Ultrasound-guided Lateral Femoral Cutaneous Nerve Block in Meralgia Paresthetica

Meralgia paresthetica is a rarely encountered sensory mononeuropathy characterized by paresthesia, pain or sensory impairment along the distribution of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN) caused by entrapment or compression of the nerve as it crossed the anterior superior iliac spine and runs beneath the inguinal ligament. There is great variability regarding the area where the nerve pierces the inguinal ligament, which makes it difficult to perform blind anesthetic blocks. Ultrasound has developed into a powerful tool for the visualization of peripheral nerves including very small nerves such as accessory and sural nerves. The LFCN can be located successfully, and local anesthetic solution distribution around the nerve can be observed with ultrasound guidance. Our successfully performed ultrasound-guided blockade of the LFCN in meralgia paresthetica suggests that this technique is a safe way to increase the success rate.

Anesthetic experience of a patient with tracheomegaly: A case report / 대한마취과학회지

Tracheomegaly or tracheobronchomegaly is a rare syndrome that consists of marked dilatation of the trachea and the major bronchi, and this is usually due to a congenital defect of the elastic and muscle fibers of the tracheobroncheal tree. Physicians have had only limited experience with performing anesthesia in patients with this type of syndrome. This syndorme is diagnosed by roentenological investigation and this condition is frequently associated with chronic respiratory infection and partial airway obstruction. In this report, we present a case of performing tracheostomy for a patient with tracheomegaly, and this was probably secondary to mechanical ventilator therapy. The regular tracheostomy tube did not provided sufficient length to allow the cuff to lie properly in the trachea in this patient. Because of the peri-cuff air leakgae and hypercapnea after tracheostomy, we needed a longer tracheostomy tube. But we didn't have such a tube and we didn't know any other method, so we couldn't perform tracheostomy. Therefore, we introduced a method of reducing the length of the endotracheal tube to a suitable size until a longer tracheostomy tube can be obtained for those patients having tracheomegaly.

Anesthetic experience of a patient with tracheomegaly: A case report / 대한마취과학회지

Tracheomegaly or tracheobronchomegaly is a rare syndrome that consists of marked dilatation of the trachea and the major bronchi, and this is usually due to a congenital defect of the elastic and muscle fibers of the tracheobroncheal tree. Physicians have had only limited experience with performing anesthesia in patients with this type of syndrome. This syndorme is diagnosed by roentenological investigation and this condition is frequently associated with chronic respiratory infection and partial airway obstruction. In this report, we present a case of performing tracheostomy for a patient with tracheomegaly, and this was probably secondary to mechanical ventilator therapy. The regular tracheostomy tube did not provided sufficient length to allow the cuff to lie properly in the trachea in this patient. Because of the peri-cuff air leakgae and hypercapnea after tracheostomy, we needed a longer tracheostomy tube. But we didn't have such a tube and we didn't know any other method, so we couldn't perform tracheostomy. Therefore, we introduced a method of reducing the length of the endotracheal tube to a suitable size until a longer tracheostomy tube can be obtained for those patients having tracheomegaly.

Clinical experience of the percutaneous release for trigger fingers / 대한마취과학회지

BACKGROUND: Conservative management for the trigger fingers includes splinting, steroid injection and other adjuvant methods. If conservative treatment fails, a surgical release of the A1 pulley is offered. Although the success rate of the surgical intervention is high, the complications, for example, a digital nerve injury, bowstringing, infection and continued triggering, have been reported. Percutaneous release with an 18 guage needle has been reported as a safe and effective procedure for the trigger fingers. This study evaluates the safety and efficacy of the percutaneous release. METHODS: 33 patients received the percutaneous release of the A1 pulley with an 18 guage needle and steroid injection (Group A) and 36 patients did the only administration of steroid as a control group (Group B). Patients were examined with a clinical staging for the Watanabe stage (W stage) and 0-10 points verbal numerical rating scale (VNRS) score at 1 week, 3 months, 1 year after the initial treatment. RESULTS: After 1 year of the follow-up, 93.5% in the group A and 57.6% in the group B had complete release of the trigger fingers in the W stage. VNRS after the initial treatment demonstrated that the decrement of the pain score was more significant in the group A. CONCLUSIONS: We need to consider the percutaneous release with steroid injection at an early stage of the trigger fingers because of the more effective resolution of the symptoms and the better long-term prognosis than a steroid injection alone.

