Management of difficult intubation in a patient with ankylosing spondylitis--a case report.

We describe a case of difficult intubation in a patient suffering from ankylosing spondylitis undergoing total hip replacement surgery. The anesthetic management of 42 year old patient with difficult airway is discussed. Failure of epidural anesthesia procedure necessitated general anesthesia. The problems of performing awake fibreoptic intubation and other alternative techniques to secure the airway are described. Cervical spine involvement in ankylosing spondylitis is of great concern for the anesthetist. Longstanding progressive course of this disease leads to fibrosis, ossification and ankylosis of entire spine and sacroiliac joints. Cervical spine mobility is decreased and in severe cases total fixity occurs in a flexed position. Patient may also have atlanto-occipital and temporo-mandibular joint involvement as well. Cricoarytenoid cartilages involvement may result in upper airway compromise. Furthermore cervical spine vertebrae are prone to fractures, especially on hyperextension and may lead to spinal cord transection and quadriplegia. In this case report we describe the airway management of such patient with fixed rigidity of cervical spine and thoracolumbar kyphosis.

Heat exhaustion during mass pilgrimage--is there a diagnostic role for pulse oximetry?

Every year over 2 million pilgrims (Hajjis) gather from different countries to perform the sacred ritual, the fifth pillar of Islam, Hajj. Several nationalities from different climates come to Saudi Arabia which is located in a subtropical area with a hot and humid climate during the long summer season. This undertaking is characterised by several days of continuous physical, spiritual, and emotional exertion following their homeland. Several factors predispose them to heat exhaustion, such as the hot climate, excessive physical exercise, lack of acclimatisation, overcrowding, illiteracy, old age, diseases, and over zealous performance of Hajj during the peak sunshine hours. Several thousands of pilgrims suffer from heat exhaustion which is a minor form of heat illness that can easily be detected and treated. Patients are usually discharged having fully recovered, but if heat exhaustion is not treated immediately, it may result in heat stroke with serious sequelae. Cases that need further observation and management are admitted to hospital, particularly those who have associated medical disorders. This study was designed to investigate the role of pulse oximetry in detecting hypoxaemia in patients suffering from heat exhaustion. One hundred fifty-five patients from 26 different countries were enrolled in this study. Their ages ranged from 18 to 83 years. There were 51 (33%), 48 (31%), and 56 (36%) from Asia, the Middle East and Africa, respectively. One hundred thirty-four patients (86.5%) showed a form of hypoxia which necessitated O2 administration. Mild hypoxia (91-94% O2 saturation) was detected in 81 patients (52.3%) and moderate to severe hypoxia (< 90% O2 saturation) was detected in 53 (34.2%) patients.

Prophylactic antiemetic therapy with ondansetron, tropisetron, granisetron and metoclopramide in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a randomized, double-blind comparison with placebo.

PURPOSE: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is a distressing adverse effect of general anaesthesia. The aim of the current study was to compare the antiemetic activity of different 5-hydroxytryptamine3 receptor antagonists with that of metoclopramide and placebo. METHODS: In a prospective, randomized, double-blind study we have compared the antiemetic activity of the prophylactic administration of ondansetron 4 mg, tropisetron 5 mg and granisetron 3 mg with that of metoclopramide 10 mg and placebo in 132 patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. All study drugs and placebo were given as a short iv infusion ten minutes before the induction of anaesthesia. Perioperative anaesthetic care was standardized in all patients. Nausea and vomiting were assessed by direct questioning of the patient at 1, 4, 9, 12, 18 and 24 hr after recovery from anaesthesia. If patients experienced nausea and/or vomiting, rescue antiemetic treatment (metoclopramide 10 mg iv) was administered. RESULTS: For the 24-hr recovery period after surgery, the percentages of emesis-free patients were 65.5%, 52%, 48%, 29.2% and 27.6% in the ondansetron, granisetron, tropisetron, metoclopramide and placebo groups, respectively. Prophylactic antiemetic treatment with ondansetron resulted in a lower incidence (P = 0.02) of PONV than with metoclopramide or placebo. The times at which rescue antiemetic was first received were longer (P < 0.01) in ondansetron group than in the placebo and metoclopramide groups. There were no statistical differences between ondansetron, tropisetron and granisetron groups. CONCLUSIONS: Ondansetron, when given prophylactically resulted in a significantly lower incidence of PONV than metoclopramide and placebo. Metoclopramide was ineffective.

Are heat stroke patients fluid depleted? Importance of monitoring central venous pressure as a simple guideline for fluid therapy.

