Journal of neurosurgical anesthesiology
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J Neurosurg Anesthesiol · Jul 2004
Case ReportsAnesthetic considerations in a patient with mitral valve disease for posterior fossa surgery.
Mitral valve disease in patients undergoing posterior fossa surgery enhances the inherent risk of the procedure and can complicate the anesthetic management. A great challenge for the anesthesiologist is to choose the most appropriate perioperative technique that balances the specific anesthetic considerations of both the cardiac and the neurologic diseases. The authors describe the anesthetic management of a patient with a meningioma in the posterior fossa requiring craniectomy and tumor decompression. She was also diagnosed with severe mitral regurgitation and moderate mitral stenosis.
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Managing children with diabetes insipidus (DI) in the perioperative period is complicated and frequently associated with electrolyte imbalance compounded by over- or underhydration. In this study the authors developed and prospectively evaluated a multidisciplinary approach to the perioperative management of DI with a comparison to 19 historical control children. Eighteen children either with preoperative DI or undergoing neurosurgical operations associated with a high risk for developing postoperative DI were identified and managed using a standardized protocol. ⋯ In all children managed in this fashion, perioperative serum sodium concentrations were generally maintained between 130 and 150 mEq/L, and no adverse consequences of this therapy developed. In the 24-hour period evaluated, the mean change in serum sodium concentrations between the historical controls was 17.6 +/- 9.2 mEq/L versus 8.36 +/- 6.43 mEq/L in those children managed by the protocol. Hyponatremia occurred less frequently in the children managed with this protocol compared with historical controls.
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J Neurosurg Anesthesiol · Apr 2004
Case ReportsStrategies for managing decreased motor evoked potential signals while distracting the spine during correction of scoliosis.
Surgical correction of kyphoscoliosis may result in spinal cord injury and neurologic deficits. Monitoring somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) and transcranial motor evoked potentials (MEPs) intraoperatively may allow for early detection and reversal of spinal cord injury. ⋯ Acute reduction or loss of MEP or SSEP signals during spinal distraction presents a crisis for the operative team: should distraction be immediately relieved? The authors describe three patients who showed a decrease in evoked potential signals under hypotensive, hemodiluted conditions at the stage of spinal distraction. Each case illustrates a different strategy for successful management of these patients.
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J Neurosurg Anesthesiol · Apr 2004
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialDexmedetomidine for awake carotid endarterectomy: efficacy, hemodynamic profile, and side effects.
: A randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled study was designed to compare dexmedetomidine as a primary sedative agent with a commonly used drug combination in patients undergoing awake carotid endarterectomy (CEA). Sixty-six patients undergoing CEA (ASA II-IV) were randomly assigned to receive either dexmedetomidine (total dose of 97.5 +/- 54.7 mcg) or normal saline (control). Supplemental doses of midazolam, fentanyl, and/or propofol were administered as deemed necessary by the anesthesiologist. ⋯ These data show that the use of dexmedetomidine in patients undergoing awake CEA resulted in fewer fluctuations from the desired sedation level. Patients receiving dexmedetomidine required less antihypertensive therapy compared with the midazolam/fentanyl/propofol combination. The effect of dexmedetomidine on cerebrovascular circulation in the study population needs further investigation.