Journal of anesthesia
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Journal of anesthesia · Apr 2016
Case ReportsMonitoring cerebral tissue oxygen saturation at frontal and parietal regions during carotid artery stenting.
Cerebral oximetry is normally placed on the upper forehead to monitor the frontal lobe cerebral tissue oxygen saturation (SctO2). We present a case in which the SctO2 was simultaneously monitored at both frontal and parietal regions during internal carotid artery (ICA) stenting. Our case involves a 79-year-old man who presented after a sudden fall and was later diagnosed with a watershed ischemic stroke in the distal fields perfused by the left middle cerebral artery. ⋯ The SctO2-MAP correlation was more consistent on the stroked hemisphere than the non-stroked hemisphere. This case showed that SctO2 can be reliably monitored at the parietal region, which is primarily perfused by the ICA. SctO2 of the stroked brain is more pressure dependent than the non-stroked brain.
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Journal of anesthesia · Apr 2016
ReviewIschaemic and inflammatory injury in renal graft from brain death donation: an update review.
Renal transplantation remains an important therapy in treating renal failure and can be considered to be a curative treatment. The demand for renal grafts outstrips supply available each year, making it increasingly important to look at improving the treatment of both renal grafts and recipients, and thereby improving patient outcomes and increasing the pool of potential donor grafts. Important to this, however, is knowledge of the underlying mechanisms leading to damage to the graft and rejection from the recipient. ⋯ This makes the time period involving both explantation and storage an important therapeutic window for improving outcomes. Other windows explored include treatment of IRI and improvement in immunosuppressive therapy. The multiple windows of potential therapeutic input have spawned a large body of work exploring both the underlying mechanisms and also how to exploit these mechanisms to improve overall outcomes and to allow for more marginal organs to be used.
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Journal of anesthesia · Apr 2016
ReviewSimulation-based airway management training: application and looking forward.
Within the airway management field, simulation has been used as a tool of training for over 40 years. Simulation training offers a chance of active involvement for the trainees. It can effectively enhance and upgrade the knowledge and skills of the trainees in airway management, and subsequently decrease medical errors and improve patients' outcomes and safety through a variety of airway management training modalities, such as common airway skills, difficult airway management strategies, and crisis management skills. To perform simulation-based airway management training effectively, not only are task trainers and high-fidelity simulators required but also instructors with rich experience in airway management simulation training and optimal curriculum design are essential.
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Journal of anesthesia · Apr 2016
Case ReportsLimitation in monitoring depth of anesthesia: a case report.
Although we describe a clinical situation that most likely occurs in hundreds of operatory rooms in the world, we report this case as provocation. It concerns an unexpected awakening from an appropriate depth of anesthesia, although the BIS monitor showed a BIS index of less than 50 for a prolonged period before and after the event. Approximately 30 min after induction of anesthesia, the patient had a hypothetic sudden arousal of consciousness, with spontaneous movements, facial muscle activation, intolerance to the tracheal tube, and tearing. ⋯ Were these events spinal reflexes to pain or stimulation although the cortex was still anesthetized? Maybe this is the more rational explanation. Was the patient awake but not aware? Is it possible that our patient experienced only a transient arousal from consciousness, and that he did not have recall because the arousal time was short and we blocked memory consolidation? The latter hypothesis provides an opportunity to discuss the evidence that at the moment there is no device to assess the depth of anesthesia. We also focus on the possibility of interfering with memory processing under anesthesia.
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Journal of anesthesia · Apr 2016
Case ReportsManagement of pudendal neuralgia using ultrasound-guided pulsed radiofrequency: a report of two cases and discussion of pudendal nerve block techniques.
Pudendal neuralgia is characterized by chronic pain or discomfort in the area innervated by the pudendal nerve, with no obvious cause. A successful pudendal nerve block is crucial for the diagnosis of pudendal neuralgia. ⋯ This report describes two cases of pudendal neuralgia that were successfully managed using ultrasound-guided pulsed radiofrequency and presents a literature review of pudendal nerve block techniques. However, in the management of chronic neuropathic pain, physicians should keep in mind that the placebo effect related to invasive approaches must not be neglected.