A & A case reports
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Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a rare disabling genetic connective tissue disorder. General anesthesia in these patients is associated with increased risks. ⋯ We are reporting the use of combined spinal-epidural anesthesia for a prolonged surgery (multiple osteotomies) of lower limbs in a 10-year-old wheelchair-bound child with OI type III. Preoperative counseling, ultrasonography guidance, titrated local anesthetic dosage, and dexmedetomidine sedation helped establish optimum surgical conditions.
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Case Reports
Obstetric Anesthesia for a Pregnant Woman With Brainstem Cavernous Malformations: A Case Report.
There are no well-defined guidelines for obstetric and anesthetic management of pregnant patients with cerebral cavernous malformations (CMs). We need to pay careful attention to the attendant risks of both general and neuraxial anesthesia in this population. Here, we describe the anesthetic management of a pregnant woman with brainstem CMs who underwent cesarean delivery. We selected a general anesthetic technique because of concerns of undesirable effects of neuraxial anesthesia in the presence of cerebral CMs.
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MELAS syndrome (mitochondrial encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like symptoms) is a rare and complex mitochondrial disorder. We present the in-hospital course of a 36-year-old gravida 2, para 0 with MELAS syndrome and severe preeclampsia, complicated by hyponatremia, hyperkalemia, and diabetes. ⋯ Postpartum endometritis and sepsis also were encountered. This is to our knowledge the first case report of obstetric complications in MELAS syndrome and highlights the salient metabolic sequelae of this syndrome.
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Emergence delirium (ED) in adult patients encountered in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) is not well studied; nor are ED treatment strategies. Similar to delirium in the intensive care unit, ED in the PACU can result in serious complications. ⋯ Although likely utilized more frequently in recent years, the use of dexmedetomidine in the PACU for treatment of ED is not established in the literature. Further research regarding treatment of ED in adults is necessary, allowing for optimization of patient care and improvement in patient outcomes.
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A 3-year-old boy underwent tracheostomy at age 5 months for respiratory failure. The tracheostomy tube was removed a year later but a tracheocutaneous fistula developed requiring fistulectomy and primary skin closure. ⋯ Orotracheal intubation was emergently performed and chest radiograph revealed pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum. The child was taken to the operating room for placement of a tracheostomy tube.