A & A case reports
-
This case report illustrates the importance of proper assessment, management, and creation of an emergent surgical airway. Assessment after the establishment of surgical airways should include confirmation of correct surgical site and appropriate location and depth of tracheostomy, tracheal tube, or catheter placement within the trachea. Supraglottic surgical airway access, as occurred in this case, can lead to laryngotracheal and esophageal injury. Early recognition and appropriate management of this complication can increase the likelihood of preservation of voice and airway function and minimize the extent of esophageal injury.
-
This case report documents the inadvertent placement of an arterial cannula despite using realtime ultrasound to insert a peripheral venous cannula in a child with difficult venous access. The resultant limb ischemia was treated with an infraclavicular ultrasound-guided brachial plexus block as sympatholytic treatment.
-
An elderly male with a history of argyria caused by chronic ingestion of colloidal silver presented for elective colonoscopy. The patient's skin was a profound blue-gray color that caused concern among staff until his condition was identified through his medical and medication history. ⋯ The anesthetic management concerns include differentiating argyria from hypoxemia and other pathologies with similar appearance and clearly communicating the patient's history of argyria to follow-on caregivers to prevent unneeded diagnostic or interventional procedures. It is also important for caregivers to understand that the altered skin pigmentation of argyria does not interfere with pulse oximetry.
-
We report a case of succinylcholine-induced hyperkalemia in a patient with a mediastinal triton tumor, which is characterized by a rhabdomyosarcomatous differentiation. Caution should be taken with succinylcholine use in patients presenting with a rhabdomyosarcomatous tumor or with a tumor of unknown cell type when histopathological diagnosis is not available.