A&A practice
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Tranexamic acid (TXA), an antifibrinolytic, is routinely used to decrease transfusion rates in total joint replacement surgery. While recent publications have indicated a low risk of TXA-associated thromboembolic events in this orthopedic population, few studies specifically address the safety of TXA administration in high-risk patients. We present a case of acute coronary thrombus requiring emergent intervention in a patient with indwelling coronary stents who underwent shoulder arthroplasty with TXA administration.
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Conduction abnormalities after cardiac surgery are common as is spontaneous resolution of these abnormalities. However, 1%-3% of patients will require placement of a permanent pacemaker. Patients with preexisting conduction abnormalities, undergoing reoperation, preexisting pulmonary hypertension and undergoing mitral or aortic valve operations are at a higher risk for requiring a permanent pacemaker. We present the first case described in the literature of a patient with a preexisting left bundle branch block, and heart failure with a reduced left ventricular ejection fraction of 25% who developed complete heart block after placement of a coronary sinus catheter.
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Pain control after open abdominal surgery often includes multimodal analgesia with thoracic epidural or transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block. After liposomal bupivacaine was approved for TAP blocks in 2015, it became an alternative to indwelling catheters. However, the pharmacokinetics and safety of its use during the perioperative period have not been thoroughly investigated, especially in conjunction with parenteral opioids. We present a case report of an elderly patient having urgent laparoscopic converted to open abdominal surgery, who experienced postoperative respiratory depression in the recovery room after multimodal therapy with liposomal bupivacaine TAP blocks, intravenous (IV) opioids, and ketorolac.
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An 18-month-old patient with hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy, type VII undergoing general anesthesia for Nissen fundoplication and gastrostomy tube is presented. This is the first reported case of a patient with this particular genetic mutation receiving general anesthesia. ⋯ The anesthetic considerations and implications of caring for a patient with this particular mutation and patients with other variations of hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy are also discussed. We show that a patient with de novo hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy, type VII without anhidrosis did not require intraoperative narcotics and did not experience bradycardia, asystole, or hemodynamic compromise.
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Opioids are frequently used for the treatment of chronic pain, and patients taking high doses are at increased risk of complications and adverse opioid-related events. Ketamine is appealing as an opioid adjunct because of its lack of respiratory depression and potential prevention of hyperalgesia and central sensitization. We present a case in which a ketamine infusion was utilized over a 7-day period to provide rapid taper of a daily dose of 400 mg of morphine equivalents to less than one-third of that dose on discharge with unchanged pain levels and no symptoms of opioid withdrawal.