Journal of clinical anesthesia
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We present a case of profound shock and lactic acidemia occurring in the context of a cryoablative procedure for hepatocellular carcinoma. After out ruling more common possible etiologies, we diagnosed our patient as having a rare cause of shock, unique to these types of cryoablative procedures, known as cryoshock. Cryoablation can result in multiple complications one of which is 'cryoshock', a life-threatening syndrome of multiorgan failure and coagulopathy that carries a high mortality, up to 40%. ⋯ Reports of the management of cryoshock are scarce and the mainstay of treatment is organ support. While cryoshock has been described in radiology and surgical literature it has not previously been described in anesthesiology literature. We highlight this as a potential serious complication which should be considered by all clinicians involved in these cases.
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To evaluate the impact of high flow nasal oxygenation (HFNO) on the risk of hypoxemia during gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures (GEPs) under sedation. ⋯ Our results demonstrated the efficacy of high flow nasal oxygenation for reducing the risk of hypoxemia in patients receiving elective gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures under sedation. Further studies are warranted to verify its cost-effectiveness in the gastrointestinal endoscopy setting.
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To describe the anesthetic management and outcomes of placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) cases at our institution over a 19 year period and to compare outcomes associated with the lumbar combined spinal epidural (CSE) technique versus the double catheter technique (lumbar CSE with thoracic epidural catheter). ⋯ Neuraxial anesthesia is the most commonly used technique for PAS cases in our practice. The double catheter technique was associated with lower GA conversion rates compared to the CSE technique in our cohort.
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Observational Study
Persistent and acute postoperative pain after cardiac surgery with anterolateral thoracotomy or median sternotomy: A prospective observational study.
The primary objective of this study was to compare the association between cardiac surgical approach (thoracotomy vs. sternotomy) and incidence of persistent postoperative pain at 3 months. Secondary objectives were the incidence and intensity of persistent pain at 6 and 12 months, acute postoperative pain, analgesic requirement and its side effects. ⋯ Our study showed no difference in short- or long-term pain in patients undergoing anterolateral thoracotomy or median sternotomy. Both groups showed a decrease in persistent postoperative pain incidence between 3 and 6 months without any significant changes at 12 months.
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Headache is a common finding in the postpartum period. A wide variety of factors can contribute for its appearance and the causes include primary as well as secondary headache disorders. ⋯ We describe a patient with a headache in the immediate postpartum period. It was initially diagnosed as a common postdural puncture headache, but was later discovered to be a cervical hematoma.