Journal of clinical anesthesia
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A 57 year old woman with no previous history of any sensory deficits developed anosmia and hypogeusia after general anesthesia for laparoscopic cholecystectomy, with complete recovery over 6 months. There were no other identifiable factors that may have contributed to her anosmia and hypogeusia after general anesthesia. As anosmia and hypogeusia related to anesthesia and surgery are not frequently reported, the incidence of these events related to anesthesia may be higher than expected.
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Traditional hemodynamic monitors such as pulmonary artery and central venous catheters provide continuous data and secure intravenous access, but their diagnostic efficacy has been criticized. Dynamic arterial waveform monitoring is promising, but studies suggest it is reliable only within narrow ventilation and rhythm parameters. ⋯ Recent efficacy data, along with other important clinical findings, are reviewed with regard to invasive monitors. We caution against over-generalizing from existing studies, and provide guidance for clinicians wishing to target monitoring techniques for appropriate patients.
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Case Reports
A potentially hazardous complication during central venous catheterization: lost guidewire retained in the patient.
Guidewires are routinely used in the Seldinger technique during central venous catheter placement. A case in which a guidewire was unsuspectingly released and retained in a patient during the catheterization of the internal jugular vein is presented. Physicians from multiple services subsequently failed to detect the retained guidewire on several chest radiographs; however, the guidewire was incidentally discovered after a computed tomographic scan was obtained.
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To determine the incidence and contributing factors of complications for patients receiving regional ophthalmic anesthesia. ⋯ Peribulbar block complications were rare. In this series, experience of caregivers and axial and needle length were not contributing factors.