Pulsatile flow in descending aorta: Can coarctation of aorta be ruled out by transesophageal echocardiography?

A 5-year-old child with L posed great arteries, large subpulmonic ventricular septal defect (VSD), atrial septal defect (ASD), and a large patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) with mild isthmic narrowing was scheduled for surgical correction. Intraoperatively, it was a case of anatomically corrected malposition of great arteries. Due to abnormal positioning of great vessels, the isthmus was ligated instead of the large PDA. The postoperative transesophageal echocardiography showed pulsatile flow in descending aorta as it was being filled by large PDA, and thus iatrogenic coarctation (CoA) was missed. It was detected in the intensive care unit due to the onset of acidosis on blood gas analysis and the presence of gradient between radial and femoral arterial line pressures. The patient was taken for redo surgery, the PDA was then ligated, resection of the isthmic narrowing and repair by end-to-end anastomosis was done.

Airway anomalies in cases of anomalous pulmonary venous connection - A single-center experience.

Background: Patients with congenital heart defects may present with concomitant defects involving other organ systems. Roughly 4 percent of this nature are airway anomalies. Presence of anomalous airways summon major challenge before the anesthesiologist, surgeon, and intensivist in the perioperative management of such patients. There is paucity of literature in the study of airway anomalies in the subset of congenital anomalous pulmonary venous connections. We present the analysis of three cases of airway anomalies in patients operated for anomalous venous drainage at our center. We hope to explicate the clinical implications and management of such rare presentations. Methods: The records of all patients who underwent surgical correction for anomalous venous return between January 2016 and January 2018 were reviewed retrospectively. The records were examined for presence of any airway issues, abnormal radiological findings, perioperative intubation or extubation issues and perioperative surgical findings. Results: Amidst the 410 cases operated for congenital heart defects in this period, 92 were operated cases for anomalous pulmonary venous return, of which 3 patients presented with airway issues. One patient had an aberrant right tracheal bronchus with normal carina and bilateral main bronchial stenosis, the second patient had a hypoplastic left lung and the third patient had congenital lobar emphysema of the left lung. Conclusion: Prudent perioperative management necessitates prior evaluation and preemptive planning for airway anomalies in patients with anomalous venous return, since they can belong to the "Malinosculation Syndrome" group, which involves anomalous communication by means of small openings between the different components of lung tissue, namely, the lung parenchyma, tracheobronchial tree, arteries, and veins.

Aorto-left ventricular tunnel - A case report.

Aorto-left ventricular tunnel (ALVT) is a rare congenital anomaly with extracardiac channel connecting ascending aorta to the ventricle. It presents early in life due to congestive cardiac failure. We present a case of ALVT with unusual morphology in an 11-year-old male child with palpitations and dyspnea. We also describe the transesophageal echocardiography evaluation of ALVT.

Rupture of sinus of valsalva - A 15 years single institutional retrospective review: Preoperative heart failure has an impact on post operative outcome?

Background: We reviewed our experience with ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysms (RSOV) to determine a correlation with preexisting heart failure (HF) and coexisting cardiac lesions (aortic regurgitation [AR] and ventricular septal defect [VSD]) to postoperative left ventricular (LV) dysfunction and postoperative outcomes. Materials and Methods: Retrospective review of RSOV cases over 15 years showed that RSOV repair was done in 87 patients. We looked for patients who presented with HF and patients having AR and/or VSDs. Statistical analysis was done to see if the coexisting lesions and preoperative HF were associated with postoperative LV dysfunction. Chi-square test was used on contingency table for statistical analysis. Complications in the postoperative period and prolonged Intensive Care Unit stay were noted. Results: 17% (15/87) presented with HF. Fifty-two patients had moderate to severe AR and 50 patients had VSD. Seventeen patients had postoperative LV dysfunction. The correlation of preoperative HF and coexisting lesions with postoperative LV dysfunction was not statistically significant. Two patients underwent redo surgery for residual RSOV and AR. Two patients had arrhythmias. One patient had cerebrovascular accident. No mortality was seen in the study. Conclusion: Preoperative HF and the presence of VSD and/or AR have no statistical significant correlation with postoperative LV dysfunction. As the outcome of RSOV repair is good, all patients need to undergo early repair to avoid complications.

