Der Anaesthesist
-
Securing the airway with a tracheal tube is essential in emergency situations, in the intensive care setting as well as during anesthesia for surgery and other interventions. Current methods of airway assessment are poor screening tests for predicting difficult direct laryngoscopy due to a generally low positive predictive value; therefore, successful endotracheal intubation requires a high level of expertise, regular training and practice and sometimes additional tools. Currently, several video laryngoscopes (VL) with different designs are commercially available and have been investigated in a wide variety of settings. To our knowledge there is no prospective study evaluating and comparing performance among these three groups of VL; therefore, the aim of this study was to compare performance of five VL and conventional direct laryngoscopy in an intubation manikin model, both in a normal and simulated difficult intubation setting. ⋯ In the manikin with normal intubation setting, conventional direct laryngoscopy using a Macintosh blade was convincing and superior to any VL used in this study. During simulated difficult intubation, a blade with video transmission, such as C-MAC and the GlideScope were superior compared to conventional direct laryngoscopy and any other VL tested.
-
Tension pneumothorax can occur at any time during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with external cardiac massage and invasive ventilation either from primary or iatrogenic rib fractures with concomitant pleural or parenchymal injury. Airway injury can also cause tension pneumothorax during CPR. This article presents the case of a 41-year-old woman who suffered cardiopulmonary arrest after undergoing elective mandibular surgery. ⋯ A surgical airway was established with obviously unrecognized iatrogenic tracheal perforation and subsequent development of tension pneumomediastinum and tension pneumothorax during ventilation. Neither the tension pneumomediastinum nor the tension pneumothorax were decompressed and accordingly resuscitation efforts remained unsuccessful. This case illustrates the need for a structured approach to resuscitate patients with ventilation problems regarding decompression of tension pneumomediastinum and/or tension pneumothorax during CPR.
-
Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) is a possible cause of fever of unknown origin (FUO) and is a potentially fatal adverse effect of various drugs, especially of neuroleptics. First generation antipsychotics, such as received by the patient described in this article, are more likely to cause NMS than second generation antipsychotics. The key symptoms are the development of severe muscle rigidity and elevated temperature associated with the use of neuroleptic medication. ⋯ This article describes the case of a patient with schizoaffective disorder where initially the diagnosis of NMS was not clear. Eventually, fever and a markedly elevated serum creatine kinase (CK) led to the correct diagnosis and the appropriate therapy with dantrolene, bromocriptine and amantadine. Furthermore, a thorough review of the currently available literature on NMS is provided.
-
The incidence of congenital heart defects (CHD) has remained constant over many years; however, due to improved therapeutic options an increasing number of children and adolescents even with complex heart defects now reach adulthood. The increasing prevalence of adults with persisting or surgically corrected CHD as well as age-dependent non-cardiac comorbidities will increase the need for medical and non-cardiac surgical treatment in this population. Although elective medical care for these patients should be reserved for highly specialized centers, emergency treatment might become necessary in a non-specialized hospital setting as well. ⋯ Especially in patients with shunt lesions or passive pulmonary blood flow the anesthetic management often substantially affects the hemodynamics and may be the starting point of severe decompensation. Awareness of anesthesia-induced changes of pulmonary and/or systemic vascular resistance as well as of preload alterations are the basis for successful anesthetic management. Finally, a multidisciplinary approach including cardiologists and radiologists in the planning is absolutely essential to achieve an optimal postoperative result for the patient.