A & A case reports
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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.
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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.
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Perineural catheters are the technique of choice for postoperative analgesia after painful orthopedic surgery. Infectious complications associated with perineural catheters, although rare, are associated with increased morbidity and mortality, medical cost, and hospital length of stay. In this report, we describe a patient in whom a cervical abscess occurred after insertion of an ultrasound-guided interscalene catheter.
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Achalasia is an idiopathic motility disorder causing progressive dysphagia and dilation of the esophagus. Rarely this esophageal dilation can cause acute respiratory insufficiency and/or failure. ⋯ Computed tomography of the chest performed for suspected pneumothorax revealed severe esophageal dilation with a mass effect. As this case describes, achalasia may present with the life-threatening complication of respiratory failure and requires a high index of suspicion for timely diagnosis and appropriate interventions.