Bilateral tension pneumothorax during endoscopic submucosal dissection under general anesthesia diagnosed by point-of-care ultrasound - A case report -

Background@#Endoscopic submucosal dissection has become popular. However, this can cause serious complications. In this case, esophageal perforation caused bilateral tension pneumothorax.Case: A 60-year-old man with esophageal adenoma underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection under general anesthesia. The peak airway pressure was 25 cmH2O after induction but abruptly increased to 40 cmH2O after 30 min. Respiratory sounds were barely heard. The lack of lung sliding in either (right-dominant) lung on ultrasound. Within minutes, oxygen saturation and systolic blood pressure decreased to 52% and 70 mmHg. Emergent needle thoracostomy, followed by chest tube insertion, was performed on right chest and his vital signs stabilized. Upon transfer to intensive care unit, oxygen saturation and blood pressure decreased again; therefore, a left chest tube was inserted. @*Conclusions@#Pneumothorax due to esophageal perforation can lead to life-threatening tension pneumothorax. Anesthesiologists should be aware of the risks and emergency treatment. Ultrasound can be useful for immediate bedside patient-care decisions.

Bilateral tension pneumothorax during endoscopic submucosal dissection under general anesthesia diagnosed by point-of-care ultrasound - A case report -

Background@#Endoscopic submucosal dissection has become popular. However, this can cause serious complications. In this case, esophageal perforation caused bilateral tension pneumothorax.Case: A 60-year-old man with esophageal adenoma underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection under general anesthesia. The peak airway pressure was 25 cmH2O after induction but abruptly increased to 40 cmH2O after 30 min. Respiratory sounds were barely heard. The lack of lung sliding in either (right-dominant) lung on ultrasound. Within minutes, oxygen saturation and systolic blood pressure decreased to 52% and 70 mmHg. Emergent needle thoracostomy, followed by chest tube insertion, was performed on right chest and his vital signs stabilized. Upon transfer to intensive care unit, oxygen saturation and blood pressure decreased again; therefore, a left chest tube was inserted. @*Conclusions@#Pneumothorax due to esophageal perforation can lead to life-threatening tension pneumothorax. Anesthesiologists should be aware of the risks and emergency treatment. Ultrasound can be useful for immediate bedside patient-care decisions.

Comparison of clinical validation of acceleromyography and electromyography in children who were administered rocuronium during general anesthesia: a prospective double-blinded randomized study / 대한마취과학회지

BACKGROUND: Electromyography and acceleromyography are common neuromuscular monitoring devices. However, questions still remain regarding the use of acceleromyography in children. This study compared the calibration success rates and intubation conditions in children after obtaining the maximal blockade depending on each of the devices METHODS: Children, 3 to 6 years old, were randomly allocated to the TOF-Watch SX acceleromyography group or the NMT electromyography group. The induction was performed with propofol, fentanyl, and rocuronium. The bispectral index and 1 Hz single twitch were monitored during observation. The calibration of the each device was begun when the BIS dropped to 60. After successful calibration, rocuronium 0.6 mg/kg was injected. A tracheal intubation was performed when the twitch height suppressed to 0. The rocuronium onset time (time from administration to the maximal depression of twitch height) and intubating conditions were rated in a blinded manner. RESULTS: There was no difference in the calibration success rates between the two groups; and the calibration time in the electromyography group (16.7 +/- 11.0 seconds) was shorter than the acceleromyography group (28.1 +/- 13.4 seconds, P = 0.012). The rocuronium onset time of the electromyography group (73.6 +/- 18.9 seconds) was longer than the acceleromyography group (63.9 +/- 18.8 seconds, P = 0.042) and the intubation condition of the electromyography group (2.27 +/- 0.65) was better than the acceleromyography group (1.86 +/- 0.50, P = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: Electromyography offers a better compromise than acceleromyography with respect to the duration of calibration process and surrogate for the optimal time of tracheal intubation in children.

A suspected case of sugammadex-induced anaphylactic shock: A case report

We describe a case involving a 69-year-old woman who developed anaphylatic shock caused by a clinical dose of sugammadex (2 mg/kg, 100 mg intravenously) 5 minutes after its administration. She developed redness and welts all over her body, and complained of an oropharyngeal itching sensation with dyspnea and dizziness. Her vital signs were closely monitored. She also experienced a sudden onset of hypotension (from 110/70 to 49/40 mmHg) and tachycardia (from 75 to 120 bpm). We diagnosed anaphylactic shock on the basis of these clinical manifestations. After 20 min of traditional treatment (hydration, ephedrine, cortisol, and phenylephrine), her vital signs returned to normal. No postoperative complications were evident, and the patient was discharged from the hospital. Although the prevalence of anaphylactic reactions to sugammadex is rare, physicians using sugammadex should be aware of the possibility of sugammadex-induced anaphylaxis.

