AANA journal
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Acute postoperative pain can cause detrimental effects on multiple organ systems. To treat pain effectively, a thorough knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of pain and its transmission is necessary. Painful stimuli, like that produced by a surgical incision, can lead to a hyperexcitable state in the spinal cord. ⋯ Once the hyperexcitable state has been established, a larger dose of analgesic drug is needed than if hyperexcitability had been prevented. When an analgesic is administered before the bombardment of painful stimuli that occurs with surgical incision, postoperative pain can be greatly diminished. Epidural, intravenous, and intramuscular opioids have been shown to reduce the severity of postoperative pain to a greater extent when administered before surgical stimuli rather than following it.
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Review Case Reports
Anesthetic implications in epidermolysis bullosa dystrophica.
Epidermolysis bullosa is a genetic mechanobullous disease of the stratified squamous keratinizing epithelium that affects the skin and mucous membranes. Its primary feature is the formation of blisters after minor shearing trauma to the skin or mucous membranes that can result in debilitating, even life-threatening scarring. ⋯ The challenge is to maintain patency of the airway and use monitoring technology without damaging epithelial surfaces, which could result in permanent scarring. Successful anesthetic management of a patient with epidermolysis bullosa is possible if precautions with anesthetic instrumentation are observed.
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Intraoperative fluid management for the pediatric surgical patient is a critical element of the anesthetic care plan. In contrast with adult patients, the fluid management is systematized by the use of established protocols that calculate fluid on a per kilogram basis. Children are relatively volume sensitive, and mismanagement of fluid and electrolytes can contribute to morbidity and mortality in infants and young children undergoing even the simplest procedures. ⋯ Inappropriate overhydration can result in pulmonary edema and respiratory problems that can prove fatal. Regardless of the fluid management plan, perioperative fluid management must be flexible and take into account the physiologic development and age of the pediatric patient. The goals of intraoperative fluid management are to restore intravascular volume, maintain cardiac output, and, ultimately, ensure provision of oxygen to the tissues.
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Review Case Reports
Acute circulatory and respiratory collapse in obstetrical patients: a case report and review of the literature.
Venous air embolism is the entrapment of air into the venous system producing signs and symptoms due to obstruction of pulmonary arterial blood flow. We present a healthy, 27-year-old, full-term parturient admitted for postdate induction of labor. Cesarean delivery was required following fetal distress. ⋯ The diagnosis may be facilitated by precordial Doppler monitoring, transesophageal echocardiography, or by the identification of air when aspirating from a right heart catheter. Management includes optimum patient positioning, aspiration of air, discontinuation of nitrous oxide, administration of 100% oxygen, and flooding the surgical site with saline to avoid further air entry. Preventive strategies are also discussed.
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The esophageal Doppler monitor is a recent development in hemodynamic monitoring that is used for surgical patients. It is relatively noninvasive and measures descending aortic blood flow by the Doppler effect. A comparison of this new monitor with the pulmonary artery catheter is cited numerous times throughout the literature and overall correlates well. Studies of the esophageal Doppler monitor show it to be a safe addition to operating room monitors for use by the anesthetist.