Total Unilateral Obstruction by Sputum Immediately after Tracheal Bougienage / 대한구급학회지

A 25-year-old man developed tracheal stenosis due to prolonged intubation for five days. Immediately after bougienage, his left lung was not possible to ventilate and emergency tracheostomy was performed to produce ample space for airflow. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy showed that his left main bronchus was totally obstructed by sputum at the entrance of the superior and inferior lobar bronchi. Inadequate airway clearance increases the risk of infection and airway obstruction. We suggest chest physiotherapy be applied to all patients in the intensive care unit (ICU), especially patients with tracheal stenosis, due to its positive impact on pulmonary functional ability and ICU stay.

The use of 3 sugammadex out of 5 reversal of during recovery of rocuronium-induced neuromuscular blockade in a patient with post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage: a case report / 대한마취과학회지

Post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage (PTH) is the most frequent complication of tonsillectomy, and occasionally results in a lethal outcome. A 21-year-old man (height 180 cm, weight 95 kg) was scheduled for a bilateral tonsillectomy and uvulopalatopharyngoplasty for treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. He required 5 rounds of general anesthesia due to recurrent PTH. The anesthesiologist used sugammadex a total of 3 times to achieve the successful reversal of the deep neuromuscular blockade (NMB) induced by rocuronium. After sugammadex 2 mg/kg was administered, the NMB was reversed in 2 minutes each time. Re-administration of rocuronium within a short time interval after sugammadex may result in unpredictable effects of neuromuscular blocking agents. Sugammadex made it possible to perform a rapid, complete reverse when the residual block was maintained by an incomplete reversal of anticholinesterase.