Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Sep 1998
Case ReportsDelayed severe airway obstruction due to hematoma following stellate ganglion block.
Delayed onset of airway obstruction following stellate ganglion block (SGB) may be life threatening. We treated a patient who developed a severe airway obstruction caused by a large hematoma several hours after an SGB. ⋯ We believe that the SGB needle injured the vertebral artery and caused massive hemorrhage anterior to the cervical vertebra, subsequently inducing pharyngolaryngeal edema by obstructing the venous and lymphatic drainage of the cervical region.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Sep 1998
Intrathecal local anesthetic distribution with the new spinocath catheter.
Microcatheters have been linked in some cases to the development of cauda equina syndrome, which may be further traced to the maldistribution of the local anesthetic. A long injection time via the microcatheters contributes to the inadequate mixing. With the new Spinocath catheter, considerably shorter injection times can be achieved due to larger internal size. This study examined whether this leads to more homogeneous intrathecal distribution without causing greater trauma to the dura. ⋯ The new Spinocath catheter allows a better mixing of the local anesthetic with the cerebrospinal fluid. Because of significantly shortened injection times, hyperbaric solutions also show a more homogeneous distribution. Although the Spinocath catheter has a larger inner diameter than the other microcatheters, it appeared to cause less trauma to the dura.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Sep 1998
Case ReportsRepeated episodes of transient radiating back and leg pain following spinal anesthesia with 1.5% mepivacaine and 2% lidocaine.
Transient radiating back and leg pain defined as pain or dysesthesias in the buttocks, thighs, or calves within 24 to 48 hours after recovery from spinal anesthesia has been described with the use of 2% and 5% lidocaine. These symptoms have also been associated with other local anesthetics such as bupivacaine and tetracaine, although with a much lower incidence. A recent case report and prospective study have described transient radiating back and leg pain occurring following spinal anesthesia with 4% mepivacaine. ⋯ Transient radiating back and leg pain may occur with lower concentrations (1.5%) of mepivacaine, as it does with lidocaine. The relationship between transient radiating back and leg pain and spinal stenosis is also discussed.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Sep 1998
Comparative toxicity of glucose and lidocaine administered intrathecally in the rat.
Glucose is a common component of anesthetic solutions used for spinal anesthesia. However, its possible contribution to recent injuries occurring with spinal anesthesia has not been adequately addressed. Accordingly, the present studies compare the functional and morphologic effects of intrathecally administered glucose with those of lidocaine. ⋯ These results suggest that, at clinically relevant concentrations, glucose does not induce neurologic injury, providing indirect evidence that recent clinical injuries occurring after spinal anesthesia resulted from a neurotoxic effect of the local anesthetic. Additionally, the present studies suggest that deficits resulting from neurotoxicity of intrathecally administered anesthetic result from injury to the axon.