Articles: cations.
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Case Reports
Combined Spinal-Epidural for Loop Ileostomy in a Patient With End-Stage Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Case Report.
Anesthesia can be a challenge for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This progressive neurological disease is associated with a high risk of aspiration and postoperative ventilatory failure. ⋯ He tolerated the procedure well with no perioperative pulmonary complications or worsening of his ALS. To reduce the risks of general anesthesia, we chose a neuraxial approach.
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COVID-19 has accelerated the use of telemedicine in all aspects of health care delivery, including initial surgical evaluation. No existing literature investigates the safety and efficacy of telemedicine to preoperatively evaluate spine surgery candidates. Our objectives were: (1) Compare the change in visual analogue scale (VAS) scores between the telemedicine preoperative visit and in-person preoperative visit groups. (2) Compare the average surgical time, estimated blood loss (EBL), length of hospital stay (LOS), rates of intraoperative complications, rates of readmission, and rates of reoperation between the telemedicine preoperative visit and in-person preoperative visit groups. ⋯ Preoperative evaluation via telemedicine leads to the same short-term surgical outcomes as in-person evaluation with no increased risk of surgical complications.