Ultrasonography - A viable tool for airway assessment.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Accurate prediction of the Cormack-Lehane (CL) grade preoperatively can help in better airway management of the patient during induction of anaesthesia. Our aim was to determine the utility of ultrasonography in predicting CL grade. METHODS: We studied 100 patients undergoing general endotracheal anaesthesia. Mallampati (MP) class, thyromental distance (TMD) and sternomental distance (SMD) were noted. Ultrasound measurements of the anterior neck soft tissue thickness at the level of the hyoid (ANS-Hyoid), anterior neck soft tissue thickness at the level of the vocal cords (ANS-VC) and ratio of the depth of the pre-epiglottic space (Pre-E) to the distance from the epiglottis to the mid-point of the distance between the vocal cords (E-VC) were obtained. CL grade was noted during intubation. Chi-square test was employed to determine if there was any statistical difference in the measurements of patients with different CL grades. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and accuracy were calculated for the various parameters. RESULTS: The incidence of difficult intubation was 14%. An ANS-VC >0.23 cm had a sensitivity of 85.7% in predicting a CL Grade of 3 or 4, which was higher than that of MP class, TMD and SMD. However, the specificity, PPV and accuracy were lower than the physical parameters. The NPV was comparable. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound is a useful tool in airway assessment. ANS-VC >0.23 cm is a potential predictor of difficult intubation. ANS-Hyoid is not indicative of difficult intubation. The ratio Pre-E/E-VC has a low to moderate predictive value.

Comparison of intubating laryngeal mask airway and fiberoptic bronchoscopy for endotracheal intubation in patients undergoing cervical discectomy.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Direct laryngoscopy is hazardous in patients with cervical posterior intervertebral disc prolapse (PIVD) as it may worsen the existing cord compression. To achieve smooth intubation, many adjuncts such as fiberoptic bronchoscope (FOB), video laryngoscopes, lighted stylets, and intubating laryngeal mask airways (ILMAs) are available. However, there is a paucity of literature comparing ILMA with fiberoptic intubation in patients with PIVD. Hence, this study was designed to compare the effectiveness of ILMA technique with FOB to accomplish endotracheal intubation in patients undergoing cervical discectomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty patients of age group 20-60 years, of American Society of Anesthesiologists status I or II, were enrolled in this prospective and randomized study. They were allocated to one of the two groups, ILMA group and FOB group. The patients were intubated orally using either equipment, after dexmedetomidine premedication and induction of general anesthesia. Chi-square and Fisher exact tests were used to find the significance of study parameters on a categorical scale. Paired samples t-test and Student's t-test were used to find the significance of study parameters on a continuous scale. Significance was assessed at 5% level of significance. RESULTS: Bronchoscopy was a faster method of securing airway as compared with ILMA (38.13 ± 11.52 vs. 29.83 ± 13.75 s). Tracheal intubation was successful in all 60 patients (100%), belonging to both groups. CONCLUSION: ILMA and FOB were comparable with regards to ease of intubation in terms of time, the number of attempts and hemodynamic stability.

Comparative study of ultrasound-guided paravertebral block with ropivacaine versus bupivacaine for post-operative pain relief in children undergoing thoracotomy for patent ductus arteriosus ligation surgery.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Thoracotomy incision following patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) ligation surgery is often associated with severe post-operative pain that has deleterious effects on respiratory function. We aimed to assess pain relief with thoracic paravertebral block using either bupivacaine or ropivacaine in these surgeries. METHODS: One hundred paediatric patients of age group between 2 and 10 years undergoing PDA ligation surgery were randomised either to bupivacaine or ropivacaine group in this prospective double-blinded study. After induction of general anaesthesia, the ultrasound-guided paravertebral block was carried out using 0.25% bupivacaine 0.4 ml/kg in Group B patients and 0.2% ropivacaine 0.4 ml/kg in Group R patients. Monitoring included minimum mandatory monitoring with pulse rate, pulseoximetry (SpO2), electrocardiogram, blood pressure, temperature during surgery and also in Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Additionally, modified objective pain score (MOPS) was used in ICU for assessment of pain for 12 h after surgery. Incidence of complications was noted. RESULTS: Mean values of MOPSs were comparable in both the groups. The time to rescue analgesic was 8 to 10 h in over 80% of patients in both the groups. More patients had hypotension and bradycardia in bupivacaine group compared to ropivacaine group. CONCLUSION: Paravertebral injection of 0.4 ml/kg of either 0.2% ropivacaine or 0.25% bupivacaine provided equipotent analgesia, but ropivacaine had a better side effect profile. Ultrasound-guided paravertebral block is a safe and effective mode of analgesia in paediatric patients undergoing thoracotomy.

Anaesthetic management of conjoined twins' separation surgery.

SUMMARY: Anaesthesia for conjoined twins, either for separation surgery, or for MRI or other evaluation procedures is an enormous challenge to the paediatric anaesthesiologist. This is an extra challenging surgery because we the anaesthesiologists need to care for two patients at the same time instead of just one. Anaesthesia for conjoined twins 'separation surgery mainly centered on the following concerns: 1.Conjoined Twins' physiology like crossed circulation, distribution of blood volume and organ sharing with their anaesthetic implications. 2.Long marathon surgery with massive fluid shifts and loss of blood & blood components and their rapid replenishment. 3.Meticulous planning for organized management of long hours of anaesthetic administration in two paediatric subjects simultaneously with multi surgical specialties' involvement and their unique requirements. We report the anaesthetic and intensive care management of one pair of Pygopagus separation surgery and also the review of literature and world statistics.