ABSTRACT
Airway obstruction requires urgent intervention. When dealing with the right brachiocephalic artery mycotic pseudoaneurysms, the risk of rupture and massive hemorrhage adds greater urgency to the management. Furthermore, tracheal compression presents difficulties during airway management. This report highlights the airway and anesthetic challenges encountered during the procedure and emphasizes the importance of tailored intervention for optimal patient care. We describe the clinical case of a 38-year-old male patient who presented with a large recurrent right brachiocephalic artery pseudoaneurysm associated with tracheal compression. The patient required urgent surgical intervention due to the pseudoaneurysm's enlargement and progressive respiratory distress. Awake fiber-optic intubation was not feasible. A cardiopulmonary bypass was kept on standby in the event of failed intubation and ventilation, or circulatory collapse. Endotracheal intubation was performed successfully using a video-laryngoscopy. After successful surgical repair of the pseudoaneurysm, the patient was transferred to ICU where he was extubated 48 hours post-surgery, following treatment with methylprednisolone for edematous aryepiglottic folds identified during video-laryngoscopy. Overall, this case emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis, prompt surgical intervention, and effective teamwork in managing rare and potentially life-threatening conditions like mycotic pseudoaneurysms. It also highlights the critical role of anesthesiologists in providing optimal perioperative care, ensuring hemodynamic stability, managing airway challenges, and facilitating successful surgical outcomes. In our work, we also provide a summary of the reported similar cases.
ABSTRACT
Clinical judgement and suspicion of influenza based on signs and symptoms of influenza-like illness and severe acute respiratory illness are critical for better patient outcome. Whether clinical characteristics of patients are associated with the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome and PCR positivity of samples was the aim of this study. We included all patients (n=37) presenting with influenza like illness (ILI) or severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) to a tertiary care hospital in northwest Pakistan during December 2015 until the end of January 2016. Each patient was assessed for signs and symptoms, clinical features, treatment, complications and outcome of ILI and SARI. Throat or nasopharyngeal swabs were obtained from 36 patient and analyzed for the presence of Influenza virus by quantitative PCR. Patients presenting with ILI or SARI were febrile (p<0.001, one sample t-test), significantly tachypneic (p<0.001) and had critically lower oxygen saturation (p<0.001). Nasal congestion at presentation (p=0.006, chi-square test for association) and infiltrates on chest radiographs (p=0.025) were significantly associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Likelihood of the occurrence of ARDS was significantly increased with decrease in oxygen saturation (Odds ratio; 0.75, 95% CI; 0.46, 1.21, p=0.048) and marginally significantly increased in lower age (Odds ratio; 0.82, 95% CI; 0.58, 1.15, p=0.055) and higher white cell count (Odds ratio; 1.001, 95% CI; 0.99, 1.002, p=0.054). The presence of Influenza type A/H1N1pdm09 strains was confirmed in 7/11 patients. However no significant difference was observed in the clinical features and complications of PCR positive and negative patients. Clinical signs and symptoms of influenza-like illness or severe acute respiratory illness significantly predict the development of complications irrespective of the positivity or negativity of laboratory qPCR reports.
