A&A practice
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Case Reports
Pulmonary Artery Catheter Thrombus in a Patient With Essential Thrombocytosis: A Case Report.
Essential thrombocytosis (ET) is a rare chronic myeloproliferative disorder characterized by elevated platelet counts. The management of patients with ET undergoing coronary artery bypass graft remains unclear. Often, patients who are deemed "high risk" for thrombotic events receive cytoreductive therapy before surgery, while patients deemed "low risk" do not receive cytoreductive therapy. Here, we present a case of a patient with ET with only a mild elevation in platelets deemed "low risk" for thrombotic complications who was found to have a small intracardiac thrombus around the pulmonary artery catheter before initiation of cardiopulmonary bypass.
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Thoracic outlet compression syndrome is a complex syndrome of neurovascular compression at the superior thoracic aperture, thought to occur at 1 of 3 anatomical compartments: the interscalene triangle, the costoclavicular space, and the retropectoralis minor space. Injection into the middle interscalene muscle (ISM) and/or pectoralis muscle plane (PECS I and II) is gaining popularity because it provides significant symptomatic relief. ⋯ ISM and PECS I and II blocks with botulinum toxin type A were successful. In combination, PECS I/II and ISM injections can provide excellent symptomatic relief.
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The epidural blood patch (EBP) is commonly used to treat postdural puncture headaches (PDPHs) from spinal anesthesia, dural puncture with epidural anesthesia, and diagnostic and therapeutic lumbar puncture. We present a case of a patient with pseudotumor cerebri (idiopathic intracranial hypertension) who had a lumboperitoneal shunt placed for persistent headaches and subsequently developed symptoms similar to a PDPHs that were successfully treated with an EBP. While the exact mechanism by which our patient was experiencing PDPH symptoms is unknown, the EBP administration proved to be both therapeutic and diagnostic by ruling out shunt catheter malfunction through a resolution of symptoms.
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There are no case reports of malignant hyperthermia in pediatric patients treated on cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). We report the case of a 10-year-old boy undergoing aortic valve replacement. The patient developed progressive tachycardia and hypercarbia. ⋯ Numerous dantrolene boluses were given on CPB, and a dantrolene infusion was started. The patient's base deficit and creatine phosphokinase normalized by postoperative day 2. This case demonstrates the importance of expeditious diagnosis of malignant hyperthermia, and the need for additional dantrolene when treating patients whose blood volume is diluted on CPB.
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Case Reports
Case Report of Accelerated Idioventricular Rhythm in the Interventional Radiology Suite: A Sticky Situation.
Embolization is a well-established method of treatment of arteriovenous malformations. Most procedures are performed under general anesthesia due to the painful nature of some sclerosing agents, procedure duration, and need for immobilization to allow precise injection. Familiarity with the possible side effects of these agents is important for the anesthesiologist to facilitate timely and successful management of intra- and postprocedural complications. This case report describes an unusual presentation of systemic migration of glue-lipiodol mixture during embolization of a calf arteriovenous malformation in an adolescent that resulted in accelerated idioventricular rhythm and its successful management leading to complete resolution.