Paravertebral Block for Multiple Rib Fractures in an Anticoagulated Trauma Patient.

This case report presents the complex analgesia management of a 52-year-old male with a significant medical history including atrial fibrillation treated with apixaban, essential trigeminal neuralgia, non-ischemic cardiomyopathy, and chronic systolic heart failure. The patient experienced a loss of control while riding a motorized bicycle, resulting in a fall and head injury with no loss of consciousness. Upon admission, he tested positive for ethanol, cannabinoids, and oxycodone. The physical exam was significant for right cephalohematoma and right elbow hematoma. Imaging revealed multiple injuries, including right rib fractures (T3-12) with hemothorax. Right paravertebral catheters were placed in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Ultrasound-Guided External Oblique Intercostal Block as Part of Multimodal Analgesia for Unplanned Open Cholecystectomy.

We present the case of a 56-year-old female with a significant medical history of cholelithiasis and recurrent choledocholithiasis. Following an elective cholecystectomy, an obstructing gallstone in the common bile duct led to a series of interventions, including endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and stent placement. The patient was scheduled for a robot-assisted laparoscopic common bile duct exploration. Due to severe adhesions, the procedure was converted to open with a large right upper quadrant incision. Intraoperative continuous external oblique block and catheter placement were performed at the end of surgery in the OR. Peripheral nerve blocks have become an integral part of multimodal pain management strategies. This case report describes the successful implementation of an ultrasound-guided right external oblique intercostal block and catheter placement for postoperative pain control and minimization of opioids. This case highlights the efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve blocks for postoperative pain management. Successful pain control contributed to the patient's overall postoperative recovery.

Acute Pain Management in a Multi-site Trauma Patient.

Pain management is often difficult in the setting of multi-site trauma such as that caused by motor vehicle accidents (MVA), which is especially compounded in the setting of polysubstance abuse. This often results in patients with poor pain tolerance requiring escalating doses of opioid therapy, which creates a vicious cycle. The use of peripheral nerve blocks (PNB) has been shown to decrease overall opioid consumption and can be used effectively to manage postoperative pain in this patient population. Our case report aims to highlight the importance of PNBs as part of a multimodal approach to pain management in patients with polytrauma in the setting of polysubstance abuse.

Intraoperative Catastrophic Acute Pulmonary Embolism: A Case Report.

This case report describes a 75-year-old female with a medical history including recurrent bowel obstruction due to sigmoid stricture, atrial fibrillation managed with rivaroxaban, a 50-year one pack-per-day smoking history, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, peripheral vascular disease with bilateral iliac stents (2015), stage III chronic kidney disease, and renal artery stenosis with bilateral stenting. She was transferred from outside hospital for an elective sigmoidectomy with ileorectal anastomosis following several recent admissions due to bowel obstruction that had been managed non-operatively. She was deemed optimized for surgery by the primary care team; however, during induction, she developed pulseless ventricular tachycardia requiring extensive resuscitative efforts. Intraoperative findings revealed biventricular failure and a clot in the right pulmonary artery. Despite aggressive treatment, including veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO), the patient's condition deteriorated, and life support was ultimately withdrawn. This case highlights the challenges of managing complex surgical patients and underscores the importance of multidisciplinary care in such cases.

Aortic Regurgitation After Right Coronary Cusp Injury During Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Injury of a coronary cusp of the aortic valve is a rare complication that can occur during coronary angiography. It usually occurs from multiple attempts with different catheters to access the ostia of the right coronary artery, but it has also occurred accessing the ostia of the left coronary artery. We present the case of a patient who underwent coronary angiography with suspected coronary cusp injury that remained asymptomatic but was found to have severe aortic regurgitation during coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) one week later, requiring an aortic valve replacement.