Bronchoscopic management of bronchopleural fistula due to COVID-19 a nonsurgical option

Background: COVID-19 has become a dreadful pandemic. One of the important complication is the development of pneumothorax/ pneumomediastinum which gets further complicated by bronchopleural fistula. Case Study: A 44year male patient with severe COVID pneumonia developed Left sided pneumothorax and treated conservatively with ICD and negative suctioning for 2 months and referred to us with persistent pneumothorax with BPF. As patient was unfit for surgery, bronchoscopic management was planned. With flexible bronchoscope, 6F Fogarty balloon was passed and inflated, leak site was identified in left upper lobe upper division. A Watanabe spigot size 5 was deposited at the opening of upper division and manipulated to apical segment. Other small openings were sealed with cyanoacrylate glue and autologous blood patch. After procedure negative suction was reapplied. Repeat Xray showed resolution of pneumothorax. Pleurodesis was done with talc slurry, post pleurodesis showed no pneumothorax and ICD was removed. Patient was discharged, follow up X ray after 4weeks showed no evidence of pneumothorax. Discussion: In most cases of BPF, leak seals after tube thoracostomy, only 3-5% will continue to have persistent leak. For medically inoperable cases, bronchoscopic balloon occlusion of site and subsequent injection with fibrin glue, liquid bioadhesive or blood patch can be done. For large leak;Amplatzer device, stents, spigots, coils are used. Conclusion: Bronchoscopic treatment can work well for a medically inoperable, complicated pneumothorax in COVID-19 disease.

First-line steroid treatment for spontaneous intracranial hypotension.

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) is a syndrome characterized by low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure and postural headaches, and affects 1 per 20,000 individuals every year. CASE REPORT: We report an otherwise healthy 38-year-old man admitted to the hospital with orthostatic headache that developed 48 h after a short-haul flight during which he sustained a neck injury due to turbulence. Neurological examination, blood analysis and computed tomography scan performed at the emergency service were normal. Brain and spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed diffuse pachymeningeal enhancement and contrast medium egress from the subarachnoid space into the epidural space at the level of C2. The patient was treated with bed rest, hydration and 1 mg/kg/day oral prednisone for 5 days, with a gradual withdrawal in the following 7 days. Complete symptomatic relief was observed after 16 days, with resolution of the pathological findings on brain and spinal MRI after 1 month, except for localized pachymeningeal enhancement. Clinical relief was maintained over time until last follow-up visit 9 months later. CONCLUSION: Successful conservative treatment barely exceeds one quarter of cases of SIH. The clinical benefits of steroids may result from several mechanisms of action, for example, improving brain oedema and inflammation, determining fluid retention, and facilitating reabsorption of the CSF from extradural space. Notwithstanding that epidural blood patch remains the most successful treatment for SIH, future studies should explore the effectiveness of steroids as first-line therapy in addition to the most commonly suggested measures of bed rest and hydration.

Recent update on epidural blood patch.

Epidural blood patch (EBP) is the injection of autologous blood into the epidural space with the intent of sealing off a dural tear and stopping the leakage of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). EBP may cause an increase in intracranial pressure (ICP) due to the mass effect of the injected blood volume, causing CSF from the spinal compartment to enter the intracranial compartment. EBP is usually considered in the management of moderate to severe headache (HA) attributed to low CSF pressure, such as post-dural puncture HA (PDPH), CSF fistula HA, and HA attributed to spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) that does not respond to conservative management. However, prophylactic administration of EBP after accidental dural puncture can hardly be substantiated at present. EBP is generally safe but may rarely be associated with serious complications. Therefore, it should be carefully planned and performed under C-arm fluoroscopic guidance. Although many studies on PDPH and SIH have been conducted until recently, only few reviews have summarized the effectiveness of EBP from the perspective of a pain physician. This article reviews the current literature on the indication, contraindication, procedural consideration, post-procedural management, outcomes, and complications of EBP and the considerations for EBP in patients with COVID-19.

What's New in Neuraxial Labor Analgesia.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This article provides an update of recent practice trends in neuraxial labor analgesia. It reviews available evidence regarding management of labor pain in obstetric patients with COVID-19, serious adverse events in obstetric anesthesia to help inform risk/benefit decisions, and increasingly popular neuraxial labor analgesia techniques and adjuvants. State-of-the-art modes of epidural drug delivery are also discussed. RECENT FINDINGS: There has recently been a focus on several considerations specific to obstetric anesthesia, such as anesthetic management of obstetric patients with COVID-19, platelet thresholds for the safe performance of neuraxial analgesia in obstetric patients with thrombocytopenia, and drug delivery modes for initiation and maintenance of neuraxial labor analgesia. SUMMARY: Neuraxial labor analgesia (via standard epidural, dural puncture epidural, and combined spinal epidural techniques) is the most effective therapy to alleviate the pain of childbirth. SARS-CoV-2 infection is not, in and of itself, a contraindication to neuraxial labor analgesia or cesarean delivery anesthesia. Early initiation of neuraxial labor analgesia in patients with COVID-19 is recommended if not otherwise contraindicated, as it may reduce the need for general anesthesia should emergency cesarean delivery become necessary. Consensus regarding platelet thresholds for safe initiation of neuraxial procedures has historically been lacking. Recent studies have concluded that the risk of spinal epidural hematoma formation after neuraxial procedures is likely low at or above an imprecise range of platelet count of 70-75,000 × 106/L. Thrombocytopenia has been reported in obstetric patients with COVID-19, but severe thrombocytopenia precluding initiation of neuraxial anesthesia is extremely rare. High neuraxial blockade has emerged as one of the most common serious complications of neuraxial analgesia and anesthesia in obstetric patients. Growing awareness of factors that contribute to failed conversion of epidural labor analgesia to cesarean delivery anesthesia may help avoid the risks associated with performance of repeat neuraxial techniques and induction of general anesthesia after failed epidural blockade. Dural puncture techniques to alleviate the pain of childbirth continue to become more popular, as do adjuvant drugs to enhance or prolong neuraxial analgesia. Novel techniques for epidural drug delivery have become more widely disseminated.