Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthésie
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Case Reports
Atypical malignant hyperthermia with persistent hyperkalaemia during renal transplantation.
A 35-year-old 110 kg male developed marked hyperkalaemia, hyponatraemia, hypercapnia and hyperthermia during living-related renal transplantation under anaesthesia with oxygen-nitrous oxide, isoflurane and muscle relaxation with atracurium. This is the first report of successfully treated malignant hyperthermia triggered by isoflurane during renal transplantation with early appearance and persistent (to 12 hours after surgery) electrolyte abnormalities.
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The case of a 32-year-old parturient with a quintuplet pregnancy is described. The pregnancy had been complicated by premature labour which was treated with ritodrine tocolysis. Betamethasone was administered to hasten fetal lung maturation. ⋯ Low pressure mask-bag ventilation was utilized to maintain oxygen saturation and the patient was intubated and ventilated with positive end-expiratory pressure. Positive pressure ventilation was continued for 24 hours postoperatively. The perioperative course is reviewed and followed by a discussion of the anaesthetic considerations for multiple gestation pregnancies.
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The perioperative records of 354 consecutive patients undergoing craniotomy for surgical treatment of intractable epilepsy performed with conscious-sedation analgesia were reviewed retrospectively. There was no perioperative morbidity or mortality identified which could be attributed to the anaesthetic technique. ⋯ Less frequent problems included excessive sedation (three per cent), "tight brain" (1.4 per cent) and local anaesthetic toxicity (two per cent). This study confirms that conscious-sedation analgesia provides suitable conditions for craniotomies when brain mapping is required.
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The use of dantrolene to reverse severe unexplained postanaesthetic muscle rigidity in a previously "healthy" 13-year-old male is described. Anaesthesia was induced with thiopentone. After intubation with pancuronium, the patient had an entirely uneventful nitrous oxide, oxygen and halothane anaesthetic. ⋯ The symptoms responded to IV dantrolene in a total dose of 2.0 mg.kg-1. Further testing failed to establish a definite diagnosis. Dantrolene could be a useful drug in treating such unexplained muscle rigidity.