A & A case reports
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Development of subcutaneous emphysema after gastrointestinal endoscopy with general anesthesia presents a diagnostic conundrum. We discuss the management of a patient who experienced significant vomiting followed by neck and facial swelling with crepitus and shortness of breath after the endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. The presence of respiratory distress usually suggests that head and neck subcutaneous emphysema is most likely associated with pneumothorax and/or pneumomediastinum. We discuss the prevention, differential diagnosis, and current management of tracheal tears including subcutaneous emphysema.
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Comparative Study
Analysis of Resident Case Logs in an Anesthesiology Residency Program.
Our goal in this study was to examine Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education case logs for Stanford anesthesia residents graduating in 2013 (25 residents) and 2014 (26 residents). The resident with the fewest recorded patients in 2013 had 43% the number of patients compared with the resident with the most patients, and in 2014, this equaled 48%. ⋯ Also, there were residents with fewer than half as many for some of the required cases or procedure types. Some of the variability may have been because of the hazards of self-reporting.
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Case Reports
Anesthetic Management for Whole Lung Lavage in Patients with Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis.
Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is a rare disorder characterized by the deposition of lipoproteinaceous materials in the bronchoalveolar tree. Whole lung lavage was introduced in the 1960s and remains a treatment of choice for PAP. The main anesthetic challenge of whole lung lavage is maintaining adequate oxygenation during the procedure. We describe 2 interesting patients with PAP, the anesthetic challenges faced during the lung lavage, and discuss the management strategies adopted in each case.
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We present 2 patients with Moyamoya disease undergoing revascularization surgery who developed transient intraoperative central diabetes insipidus with spontaneous resolution in the immediate postoperative period. We speculate that patients with Moyamoya disease may be predisposed to a transient acute-on-chronic insult to the arginine vasopressin-producing portion of their hypothalamus mediated by anesthetic agents. We describe our management, discuss pertinent literature, and offer possible mechanisms of this transient insult. We hope to improve patient safety by raising awareness of this potentially catastrophic complication.
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Previous literature on preoperative evaluation focuses on the impact on the day of surgery cancellations and delays; however, the framework of cancellations and delays at the time of the elective outpatient preoperative anesthesia visit has not been categorized. We describe the current model in the preoperative clinic at Brigham and Women's Hospital, examining the pattern of cancellations at the time of this preoperative visit and the framework used for categorizing the issues involved. Looking at this broader framework is important in an era of patient-centered care; we seek to identify targets to modify the preoperative assessment and adequately assess and capture the spectrum of issues involved. ⋯ Cancellation patterns included categories encompassing clinical, financial, alignment with patient values and goals, compliance, and social issues. The period of preoperative assessment can therefore be leveraged to review a number of domains that can adversely affect surgical outcomes and improve patient-centered care. Also, our framework allows the institution to benchmark these patterns over time; increases in cancellations at the time of the preoperative anesthesia clinic visit for specific categories can prompt an opportunity to examine and improve preoperative workflow.