A&A practice
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Review Case Reports
Unusual Manifestations of the Trigeminocardiac Reflex During Awake Craniotomy: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.
The trigeminocardiac reflex (TCR) is triggered by stimulation of a branch of the trigeminal nerve and results in vagally mediated bradycardia, hypotension, apnea, and gastrointestinal hypermotility. In the operating theatre, patients susceptible to TCR are typically under general anesthesia; thus, cardiac abnormalities are the most common manifestation. Our case highlights the less common intraoperative manifestations of gastric hypermotility and apnea in a patient undergoing awake craniotomy for tumor resection. Prompt recognition, removal of stimuli, and airway management prevented catastrophic complications while facilitating completion of the procedure.
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Case Reports
Peripartum Diagnosis of Currarino Syndrome With Anterior Sacral Meningocele: A Case Report.
Neurologic conditions without prenatal optimization can pose anesthetic and obstetrical challenges. We present a case of Currarino syndrome; an autosomal dominant triad of agenesis of the sacrum, anterior sacral meningocele (ASM) with sacral teratomas, and anorectal stenosis; diagnosed during pregnancy; and the subsequent anesthetic considerations. ⋯ Eligibility for neuraxial anesthesia should be made on a case-by-case basis with risk-benefit analysis, and deficits should be documented allowing prompt identification and intervention should complications arise. Multidisciplinary team coordination is vital to help facilitate maternal safety.
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Multichannel patient monitors apparently display the electrocardiogram, intra-arterial blood pressure, and pulse oximetry waveforms in synchrony during sinus cardiac rhythm. We recorded 20 events of a premature cardiac contraction on multichannel monitors from 10 patients. Interestingly, during premature cardiac contraction, the low-amplitude arterial trace was aligned with the premature electrocardiogram, but the low-amplitude pulse oximetry plethysmograph was aligned with the next normal electrocardiogram and arterial tracing. In conclusion, the pulse oximetry plethysmograph tracing is offset by 1 ventricular depolarization on the electrocardiogram (QRS) and the arterial tracing on multichannel monitors.