A&A practice
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Case Reports
Bilateral Visual Loss After Spine Surgery in a Patient With Midfacial Trauma: A Case Report.
We present a case of bilateral visual loss in a patient who underwent spine surgery after sustaining a fall and trauma to her face and cervical spine. Visual loss in the right eye, not recognized until after surgery, was a result of blunt injury to the eye. Visual loss in the left eye was caused by posterior ischemic optic neuropathy, an unfortunate complication of surgery in the prone position.
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We present the case of a 51-year-old man with a history of recurrent lung cancer after left upper lobectomy who presented for an elective completion pneumonectomy via a bilateral anterior thoracotomy incision. At the completion of surgery, bilateral multilevel intercostal infiltration was performed with liposomal bupivacaine. ⋯ An opioid-only infusion was started and transitioned to a local anesthetic-based infusion on postoperative day 2. This case report represents a novel stepwise approach of thoracic epidural management after surgical infiltration of liposomal bupivacaine.
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A variety of factors are known to prolong neuromuscular blockade, including several medications commonly used in anesthetic practice. We present a patient who underwent general anesthesia using desflurane, vecuronium, and magnesium infusion with delayed neuromuscular blockade reversal after sugammadex administration. A higher than anticipated total dose of sugammadex was required for adequate reversal, and quantitative neuromuscular monitoring was essential to ensuring complete neuromuscular recovery before extubation in this case.
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Case Reports
Intravenous Ketamine as an Adjunct for Pachyonychia Congenita-Associated Pain: A Case Report.
Pachyonychia congenita (PC) is a rare, inherited disorder of keratin filaments characterized by palmoplantar hyperkeratosis, keratoderma, and extreme pain. Management is largely symptomatic and typically involves multimodal pain control strategies. ⋯ Within 1 night of beginning treatment, his pain diminished to a 0/10 without any adverse effects, with effects lasting 2 weeks. No reported PC pain regimens have made use of intravenous ketamine; thus, we suggest recurrent ketamine infusions as an additional option in the multimodal pain regimen for patients with PC.
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We report the rare complication of a retained peripheral nerve block catheter (PNBC). A 45-year-old man with intractable postamputation phantom limb pain was treated with continuous infusions via femoral and sciatic peripheral nerve catheters. ⋯ Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was inconclusive. Surgical exploration showed 15 cm of retained peripheral nerve catheter, which was removed.