Journal of clinical anesthesia
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We describe the first case of severe hypernatremia associated to laparoscopic surgery for hydatid cyst in an adult patient after the use of hypertonic saline solution with complete resolution. Severe hypernatremia is an unusual fact at the immediate postoperative period but may have fatal consequences for the patient and need immediate action. ⋯ The relation between this surgical technique and the severe complication is discussed. More experience is needed in terms of safety for the patient.
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To evaluate the perioperative dynamics of hematologic changes and transfusion ratio in patients undergoing a major spinal surgery accompanied with massive bleeding defined as blood loss >5 liters. ⋯ Our results indicate that a 1:1 RBC:FFP and 4:1 RBC:PLT transfusion ratio was associated with significant intraoperative variations in coagulation variables but stable intraoperative acid-base parameters. This transfusion ratio helped clinicians to achieve postoperative coagulation parameters not significantly different to those at baseline. Future studies should assess if more liberal transfusion strategies or point of care monitoring might be warranted in patients undergoing spinal surgery at risk of major blood loss.
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The management of pain after burn injuries is a clinical challenge magnified in patients with significant comorbidities. Presently, burn pain is treated via a wide variety of modalities, including systemic pharmacotherapy and regional analgesia. Although the latter can provide effective pain control in patients with burn injuries, it is relatively underused. ⋯ In this report, we describe a patient with chronic pain, morbid obesity, and severe sleep apnea who presented with uncontrolled pain resulting from a burn injury to the dorsum of his feet. The treatment consisted of multimodal analgesia and placement of bilateral continuous superficial peroneal nerve catheters, as he underwent skin grafting and postprocedural hydrotherapy. This novel approach allowed for sparing of postprocedural opiates with positive clinical results.