Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Nov 2016
Case ReportsPerioperative Nerve Injury After Peripheral Nerve Block in Patients With Previous Systemic Chemotherapy.
There are multiple risk factors for developing perioperative nerve injury (PNI). Perioperative nerve injury after peripheral nerve blockade (PNB) is rare. Exposure to systemic chemotherapy may cause peripheral neuropathy, but its role as a risk factor for PNI after PNB is unknown. The objective of this retrospective study was to determine the incidence of PNI in patients undergoing PNB as part of extremity surgery after prior exposure to systemic chemotherapy. ⋯ The overall incidence of PNI in this cohort (2.2%) was not different than baseline risk established in large cohort studies. Perioperative nerve injury was possibly attributable to the PNB in 0.5% of patients. However, in the absence of a control group of surgical patients who previously received systemic chemotherapy without regional anesthesia, we cannot determine whether the higher incidence of neurologic injury is secondary to the surgical procedure, the anesthetic technique, the natural progression of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, or a combination of factors and the relative contribution of each.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Nov 2016
Case ReportsDelayed Neuraxial Hematoma in Parturient With Fontan Circulation Following Neuraxial Anesthesia for Cesarean Section.
Neuraxial hematoma is a rare complication of spinal or epidural anesthesia. However, variable coagulation factor defects are relatively common in patients with Fontan circulation, and may predispose such patients to either increased risk of thrombosis or coagulopathy. These defects may indirectly increase their risk of neuraxial hematoma. ⋯ Parturients with single ventricle physiology present numerous challenges to balance, including pregnancy-related physiologic alterations in blood volume, cardiac output, systemic vascular resistance, oxygen consumption, and coagulation. Although neuraxial anesthesia is common in this population, it is not without risks. We report the circumstances surrounding a parturient with single ventricle physiology who experienced neuraxial hematoma 4 days after continuous spinal anesthesia despite adherence to accepted guidelines. Eighteen months after undergoing a cesarean section, she had a full recovery and returned to her baseline medical status.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Nov 2016
Spinal Cord Stimulation Modulates Gene Expression in the Spinal Cord of an Animal Model of Peripheral Nerve Injury.
Previously, we found that application of pulsed radiofrequency to a peripheral nerve injury induces changes in key genes regulating nociception concurrent with alleviation of paw sensitivity in an animal model. In the current study, we evaluated such genes after applying spinal cord stimulation (SCS) therapy. ⋯ Continuously applied SCS modulates expression of key genes involved in the regulation of neuronal membrane potential.