A & A case reports
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Case Reports
Contemporary perioperative management of adult familial dysautonomia (Riley-Day syndrome).
Familial dysautonomia (Riley-Day syndrome) is a rare multisystem disorder associated with an excess risk of perioperative morbidity and mortality. Because life expectancy is limited, few reports consider the perioperative management of familial dysautonomia in adults with advanced disease and end-organ dysfunction. Here, we report on the management of an adult patient with familial dysautonomia, highlighting recent developments in perioperative technology and pharmacology of special relevance to this challenging population.
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Venous gas embolism is a complication of fibrin sealant application and is a well-described event during various modes of prostate resection. We describe the case of a nitrogen venous gas embolism during Greenlight laser photovaporization of the prostate during the application of fibrin sealant to the operative site for hemostasis. Fibrin sealant application by a compressed gas applicator is a cause of venous air embolism, and this case highlights the need to keep venous gas embolism in mind when compressed gas applicators are used.
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Hyperekplexia is a hereditary disorder characterized by exaggerated startle reflex in response to unexpected acoustic, tactile, and other stimuli. Neonates with hyperekplexia may present with hypertonia, developmental delays, apnea, and sudden death. ⋯ In some cases, a mutation encoding the postsynaptic inhibitory glycine receptors (GLRA1, GLRB) or presynaptic glycine transporter (SLC6A5) resulting in abnormal glycinergic neurotransmission is present. We report the case of a 38-year-old gravida 6 para 1 (G6P1) parturient with hyperekplexia who underwent successful vaginal delivery managed by the anesthesiology and neonatology service teams from initial antenatal consultation to labor and delivery to hospital discharge.
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We report 5 patients who underwent ultrasound-guided superior laryngeal nerve block before awake intubation and general anesthesia. We used a 8- to 15-MHz hockey stick-shaped ultrasound transducer (HST15-8/20 linear probe, Ultrasonix) to visualize the superior laryngeal nerve. ⋯ All 5 patients tolerated subsequent awake fiberoptic intubation with either minimal or no sedation. Sonographically guided superior laryngeal nerve block may be useful in patients where identification of landmarks in the neck is difficult as a result of patient anatomy.