Masui. The Japanese journal of anesthesiology
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A 63-year-old man with von Recklinghausen disease was transported to the emergency department for swelling and pain of his right neck. Chest X-ray and computed tomography scan showed displacement of the trachea to the left by a tumor mass. Urgent airway management was required and fiberoptic intubation in awake condition was planned. ⋯ Suddenly, his consciousness level and Sp(O2) went down, therefore surgical airway was required. Due to pre-scanning, emergency cricothyroid membrane puncture could be performed immediately without any complications. We recommend ultrasound pre-scanning for cricothyroid membrane puncture in a patient with suspected tracheal displacement.
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Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy is a genetic cardiomyopathy characterized by replacement of right ventricular myocardium by fibrofatty infiltrates, leading to significant ventricular arrhythmias with sudden death and right ventricular dysfunction. Elective operations should be postponed, until the arrhythmias and myocardial function are well tolerated. There has been no guideline on the anesthetic management of this serious, despite rare, disease and there are a few reports of the patients undergoing operation under either general or regional anesthesia. ⋯ It is essential to apply alpha-adrenergic agonists instead of beta-agonists for intraoperative hemodynamic support. The arrhythmias should be managed with beta-blockers or amiodarone. Adequate control of postoperative analgesia and nausea/vomiting is also important to suppress sympathetic activities.
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Case Reports
[Anchor Fast endotracheal tube securing device for a pediatric patient during therapeutic hypothermia].
A 5-year-old girl was admitted to our hospital after resuscitation from cardiac arrest due to near-drowning accident in a river. On admission, Glasgow Coma Scale score was 7; arterial blood pressure was 113/73 mm Hg; heart rate was 157 beats x min(-1), and percutaneous oxygen saturation was 99% on 10 l x min(-1) of oxygen. The patient was intubated with a 5.0 mm internal diameter endotracheal tube, and therapeutic hypothermia was started for neural protection. ⋯ Anchor Fast kept the tube position properly even though the patient was turned or moved. Seventy-two hours later, she was rewarmed and extubated as scheduled. Ten days after admission, she was discharged without any neurological deficits.
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Mitochondrial diseases are caused by a decrease in ATP production due to mutations of mitochondrial or mitochondria-related nuclear DNA. Their effects are likely to appear in tissues with a high energy demand, including skeletal muscle, nervous, and cardiovascular systems. Cardiac manifestations of mitochondrial diseases can be divided into cardiomyopathies, which are primarily hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathies, and electropathies, which are primarily conduction system disease and ventricular pre-excitation. ⋯ Appropriate oxygenation, minimization of the oxygen demand, stable cardiovascular management, maintenance of a normal blood glucose level and body temperature, and effective perioperative pain control are of importance. Most anesthetics have been reported to reduce mitochondrial functions, and although enhancement of the sensitivity and prolongation of the duration of action have been reported, they are clinically used with no major problems. Detailed preoperative evaluation of the disease condition and careful intraoperative monitoring are important for the prevention of perioperative complications.
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A 68-year-old man was diagnosed with severe pharyngeal edema after neck lymph node dissection for cancer of the external ear canal. He was scheduled for an emergency tracheotomy, but preoperative fiberoptic laryngoscopy revealed airway and glottic obstruction due to severe pharyngeal edema. As difficult mask ventilation and tracheal intubation were anticipated, intubation under spontaneous ventilation was performed to avoid a "can't ventilate, can't intubate" situation. ⋯ Therefore, a size 3.5 air-Q intubating laryngeal airway was inserted using a bronchofiberscope to perform tracheal intubation through a laryngeal mask. Successful tracheal intubation was achieved while maintaining spontaneous ventilation. The air-Q intubating laryngeal airway can be useful in the setting of anticipated difficult mask ventilation and tracheal intubation, as in the case of severe pharyngeal edema.