Journal of anesthesia
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Journal of anesthesia · Jan 2008
Case ReportsCalcineurin-inhibitor-induced pain syndrome after bone marrow transplantation.
Calcineurin-inhibitor-induced pain syndrome (CIPS), a rare complication seen in patients with organ transplants, is associated with the use of calcineurin inhibitors (CIs) such as cyclosporine (CSP) and tacrolimus (FK). Patients with this syndrome usually present with severe leg pain. This case report demonstrates the successful pain control of this pain syndrome in a 42-year-old female patient who had been given CIs (FK and CSP) as an immunosuppressive agent after a bone marrow transplant. ⋯ Due to the presence of allodynia, our patient's pain had neuropathic pain-like characteristics, unlike the pain in previously reported patients with other organ transplants. Her pain was successfully relieved by the administration of oral amytriptyline, clonazepam, oxycodone, and intravenous lidocaine, all of which ordinarily have an analgesic effect on neuropathic pain. CIPS in patients with hematopoietic stem cell transplants treated with FK may have a mechanism by which neuropathic pain may develop that is different from that in patients with other organ transplants.
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Journal of anesthesia · Jan 2008
Case ReportsOrotracheal intubation with an AirWay Scope in a patient with Treacher Collins syndrome.
Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS) is a congenital malformation of craniofacial development; in these patients conventional direct laryngoscopy is very difficult and often unsuccessful because of the upper airway malformation. A 20-year-old man with TCS was scheduled for elective tympanoplasty. The patient showed the characteristic facial appearance of TCS, and a difficult airway was anticipated. ⋯ Next, the AirWay Scope was easily inserted, and his glottic opening was clearly visualized. An 8.0-mm-internal-diameter tracheal tube was then advanced into the trachea without any difficulty. The AirWay Scope is a very useful airway device for orotracheal intubation; it provides an excellent view of the glottis without requiring alignment of the oral, pharyngeal, and laryngeal axes, and appears to be promising for use in patients with a difficult airway.
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Journal of anesthesia · Jan 2008
Randomized Controlled TrialThe effect of heat-moisture exchanger and closed-circuit technique on airway climate during desflurane anesthesia.
We assessed whether closed-circuit anesthesia (CCA) could provide a more favorable airway climate than semi-closed anesthesia (SCA), and we also determined the beneficial effect of heat moisture exchangers (HMEs) on the preservation of airway climate during desflurane anesthesia. ⋯ CCA was much more advantageous than SCA for maintaining the patient's airway climate during the 2-h study. The beneficial effect of HME on the airway climate should be emphasized, especially in patients undergoing general anesthesia.
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Journal of anesthesia · Jan 2008
Biography Historical ArticleHarvey Cushing, a pioneer of neuroanesthesia.
Harvey Cushing's name is most frequently mentioned in conjunction with Cushing's syndrome, and Cushing's reflex following raised intracranial pressure. The aim of this review is to pay tribute to Cushing's contribution to anesthesia. Besides his own specialty, he used an anesthesia chart for the first time, he introduced blood pressure measurement and precordial auscultation to anesthesiological practice, he employed the first independent neurosurgical anesthetist, and he described the terminology of regional anesthesia.