Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Apr 2004
Case ReportsSevere hypercapnia due to pulmonary embolism of polymethylmethacrylate during vertebroplasty.
Pulmonary polymethylmethacrylate embolism is a rare but potentially fatal complication of percutaneous vertebroplasty. Clinical signs are typical for pulmonary embolism: they include respiratory distress, hypotension, and decreases in end-tidal CO(2). We report a case of fatal pulmonary polymethylmethacrylate embolism during percutaneous vertebroplasty that initially presented with hypertension (arterial blood pressure 190/90 mm Hg), normocardia, and hypercapnia (PaCO(2) 96 mm Hg), along with loss of consciousness. Several pieces of polymethylmethacrylate were found in the pulmonary vasculature at autopsy. ⋯ Osteoporotic spine fractures are increasingly treated by injection of bone cement into the vertebral body. Polymethylmethacrylate embolism is a rare but potentially fatal complication. We report on a case of polymethylmethacrylate embolism that was at first unrecognized because of uncharacteristic signs and symptoms.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Apr 2004
Case ReportsEpidural hematoma after spinal anesthesia in a patient with undiagnosed epidural lymphoma.
The incidence of hemorrhagic complications after neuroaxial anesthesia is very infrequent. We report a case of a woman developing epidural bleeding 3 wk after performing an uneventful spinal anesthesia at the lumbar level L3-4 for removal of a wire loop in her left knee. No hemostasis altering medication had been taken before and after spinal puncture. The hematoma presenting at the lumbar level L2-3 had to be removed via laminectomy. Pathological examination of the hematoma revealed a highly vascularized centroblastic non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that was not diagnosed before surgery. The patient did not develop any neurological deficits. ⋯ We report a case of a women developing epidural bleeding 3 wk after performing an uneventful spinal anesthesia for removal of a wire loop in her left knee. Pathological examination of the neurosurgically removed hematoma revealed a highly vascularized epidural centroblastic non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Apr 2004
Case ReportsMassive pulmonary embolism after application of an Esmarch bandage.
A 71-yr-old patient who underwent spinal anesthesia for left femoral fracture operation became hypotensive and unconscious after the application of an Esmarch bandage. The transesophageal echocardiography performed during resuscitation revealed pulmonary embolism and acute right ventricular failure. Pulmonary embolectomy with cardiopulmonary bypass was undertaken immediately after the echocardiographic diagnosis. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was used after the operation to support the failing right ventricle. The patient was successfully weaned from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation 10 days after the operation. We conclude that transesophageal echocardiography can be very useful in the immediate differential diagnosis of sudden cardiovascular collapse and that extracorporeal membrane oxygenation can be very helpful when acute right ventricular failure follows massive pulmonary embolism. ⋯ Transesophageal echocardiography was highly valuable in finding the cause of sudden intraoperative cardiovascular collapse. The use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation to support the failing right ventricle after emergent pulmonary embolectomy could help to rescue patients with massive pulmonary embolism.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Apr 2004
Case ReportsParadoxical embolus after multiple trauma resulting in a cerebrovascular accident.
We present the case of a 57-yr-old patient who suffered an unexplained cerebrovascular event 3 days after being struck by a motor vehicle. Workup demonstrated a previously unknown patient foramen ovale. The etiologies of paradoxical embolism in trauma are discussed. ⋯ Paradoxical embolism after multiple traumas is described. Delay in diagnosis may occur given the need for near continuous sedation in the patient with injuries undergoing multiple surgeries and diagnostic tests.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Apr 2004
The effects of propofol on hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus neurons in the rat.
The mechanism of hypotension induced by anesthetics is not completely understood. Because no electrophysiologic examination of the effects of propofol on the central nervous system has shown its involvement in the control of sympathetic and cardiovascular functions, we investigated the actions of propofol on rat hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) neurons using the whole-cell mode of the patch-clamp technique in rat hypothalamic PVN slice preparations. Propofol induced Cl(-) currents at concentrations of 10(-5) and 10(-4) M, which were sensitive to picrotoxin and, to a lesser extent, to strychnine. Propofol (10(-6) M) enhanced gamma-aminobutyric acid(A) (GABA(A); 10(-6) M)-induced current synergistically. Moreover, propofol (10(-5) and 10(-4) M) significantly increased the decay time of evoked-inhibitory postsynaptic currents, which suggests a postsynaptic modulation of GABA(A) receptors. In addition, propofol (10(-5), 10(-4), and 2 x 10(-4) M) reversibly inhibited voltage-gated Ca(2+) currents. Taken together, these results suggest that propofol enhancement of GABA(A)-receptor mediated currents and inhibition of voltage-gated Ca(2+) currents at the central level, which is involved in the control of cardiovascular and sympathetic functions may be, at least in part, involved in general anesthetic-induced cardiovascular and sympathetic depression. ⋯ We investigated the actions of propofol on the rat hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus neurons, which are involved in the control of cardiovascular and sympathetic functions. The results suggest that propofol enhancement of gamma-aminobutyric acid(A)-receptor mediated currents and inhibition of voltage-gated Ca(2+) currents at the central level may be, at least in part, involved in general anesthetic-induced cardiovascular and sympathetic depression.