A & A case reports
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Orogastric and nasogastric tubes are routinely inserted in anesthetized patients to both reduce the volume of stomach contents and decrease the incidence of postoperative nausea. We present a case of esophageal perforation and subsequent pneumothorax after insertion of an orogastric tube in a patient undergoing routine shoulder arthroscopy.
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The use of regional anesthesia including paravertebral blocks has been advocated for the treatment of pain from rib fractures in adults. Although paravertebral nerve blocks have been used in pediatric patients to manage postoperative pain for surgeries to the thorax and abdomen, their use for analgesia after rib fractures and thoracic trauma has not been reported. We report the use of a T7 continuous paravertebral nerve block for pain relief in a 5-week-old, 5-kg infant who suffered T7 and T8 rib fractures and a pulmonary contusion to the left chest secondary to a gunshot wound.