Tongue Tied after Shoulder Surgery: A Case Series and Literature Review.

This article presents three cases of cranial nerve palsy following shoulder surgery with general anesthesia in the beach chair position. All patients underwent preoperative ultrasound-guided interscalene nerve block. Two cases of postoperative hypoglossal and one case of combined hypoglossal and recurrent laryngeal nerve palsies (Tapia's syndrome) were identified. Through this case series, we provide a literature review identifying postoperative cranial nerve palsies in addition to the discussion of possible etiologies. We suggest that intraoperative patient positioning and/or airway instrumentation is most likely causative. We conclude that the beach chair position is a risk factor for postoperative hypoglossal nerve palsy and Tapia's syndrome.

Venous air embolism during transurethral resection of the prostate.

Venous air embolism during transurethral surgery is a rare event. There have been case reports in the anesthesia and urology literature of fatal air embolism during transurethral prostate resection and transurethral incision of the bladder neck. We present a case of nonfatal venous air embolism during transurethral prostate resection in which incorrect assembly of the bladder irrigation-resectoscope-drain system led to a rapid entrainment of air into the open venous channels of the prostate bed.