Occluded Espocan(R) needle and accidental dural puncture during combined spinal-epidural anesthesia: A case report / 대한마취과학회지

Here, we report a case of an occluded modified Tuohy needle (Espocan(R), B. Brown, Germany) due to the patient's own tissue. A 70-year-old female with left knee osteoarthritis was admitted for a total knee replacement arthroplasty under combined spinal-epidural anesthesia. Insertion of the Tuohy needle proceeded from the skin to 6 cm and then 6.5 cm, but there was no loss of resistance. We removed the needle from the patient and discovered a fibrous, white tissue inside the needle. We tried again and did the spinal-epidural anesthesia in another interspinous space. This time, we could feel the loss of resistance at 4 cm, but permanent leakage of clear fluid was seen in the epidural catheter so we removed the catheter. We observed the patient closely in the recovery room and ward, and no further complications were found. We present this case to remind the operator the importance of checking the epidural needle that possible may be occluded by a foreign body.

Anesthetic management in a pediatric patient with infantile phase Prader-Willi Syndrome: A case report / 대한마취과학회지

Prader-Willi syndrome is a genetic disorder characterized by infantile hypotonia, childhood obesity, characteristic facial appearance, mental retardation, hypogonadism and short stature. It is described as a 2-stage disorder with an infantile hypotonic phase, followed by a childhood obese phase. The first phase, during the newborn and infancy period, is characterized by marked hypotonia, poor sucking, swallowing, coughing, crying, and episodes of asphyxia. Since these signs of poor strength cause poor reversal in the postoperative period, muscle relaxants should be used cautiously, especially in patients in the first phase of the syndrome. We experienced the anesthetic management of a 5-month-old female patient with Prader-Willi syndrome under general anesthesia, without muscle relaxant for excision of BCG lymphadenitis and a preauricular mass.

Cardiac arrest after position change in a morbidly obese patient: A case report / 대한마취과학회지

Morbid obesity presents many clinical problems. Especially, morbid obesity has a significant effect on airway management and pulmonary function. We experienced a cardiac arrest of a morbidly obese (Body Mass Index of about 62 kg/m2). 21-year-old male patient that necessitated cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The patient was scheduled for an emergency cystoscopy under local anesthesia. After change to supine position in the operation room, dyspnea, tachypnea, agitation, and, subsequently, cardiac arrest developed.

Cardiac arrest in the prone position with the Andrews frame during lumbar spine surgery: A case report / 대한마취과학회지

The prone position during anesthesia sometimes causes hemodynamic changes such as a decrease in blood pressure. These changes are caused by a decrease in venous return from venous pooling in the legs, and decreased left ventricular compliance secondary to increased intrathoracic pressure, when patients are placed prone with an Andrews frame. We report on a patient who experienced cardiac arrest in the prone position with the Andrews frame during lumbar laminectomy and posterior lumbar interbody fusion. After 1.25 h in the prone position, bradycardia and hypotension occurred. Ephedrine, atropine and epinephrine were infused intravenously, but bradycardia and hypotension progressed to asystole. Cardioinhibitory reflex was likely triggered by decreased venous return and increased intrathoracic pressure, and the patient developed cardiac arrest as a result.

Broken inspiratory valve detected by capnographic waveforms during general anesthesia: A case report / 대한마취과학회지

Unidirectional valve malfunction causes re-breathing of expired gas during anesthesia. Capnography is a useful method for monitoring the integrity of anesthetic equipment such as the unidirectional valves in a circular system. We report, here a case in which the capnography did not sound any rebreathing alarm, but the capnogram showed a prolonged plateau, an apparently short inspiratory period and a gradually sloping descending limb that stopped just short of baseline. As a result, capnography helped to identify an inspiratory unidirectional valve malfunction during the course of anesthesia. This study emphasizes the need to analyze the capnogram during every procedure involving anesthesia, in addition to preoperative checking of the Unidirectional valve.

Anesthesiologic considerations in a pediatric patient with cornelia de lange syndrome: A case report / 대한마취과학회지

Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS) is a relatively uncommon, multiple malformation syndrome involving neurodevelopmental, craniofacial, cardiac, musculoskeletal and gastrointestinal systems. Anesthetic management of a patient with CdLS may pose a serious problem mainly from difficult tracheal intubation, aspiration complications and cardiac malformation. We report our successful experience in anesthetic management of a 15-month-old male patient with CdLS who underwent orchiopexy for bilateral cryptochidism.