not visible on transesophageal echocardiography or even with standard epicardial ultrasound views. It is important to evaluate all vascular anastomoses after heart or lung transplantation because surgical revision of these lesions is facile, but if left undiagnosed, significant morbidity or mortality is likely.
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Ultrasound (US)-guided transversalis fascia plane block (TFPB) was first described by Hebbard as a technique for blockade of T12-L1 nerves. Although this technique appears similar to the quadratus lumborum 1 block, the point of injection is more caudal and anterior, specifically targeting ilioinguinal and iliohypogastric nerves. ⋯ We report the use of US-guided TFPB in a patient undergoing inguinal herniorrhaphy. Our experience suggests that this technique could represent a viable alternative to general anesthesia and standard regional techniques for inguinal hernia repair.