Greveholloway5773
Patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) present an increased risk of postoperative respiratory failure after general anesthesia. We report the case of a 71-year-old man with ALS who underwent emergency laparotomy for small bowel strangulation. After surgery, he remained intubated and was transferred to the high care unit under mechanical ventilation, due to unstable hemodynamics requiring inotropic support. On postoperative day (POD) 3, he was extubated under stable hemodynamics and respiratory status. Immediately after extubation, bilevel positive airway pressure (bilevel PAP) was prophylactically applied to prevent postoperative respiratory failure, which may have been caused by respiratory muscle fatigue, attributed to general anesthesia and surgical stress. On POD 7, bilevel PAP was smoothly weaned off because no signs and symptoms of respiratory failure were observed. On POD 10, he achieved 30 m-walk without rest. No postoperative complications were observed up to one month after surgery. Postoperative respiratory failure may lead to death in patients with neuromuscular disorder. Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) reduces respiratory muscle fatigue, resulting in easy sputum expectoration, promoting CO2 washout, and better oxygenation. Consequently, the prophylactic use of NIV to avoid postoperative respiratory insufficiency should be considered in patients with ALS after emergency operation under general anesthesia.Posterior decompression and instrumentation of the cervical spine are associated with severe postoperative pain due to extensive soft tissue and muscle dissection during the surgery. In this case series, we describe bilateral continuous cervical erector spinae plane block (CESPB) placed at T1-2 through the thoracic erector spinae plane. A series of 4 patients underwent posterior cervical decompression and stabilization for various surgical indications. The CESPB block provides intense analgesia with low requirements of anesthetic drugs in the perioperative period and opioid-free analgesia in the postoperative period. The spread of local anesthetic was studied by performing CT contrast studies after obtaining informed consent.With the rise in living standards and evolution of science, there is a rise in life expectancy world over. This demographic transition has led to a rise in older persons, increasing the dependency ratios and "demographic burden." Management of such old patients requires special considerations and understanding as aging is a physiological phenomenon in which the functional capacity of organs decreases due to degenerative changes in the structure. An important aspect to remember in Geriatric Anesthesia is that in spite of adequate compensatory mechanisms for age-related changes, there is a limitation of physiological reserve, especially in stressful circumstances like perioperative period. Geriatric patients are more sensitive to all medications and anesthetic agents. Lesser amount of drug is required to achieve the desired clinical effect, but have a prolonged effect. This elderly but well-preserved patient, possibly a case of small gut obstruction was posted for emergency laparoscopy and proceed. Seeing his age and easy friability, a well-planned preoperative assessment and optimization was done prior to wheeling him into operation theater. Administration of short-acting anesthetic drugs in titrated quantities and awareness about postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) helped us to get better and faster recovery in the patient.Erector spinae plane (ESP) block is a regional anesthesia technique, which provides visceral and somatic analgesia for abdominal surgery; during surgery and in the postoperative period. The local anesthetic is injected between the erector spinae muscle and the transverse process and it spreads cranially and caudally into the paravertebral space, affecting the ventral and dorsal branches of the thoracic spinal nerves and the rami communicants that contain sympathetic nerve fibers. ESP block can replace thoracic epidural anesthesia and has a better analgesic effect compared to other plane blocks that are used in abdominal surgery. We described six case series of successfully performed ESP block for postoperative analgesia in various abdominal surgeries such as unilateral open inguinal hernia repair with a supraumbilical hernia, ileostomy reversal surgery, open diaphragmatic hernia repair, laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and abdominal abscess evacuation.Segawa's syndrome, dopamine-responsive dystonia, is a rare genetic disorder that typically begins in childhood by around 4-6 years of age. ABT199 It is characterized by abnormal gait and dystonia. A 33-year-old man presented for autologous skin grafting of a nonhealing wound under general anesthesia. Successful anesthetic management of patients with this rare disease, though analogous in many ways to that of patients with Parkinson's disease, still pose significant challenges. We present anesthetic nuances to be considered in the management of a patient with Segawa's disease along with a pertinent review of the literature.Congenital teratoma of oral cavity in a neonate is a rare condition associated with compromised airway and challenges anesthesiologist in airway management. In this report, we describe a scenario of neonate with multiple oral teratoma, cleft palate, and bifid tongue who presented with respiratory distress for surgical excision of mass. The compromised airway can be successfully managed by appropriate prior planning and effective communication between anesthesiologist and surgical team.Post-mastectomy pain syndrome (PMPS) can have multiple pain generators, including neuropathic pain and myofascial pain syndrome (MPS). Erector spinae plane (ESP) block and rhomboid intercostal block (RIB) have been used to provide anesthesia of the thorax and also for some chronic pain conditions. We describe a 43-year-old man suffering from right PMPS after right mastectomy, full axillary, and mammary lymph node dissection. We treated her with ESP blocks and RIB to reduce neuralgia and MPS Neuropathic pain disappeared and the patient experienced only slight residual pain. The result was maintained 3 months later. This report suggests that ESP block and RIB with local anesthetic and corticosteroids with might be useful to treat a PMPS.