Anesthesia Experience for Tonsillectomy in a Patient With Hypofibrinogenemia: A Case Report.

A 26-year-old male patient with hypofibrinogenemia was scheduled to undergo tonsillectomy. Hypofibrinogenemia, defined as low plasma fibrinogen (Fbg) concentration, is a type of congenital Fbg deficiency and is a rare coagulopathy. Perioperative replenishment of Fbg is performed during minor surgeries, aimed at maintaining plasma Fbg concentrations of 50 mg/dL. In this case, failure to replenish Fbg during the postoperative period may have caused the postoperative hemorrhage. Considering the half-life of Fbg (3-4 days), the plasma Fbg concentration should be monitored for ≥6 postoperative days, aiming at a target level of 50 mg/dL during the postoperative period.

Continuous paravertebral block using a thoracoscopic catheter-insertion technique for postoperative pain after thoracotomy: a retrospective case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Thoracic epidural analgesia (EDA) is the gold standard for pain control after thoracotomy. However, because of its severe side effects, it is contraindicated in patients taking anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs. In addition, some patients' anatomy can make epidural catheter insertion challenging. We therefore investigated the safety and efficacy of paravertebral block (PVB) using a thoracoscopic insertion technique, which avoids damage to the parietal pleura, for postoperative pain after thoracotomy. METHODS: Patients who underwent thoracotomy with thoracic PVB in our hospital between March 2013 and March 2014 were examined retrospectively. Prior to creating the thoracotomy incision, a catheter for PVB was inserted percutaneously into the paravertebral space under thoracoscopic guidance. A matched-pair control group was selected at a 1:2 ratio from patients who underwent thoracotomy with thoracic EDA in our hospital from April 2011 to February 2013. Pain control and side effects were compared between groups and the results statistically analyzed. RESULTS: Thoracic PVB was performed in 56 patients during this period, and 112 patients were selected as matched controls. Numeric Rating Scale scores on postoperative day 2 did not differ significantly between the PVB group (3.25 ± 1.80) and the EDA group (3.56 ± 2.05) (p = 0.334). In terms of side effects, urinary retention occurred less frequently in thoracic PVB patients (p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Under the conditions of the present study, continuous thoracic PVB was at least as effective as epidural analgesia for postoperative pain control after thoracotomy with lung resection.

[Excessive shivering after remifentanil infusion in a muscular karate player for tracheal resection and construction surgery].

A 22-year-old muscular karate player was diagnosed to have a tracheal tumor with a diameter of 2.8 cm that existed 2 cm under the glottis and occupied 60% of his trachea. He was scheduled for trachea resection and construction surgery. After awake-fiber intubation, anesthesia was maintained by continuous infusion of propofol and remifentanil, together with thoracic epidural anesthesia (T4-5). After 431 minutes of surgery, 50 mm of trachea was rejected. To prevent him from extending his neck, the surgeon placed stay-sutures between the patient's chin and chest wall. Twenty minutes after the termination of propofol and remifentanil infusion, the patient became awake and was extubated. Subsequently, although the body temperature was 37.6 degrees C, excessive shivering occurred and his neck was nearly extended. We immediately injected 0.8 mEq of magnesium sulfate and 70 mg of pethidine. It took almost 10 minutes to stop shivering completely, and the patient became too sedated and required noninvasive positive pressure ventilation overnight. We speculate that intraoperative remifentanil infusion induced severe shivering in this case. Shivering after remifentanil infusion can be a fatal complication in tracheal resection and construction surgery, especially in muscular patients.