A & A case reports
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Reverse open shoulder arthroplasty requires a comprehensive analgesic plan involving regional anesthesia. The commonly performed interscalene brachial plexus blockade confers a high likelihood of diaphragmatic paralysis via phrenic nerve palsy, making this option riskier in patients with limited pulmonary reserve. Continuous blockade of the suprascapular nerve, a more distal branch of the C5 and C6 nerve roots, may be a viable alternative. We report a successful case of the use of a suprascapular nerve block with continuous programmed intermittent bolus perineural analgesia in a patient with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who underwent reverse open shoulder arthroplasty.
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Central venous catheterization is widely used in patients on hemodialysis. A rare complication associated with the clinical use of central venous catheters is perforation of the heart or major vessels. We report a case of inadvertent perforation of the left atrium and thrombosis after the placement of a hemodialysis catheter in the right internal jugular vein. In such cases, surgical removal of the central venous catheter from perforation sites in the heart and vessel walls poses anesthetic challenges because of the high risk of pneumothorax, hemorrhage, arrhythmias, thrombosis, and death.
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Code status discussions (CSDs) clarify patient preferences for cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the event of cardiac or respiratory arrest. CSDs are a key component of perioperative care, particularly at the end of life, and must be both patient-centered and shared. ⋯ In this article, we describe the difficulty of achieving a patient-centered, shared perioperative CSD in the case of a medical professional with a do-not-resuscitate order. We provide a brief background in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, do-not-resuscitate, and CSD before proposing an agenda for improving perioperative CSD.
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The safety of anesthesia was dramatically improved by the introduction of pulse oximetry. This technology was rapidly adopted by anesthesiologists and made a standard of practice in many countries. ⋯ The Lifebox Foundation was formed to determine how a suitable oximeter could be made available to anesthesia providers in these countries. Almost 11,000 oximeters have been delivered in 90 countries, with education courses completed in over 50 countries.