The effect of phenylephrine on the onset time of rocuronium / 대한마취과학회지

BACKGROUND: Several studies have demonstrated that ephedrine shortens the onset time of muscle relaxants, and it does so probably by increasing the cardiac output. However, elevation of the systemic blood pressure through alpha adrenergic stimulation via ephedrine may affect the onset of muscle relaxants during the induction of anesthesia. We investigated the effect of phenylephrine, which is a selective alpha-1 agonist, on the onset time of rocuronium and the intubating conditions in adults after the administration of propofol. METHODS: Sixty-four patients were randomly assigned to two groups. Phenylephrine (0.9 microgram/kg) (P group) or the same volume of saline (S group) was injected before rocuronium (0.6 mg/kg) administration. Anesthesia was induced with fentanyl 2 microgram/kg and propofol 2 mg/kg. The onset time was defined as the time from the end of rocuronium injection to the time when a single twitch height gets to 0% or the minimum level. A well-trained anesthesiologist who was 'blinded' to the treatment groups evaluated the intubating conditions. The mean arterial pressure and heart rate were recorded before induction, before intubation, immediately after intubation and 1 minute and 2 minutes after intubation. RESULTS: The onset time was 84 +/- 18 sec in the P-group and 72 +/- 14 sec in the S-group. There was no difference of the intubating conditions, the mean arterial pressure and the heart rate between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: A small dose of phenylephrine, which has a limited effect on blood pressure, delayed the onset time of rocuronium after the administration of propofol, and the vasoconstriction effect of phenylephrine may affect the prolongation of the rocuronium onset time at the induction of anesthesia with using propofol.

Penile Erection during Transurethral Surgery : Case report and review of the literature

Imbalance between sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems is generally considered an underlying mechanism for intraoperative erection, although local stimulation before complete sensory blockade can contribute to the problem. With the onset of erection under regional anesthesia during an operative procedure, general inhalational anesthesia must be quickly initiated to enhance venous drainage of the engorged corpora cavernosa before prolonged venous stasis. Combination therapy including ketamine, glycopyrrolate, terbutaline, and alpha-adrenergics may be available, however, the benefit-risk ratio should be considered especially in the elderly patients with cardiovascular diseases. We present a case of intraoperative erection in an elderly patient, which was resolved by applying inhalational anesthesia with remifentanil after confirmation ineffectiveness of intravenous glycopyrrolate and ketamine. We also review and discuss the treatment strategies.

Trends in Systemic Comorbidity Profiles of Patients Undergoing Artificial Joint Replacement on the Lower Extremities / 대한마취과학회지

BACKGROUND: Geriatric patients undergoing artificial joint replacement have increased not only in numbers but in age over the past years. These patients usually have accompanying comorbidities which may be increased by age itself and these comorbidities increases clinical challenge while undergoing anesthesia. METHODS: Raw data from 1992 to 2006 undergoing artificial joint replacement were collected and investigated retrospectively. Five-year periods of interest (POI) were created for analysis. POI I is five-year periods of interest from 1992 to 1996, POI II from 1997 to 2001 and POI III from 2002 to 2006. Changes in demographic variables and prevalence of a variety of comorbidities were statistically evaluated. RESULTS: We identified 4,196 patients in whom artificial joint replacement was performed between 1992 and 2006. Of those, 805, 1,212 and 2,179 were performed in POI I, POI II and POI III, respectively. The average age and the prevalence of hypertension and diabetes mellitus increased significantly. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of comorbid diseases among the patients undergoing artificial joint replacement has increased significantly for hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Also increase in average age of patients undergoing surgery as well as accompanying comorbidities pose an increased clinical challenge. A thorough preanesthetic evaluation and optimal anesthetic technique is necessary to decrease the morbidity and mortality in geriatric patients undergoing artificial joint replacement on the lower extremities.

Does Predictors of Preload Measured from Continuous Right Ventricular End-diastolic Volume Index Monitored Pulmonary Artery Catheter Reflect Stroke Volume Index in Off Pump Coronary Artery Bypass? / 대한마취과학회지

BACKGROUND: It is important to assess cardiac preload for management of patients undergoing off pump coronary artery bypass surgery (OPCAB). Recently, several studies have documented the good correlation between right ventricular end-diastolic volume index (RVEDVI) and stroke volume index (SVI), compared with cardiac filling pressures. However, none of these studies have evaluated relationship between predictors of preload and SVI measured with volumetric pulmonary artery catheter during OPCAB. The correlation of continuous RVEDVI and SVI measured with volumetric pulmonary artery catheter during OPCAB was evaluated in this study. METHODS: Fifty three patients undergoing OPCAB were included. Hemodynamic parameters were measured 10 min after induction (T1), 10 min after Y-graft formation started (T2) and 10 min after sternum closure (T3). The correlation of parameters were assessed by simple linear regression. RESULTS: Central venous pressure (CVP) and pulmonary artery occlusion pressure (PAOP) did not correlate with SVI during OPCAB. On the other hand, a statistically significant result was found between RVEDVI and SVI at T2 (r(2)=0.133, P=0.007) and T3 (r(2)=0.380, P < 0.000). But RVEDVI and SVI were weakly correlated. And at T1, RVEDVI and SVI did not correlate. CONCLUSIONS: RVEDVI is a more reliable predictor of preload compared to CVP and PAOP during OPCAB. But in post-induction period (T2), RVEDVI did not correlate with SVI.