A & A case reports
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We report the case of a 37-year-old female patient who required 22 surgeries following a pedestrian versus car accident. She was enrolled in a clinical study investigating emergence from anesthesia. ⋯ We observed PACU delirium in all 4 cases in which the patient received sevoflurane, but only in 1 of 6 cases in which she received propofol. The patient showed EEG α-band activity similar to that of an elderly patient who may reflect a greater risk of PACU delirium.
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Case Reports
Serratus Anterior Plane Block to Address Postthoracotomy and Chest Tube-Related Pain: A Report on 3 Cases.
In this case report, the serratus anterior plane block was used in conjunction with multilevel continuous thoracic paravertebral blocks (TPVB) and general anesthesia in 3 thoracotomy cases. All blocks were accompanied by use of catheters that allowed continuous local anesthetic infusions and intermittent local anesthetic bolus injections to address postoperative pain. In all 3 patients, the serratus anterior plane block provided analgesia for chest tube-related pain that was not provided by the TPVB alone.
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A 24-year-old woman with history of asthma was intubated emergently for acute status asthmaticus triggered by acute respiratory syncytial virus infection and treated with permissive hypercapnia. Her ventilation was complicated by auto-positive end-expiratory pressure and elevated peak airway, plateau, and central venous pressures. On hospital day 2, she was noted to have anisocoria. ⋯ Difficult ventilation and hypercapnia directly contributed to her severe cerebral edema. Comanagement between neurologic and medical/pulmonary intensivists enabled the management of the competing treatment requirements for status asthmaticus and cerebral edema. This case highlights the importance of balancing conflicting physiologic needs and collaboration between teams.
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Ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia requires the anesthesia provider to interpret new information. This article reports on the case of a 38-year-old man scheduled for a fifth metacarpal fracture repair. ⋯ Regional anesthesia was abandoned in favor of general anesthesia. Ultrasonography training needs to be expanded in the coming years to include awareness of the abnormal pathology, as it might impact the choice of anesthetic procedure and patient outcome.
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Review Case Reports
Mechanical Support With Impella During Malignant Arrhythmia Ablation: A Case Report on the Growing Trend in the Electrophysiology Laboratory.
Congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries is a rare form of congenital heart disease in which the persistence of the right ventricle as the systemic ventricle leads to heart failure, tricuspid valve insufficiency, and arrhythmia. Supraventricular arrhythmias are especially common in these patients. We discuss the anesthetic management of a 33-year-old patient with congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries who required a ventricular assist device to maintain cardiac output during ablation of supraventricular tachyarrythmia. A witnessed pulseless cardiac arrest and resuscitation during a previous episode of supraventricular tachycardia prompted the elective insertion of the Impella catheter after induction of anesthesia for the ablation procedure.