A&A practice
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Even though epidural blood patch (EBP) is thought to be the definitive treatment for severe cases of postdural puncture headache (PDPH), it may be accompanied by complications like adhesion arachnoiditis, and cauda equina syndrome, especially if the injection is repeated. The sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) block is a new minimally invasive technique for the treatment of PDPH, with variable results according to the clinical situation and deployed approach. We describe a case of PDPH resistant to EBP in which we successfully managed symptoms using ultrasound-guided suprazygomatic SPG block to deliver local anesthetic directly into pterygopalatine fossa, thus avoiding a second EBP.
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A 39-year-old man presented for mechanical thrombectomy after receiving systemic tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) for a basilar artery occlusion. The anesthesiology team was initially unable to intubate the patient due to oropharyngeal bleeding and a large epiglottis. ⋯ The SGA remained overnight with the cuff inflated to tamponade the bleeding. The ETT was exchanged over an airway exchange catheter on postoperative day 1 without further airway complications.
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Case Reports
Ultrasound-Assisted Spinal Anesthesia in a Patient with a Preexisting Lumbar Interspinous Spacer: A Case Report.
An interspinous spacer is a minimally invasive implantable device for the treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis. The in situ implant may prevent safe and successful spinal anesthesia because its position can obstruct the path of the spinal needle. ⋯ Currently, there are no reported cases of ultrasound-assisted spinal anesthesia in patients with interspinous spacers. We present a case in which ultrasonography assisted the successful administration of a spinal anesthetic by avoiding an indwelling lumbar interspinous spacer.
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Snakebite pain can be challenging to control. We describe our experience managing intolerable pain after conventional treatment failed. A 35-year-old man, presented after a viper snakebite, suffering from intolerable pain in the affected extremity. ⋯ Treatment with a supraclavicular nerve block resulted in immediate relief. After the block receded, only a dull pain remained, which later disappeared without recurrence. This experience illustrates the need for personalized pain treatment to avoid subsequent complications.