A&A practice最新文献

This case report describes a 29-year-old patient with cerebral palsy whose mother, for safety reasons, requested that before extubation in the postanesthesia care unit, her son be transferred from the padded stretcher to his personal motorized wheelchair. Using a sling lift, we safely transferred the anesthetized, intubated patient from a supine position to an upright sitting position. Although sling lifts are often used in critical care and rehabilitation environments, use in the perioperative space is rare. In this case report, we demonstrate how a sling lift can enhance safety for patients and perioperative staff.

Interscalene blocks, commonly used for shoulder surgery analgesia, often cause transient phrenic nerve palsy, leading to hemi-diaphragmatic paresis. This complication is particularly problematic in patients with pulmonary comorbidities and has been extensively investigated. However, its impact on patients with Fontan physiology remains less understood with limited representation in the literature. Hemi-diaphragmatic paresis can significantly reduce negative pressure spontaneous ventilation, leading to decreased venous return and increased pulmonary vascular resistance, which critically affects cardiac output. This case report explores regional anesthesia management in a Fontan patient undergoing shoulder surgery, emphasizing the suprascapular nerve block as an effective alternative for ambulatory patients.

We report a case of a parturient with severe cardiac disease requiring elective termination of pregnancy. The patient underwent successfully monitored anesthesia care using remimazolam for dilation and curettage. The patient remained hemodynamically stable and appropriately sedated while achieving optimal procedural conditions. Remimazolam is an ultrashort acting benzodiazepine that is being used with increasing frequency in short procedures requiring sedation. Patients with complex cardiac comorbidities undergoing surgical procedures may receive maximum benefit from this novel medication due to its stable hemodynamic profile and rapid metabolism.

Nasotracheal intubation is a commonly used technique in elective oral and pharyngeal surgeries. This case report details an incident involving a young adult patient in which an attempt at nasotracheal intubation resulted in a life-threatening cervicofacial and thoracic emphysema. Although complications associated with nasotracheal intubation are rare, their potential severity necessitates a comprehensive preprocedural discussion and risk assessment with the surgical team to confirm its appropriate indication for each individual patient. This case underscores the need for increased awareness and readiness for managing rare but critical complications associated with airway management techniques.

Background: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education defines "nonphysician obligations" as "duties performed by nursing and allied health professionals, transport services, or clerical staff." How anesthesiology trainees understand the concept of "nonphysician obligations" and are impacted by these obligations is incompletely understood. The objective of the study was to identify how anesthesiology trainees define "nonphysician obligations," which obligations impact trainee education, and what attitudes trainees hold.

Methods: A survey was administered to Anesthesiology residents (N = 86) at a large academic hospital in 2023. Respondents defined "nonphysician obligations," listed obligations that impacted their education, and indicated the frequency of these obligations. Respondents scored their agreement with statements appraising attitudes toward the clarity and consistency of the term and classified anesthesiology tasks as physician/nonphysician. The authors developed a conceptual framework defining "nonphysician obligations" using grounded theory and categorized the participants' responses based on this framework. Tallies assessed which obligations and attitudes were most prominent.

Results: The response rate was 82.6% (n = 71). Respondents defined nonphysician obligations with either a patient-centered or physician-centered framework. Tasks spanning nursing, patient transport, anesthesia technicians, certified registered nurse anesthetists, and care coordinators impacted education most. Outlier definitions and obligations emerged, including personal and household obligations. Fifty-seven percent of trainees disagreed that the definition of nonphysician obligations was clear. Forty-seven percent agreed definitions held by anesthesiology trainees were aligned. Sixty-two percent felt that different medical specialties did not share a common definition. Classification of typical anesthesiology tasks as physician/ nonphysician was heterogenous.

Conclusions: "Nonphysician obligations" are defined by a new, nuanced, specialty-specific explanatory framework, and those that impact education are summarized in distinct classes. Trainee definitions and attitudes expose possible faults in how nonphysician obligations are currently evaluated.

Inappropriate sinus tachycardia (IST) presents challenges in diagnosis and treatment due to its unclear etiology and limited therapeutic options. This case report explores the use of continuous stellate ganglion block (CSGB) as a potential treatment avenue. A 23-year-old woman with refractory IST underwent several CSGB placements, resulting in prolonged symptom relief and decreased median heart rate. Despite the eventual recurrence of symptoms, the sustained effects of CSGB suggest its efficacy in managing IST. This report underscores the potential of CSGB as a promising therapeutic approach for IST, offering longer-lasting symptom control compared to single-injection stellate ganglion block (SGB) interventions.

Background: Evaluations performed before the day of surgery at perioperative clinics have been shown to reduce patient mortality and hospital lengths of stay. These clinics are becoming increasingly adopted worldwide. As the number of older patients undergoing surgery continues to increase, understanding the perspectives of this patient population regarding the preoperative evaluation process is essential to tailor care to their needs and preferences.

Methods: We administered a cross-sectional survey by email or telephone to 104 patient participants ages 75 and older who underwent preoperative assessment and surgery at a rural tertiary center in Northern New England in 2022. The survey aimed to elicit patient perspectives on whether or not they prefer to speak with an anesthesia provider before the day of surgery, and on the reasons for their preference.

Results: Sixty-six percent of older patients indicated they prefer to engage in conversations with their anesthesia providers before the day of surgery. The most common topics patients wanted to discuss were to address what possible side effects from anesthesia could occur, the type of anesthesia they would receive, and if other anesthesia options were available. Patients also emphasized the importance of their anesthesia provider's awareness of their specific medical conditions, such as kidney, lung, or cervical spine conditions.

Conclusions: Preanesthesia assessments allow for bidirectional communication between patients and anesthesia providers, alleviating patient anxiety and allowing for vital patient information to be collected to enhance overall patient safety. Our findings indicate that preoperative assessment by an anesthesia provider is desired and valued by the older patient population, contributing to the evidence in support of the implementation of anesthesia preoperative clinics. More research is needed to determine whether tailoring preanesthesia assessments to better align with patient preferences will translate into enhanced patient-centered outcomes.

Intercostal neuralgia can be debilitating and extremely difficult to treat despite multi-modal therapies. The literature describing the role of neuromodulation in patients with intercostal neuralgia is scarce. In this medically challenging case report, we describe a 56-year-old male with a near complete resolution of intractable chronic intercostal neuralgia, secondary to traumatic rib fractures and multiple surgical interventions, with a single lead thoracic spinal cord stimulator (SCS) implant. Neuromodulation therapies should be considered as a viable option for this patient population.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a common treatment for severe aortic stenosis (AS), but it carries the risk of severe complications, including device embolization. We present a case of a TAVR valve embolization into the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT), diagnosed with transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) shortly after device deployment. The dislodged valve was successfully retrieved from the LVOT into the aorta, flattened, and stabilized with a thoracic endovascular aneurysm repair (TEVAR) stent, enabling the successful implantation of a new TAVR valve.