Articles from Journal of anesthesia 2015 December

Journal of anesthesia · Dec 2015

Incidence of hypoxia and related events detected by pulse oximeters provided by the Lifebox Foundation in the maternity unit at Sylvanus Olympio University Teaching Hospital, Togo.

In recent decades anesthesia safety has not been improved in low-income countries. This prospective audit describes the incidence of hypoxia and related events detected among a cohort of patients undergoing surgery in the maternity unit at Sylvanus Olympio University Teaching Hospital, Togo, West Africa, by using pulse oximeters donated by the Lifebox Foundation. The Lifebox oximeter enables early detection of hypoxia for patients undergoing surgery before irreversible damage occurs. Pulse oximetry is cost-effective intervention and should be more accessible in all operating rooms of this type.

Early postoperative management of heart transplant recipients with current ventricular assist device support in Japan: experience from a single center.

This study reviews our experience with the perioperative management of heart transplant (HT) recipients and explores how prior ventricular assist device (VAD) support affects the requirements for postoperative mechanical ventilation and circulatory support. ⋯ HT recipients with VAD support required longer mechanical ventilation periods and mechanical circulatory support in the postoperative period.

Usefulness of intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography for evaluation of circumflex coronary artery fistula with ruptured aneurysm draining into coronary sinus.

A coronary artery aneurysm (CAA) is defined as dilatation of a coronary artery to a diameter >1.5 times that of the adjoining normal coronary artery. Giant CAAs with a diameter ≥ 50 mm are quite rare. Coronary artery fistulas are also uncommon, and affected patients require prompt diagnosis and treatment. ⋯ Emergency intraoperative TEE clearly showed a CAA with a surrounding hematoma, bulging circumflex artery, and a fistulous connection to the coronary sinus; the fistulous vessel contained a thrombus. Surgical repair was successful. This case demonstrates that CAA can rupture because of spontaneous closure of a thrombus-containing fistula and that intraoperative TEE could help to clearly identify the location of the CAA and fistulous connection.

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Journal of anesthesia · Dec 2015

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