A&A practice
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Dual epidural catheter (DEC) therapy improves postoperative pain control in scoliosis correction surgery, esophagectomies, and labor. Reports about the use of a second epidural catheter to improve pain control after abdominal surgeries are sparse. ⋯ In both patients, the addition of the second catheter led to improved pain control and mobility and reduced side effects from adjuvant intravenous analgesics. DEC therapy merits consideration as an additional tool for managing postoperative pain after large abdominal surgeries despite existing incomplete epidural analgesia.
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Acute porphyria is a group of rare disorders in the biosynthesis pathway of heme that can result in severe neurovisceral attacks leading to morbidity and mortality. Perioperative complications have been largely prevented due to avoidance of precipitants and early treatment of symptoms. ⋯ This case illustrates a porphyria attack precipitated by prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass that manifested as postoperative delayed emergence, failure to wean from mechanical ventilation, autonomic insufficiency requiring significant vasoactive agents, and, ultimately, failure to thrive. The patient passed after withdrawal of care.
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A 79-year-old woman with primary erythromelalgia underwent a left reverse total shoulder arthroplasty with a left interscalene nerve block, a superficial cervical plexus block, and a general endotracheal anesthetic, with no residual neurological deficits. Herein, we discuss the classification and pathophysiology of erythromelalgia along with the anesthetic considerations of peripheral nerve blockade in patients with primary erythromelalgia.
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Case Reports
Anesthetic Implications of a Patient With Kniest Dysplasia and Mitochondrial Disease: A Case Report.
Kniest dysplasia, or metatropic dysplasia type II, is a rare chondrodysplasia caused by abnormal type II collagen. Clinically, it is characterized by dwarfism, deafness, skeletal derangements, and ocular abnormalities. ⋯ We present the case of a 6-year-old boy with both Kniest dysplasia and underlying mitochondrial disease for examination under anesthesia before cataract surgery. Successful anesthetic management of a patient with Kniest dysplasia and a mitochondrial myopathy is discussed.
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Case Reports
Novel Single-Needle Approach for Retrocrural Celiac Plexus Blockade Using Fluoroscopic Guidance: A Case Report.
Celiac plexus neurolysis has been shown to be an effective analgesic option for patients with visceral pain related to intraabdominal malignancies. In the setting of significant tumor burden, the celiac plexus may be inaccessible, limiting the efficacy of the transcrural approach. This case report describes a novel single-needle approach to retrocrural celiac plexus blockade, allowing for rapid blockade with a needle trajectory contralateral to the aorta in a 73-year-old woman with altered anatomy secondary to advanced metastatic colorectal cancer.