During pilgrimage season (Hajj) in Saudi Arabia 34 patients with heat stroke (HS) were centrally cannulated to assess their state of hydration and fluid requirement during cooling period. Central venous pressure (C.V.P.) measurements indicated that most victims of heat stroke had normal C.V.P. on arrival at heat stroke centres and may not be fluid depleted. Twenty-two patients (64.7%) had normal or above normal C.V.P. Twelve patients (35.3%) had zero or below zero C.V.P. Six patients (17.6%) had above 10 cmH2O (range 10-26 cmH2O) and could have developed acute congestive heat failure and pulmonary edema if they had been transfused at the standard recommended rate of 3-4 litres of fluid during an average cooling time of 1 h as has been practiced in the heat stroke centres to date. This study also showed that heat stroke patients should not be briskly transfused because the heart may be affected by heat stroke per se and an unmonitored challenge by brisk i.v. therapy during cooling (which on its own increases preload on the heart due to peripheral vasoconstriction) can lead to acute overload problems. An average of 1 litre of normal saline or Ringer's lactate (crystalloids) was sufficient to normalize C.V.P. during the cooling period and to restore an optimal state of hydration without predisposing to congestive cardiac failure and pulmonary edema--the potential to develop disastrous adult respiratory distress syndrome and disseminated intravascular coagulopathy.

Is dantrolene effective in heat stroke patients?

Dantrolene (2.45 mg/kg body weight, range 2 to 4) was administered iv in eight heat stroke (HS) patients and compared with a control group of 12 patients of similar age, weight, and temperature range (41.9 degrees to 44 degrees C). Body surface cooling was conducted in air conditioned rooms at temperatures of 18 degrees to 23 degrees C. Mean cooling time in the dantrolene group was 49.7 +/- 4.4 (SEM) min, whereas cooling time in the control group was 69.2 +/- 4.8 min. The decrease in temperature was significantly greater in the dantrolene group, for whom the cooling time was decreased by about 19.5 min (p less than .01). Although cooling time was significantly shorter in the dantrolene group, there was no difference in the recovery of both groups. Dantrolene is an expensive drug and justification for its routine use in HS remains to be evaluated.

Hypoglycaemic encephalopathy following surgery on phaeochromocytoma.

Severe hypoglycaemia as a complication of excision of a phaeochromocytoma has been reported seven times in the world literature. The eighth case, reported here, is unusual for the severity of the hypoglycaemic neurological damage which persisted for 10 weeks before ultimate recovery.

Antacid regimen in reducing gastric fluid acidity--comparison of conventional oral antacids with cimetidine.

281 patients, divided into two groups, were given single 30 ml dose of five different conventional oral antacids (sodium citrate, 0.3 M Maalox, Gelusil, Alludrox and Mucaine), separately and in combination with Cimetidine to study their effect on decreasing the acidity of stomach contents. In 181 patients receiving varying types of conventional oral antacids, 2-10 percent of the patients had pH less than 3, regardless of the antacid received. In 100 patients of Cimetidine plus antacid group, none of the patients had pH less than 4.83, maximum being 8.2. With thick particulate oral antacids, no-mix between gastric juice and antacid was noticed in approximately 5-10 percent of cases. Cimetidine combined with oral antacid was the safest regimen to reduce the gastric fluid acidity.

Anaesthetic management of congenital fusion of the jaws in a neonate.

Fusion of the jaws in the neonate is a very rare congenital anomaly which may be associated with other congenital defects such as aglossia, facial hemiatrophy or retrognathia. Ventilatory management for surgical separation of the fused jaws presents severe problems. In a recent case of a neonate with almost completely fused jaws requiring general anaesthesia, we used subanaesthetic doses of ketamine in combination with an insufflation technique. It took 45 minutes to reach the surgical stage of anaesthesia due to misplacement of the nasotracheal tube through an unsuspected cleft palate towards a gap between the jaws, a previously unreported combination of complications.

The preoperative use of cimetidine in reducing acidity of gastric secretion.

Cimetidine, SKF 92334, 1-Cyano 2-methyl -3-2 (Methylimidazole -4- ylmethylthio) ethyl guanidine, C10 H16 N6 S, a competitive antagonist of H2 histamine receptors was given as a single dose orally before induction of anaesthesia in elective and emergency surgery. The volume and pH of the gastric juice were measured in 260 patients of either sex. Cimetidine was given at different times between 0 and 6 hours and was compared with control Group A who received I.M. injection of diazepam 10 mg. and atropine sulphate 0.6 mg, and control Group B who received oral diazepam 10 mg. 1-11/2 hours preoperatively. Cimetidine had maximum effect in reducing the acidity of the gastric secretion when given 2-4 hours preoperatively. Atropine had no substantial effect in reducing the pH and volume of gastric juice when administered with cimetidine.