Journal of anesthesia
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A 49-year-old Chinese female underwent elective laparoscopic assisted Whipple's surgery lasting 12 h. This was complicated by postoperative pressure alopecia at the occipital area of the scalp. Pressure-induced hair loss after general anaesthesia is uncommon and typically temporary, but may be disconcerting to the patient. We report this case of postoperative permanent pressure alopecia due to its rarity in the anaesthesia/local literature, and review the risk factors for its development.
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Journal of anesthesia · Apr 2016
Effects of landiolol on refractory tachyarrhythmia after total cavopulmonary connection: a retrospective, observational, cohort study.
The onset of tachyarrhythmia after the Fontan procedure (total cavopulmonary connection; TCPC) should be considered a medical emergency. Landiolol is an ultra-short-acting β1-selective blocker whose effect on tachyarrhythmia after TCPC is unclear. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of landiolol for tachyarrhythmia after TCPC. ⋯ Landiolol reduced the heart rate from 151.8 ± 23.2 at the start to 132.9 ± 20.0 at 1 h and 126.1 ± 24.9 at 2 h (P < 0.01 and P < 0.01, respectively), without blood pressure decrease (P = 0.235). Landiolol was effective in treating critical tachyarrhythmia without hemodynamic deterioration. We believe that landiolol is a promising option for postoperative tachyarrhythmia after the Fontan procedure.
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Journal of anesthesia · Apr 2016
Case ReportsAnesthetic management of nonintubated video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery using epidural anesthesia and dexmedetomidine in three patients with severe respiratory dysfunction.
Nonintubated video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) has been reported to be safe and feasible for patients with various thoracic diseases, including those who have respiratory dysfunction. In nonintubated VATS, it is important to maintain spontaneous respiration and to obtain a satisfactory operating field through adequate collapse of the lung by surgical pneumothorax. Therefore, we need to minimize the patient's physical and psychological discomfort by using regional anesthesia and sedation. ⋯ Here, we report three patients with severe respiratory dysfunction who underwent nonintubated VATS for pneumothorax using epidural anesthesia and DEX. In all three patients, DEX infusion was started after placement of an epidural catheter and was titrated to achieve mild sedation, while maintaining communicability and cooperation. This seems to be a promising strategy for nonintubated VATS in patients with respiratory dysfunction, as well as patients with normal respiratory function.
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Journal of anesthesia · Apr 2016
A detailed evaluation of the new acute kidney injury criteria by KDIGO in critically ill patients.
Two previous classifications of acute kidney injury (AKI) have shown that AKI is associated with increased mortality. In 2012, Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) created new AKI criteria by combining the two previous classifications. However, such combination might cause inconsistency among each definition in the criteria. We have investigated all the definitions in the new KDIGO criteria. ⋯ AKI defined by the new KDIGO criteria was associated with increased hospital mortality. Although definitions in the KDIGO criteria seem to be appropriate because of the clear relationship between mortality and stage progression on the whole, several limitations may exist, especially in stage 3. Further research should be needed to clarify the validity of the KDIGO criteria and the detailed categories.