Careful medical interview and ultrasonography enabled detection of acute kidney injury and hematoma after lumbar trigger point injection-a case report.

BACKGROUND: Trigger point blocks are now widely practiced, especially in pain treatment. Among the complications of lumbar trigger point injection, reports of medically induced kidney injury are very rare, and diagnosis during emergency treatment is rare. CASE PRESENTATION: A 78-year-old woman on antiplatelet medication following a stroke was diagnosed with treatable type A aortic dissection at another hospital after undergoing lumbar trigger point injection. On arrival at our hospital, there were no signs of hemodynamic deterioration. Additional careful medical re-interview and ultrasonography by anesthesiologists enabled a definitive diagnosis of acute kidney damage and hematoma caused by lumbar trigger point injection, and aortic dissection surgery was abandoned. CONCLUSION: This clinical case demonstrates the importance of awareness of potential kidney injury and hematoma during lumbar trigger point injection.

Continuous rectus sheath block in a patient with a postoperative rectus sheath hematoma: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Severe abdominal pain caused by a rectus sheath hematoma (RSH) can decrease a patient's activities of daily living. A case of postoperative RSH for which a continuous rectus sheath block (RSB) was effective is reported. CASE PRESENTATION: A 62-year-old woman who had no previous medical history underwent hysterectomy, total cystectomy, and ileal conduit surgery for bladder cancer under epidural and general anesthesia. She complained of severe abdominal pain 40 min after removal of the epidural catheter on postoperative day (POD) 4. Computed tomography showed an RSH on POD 12. For pain relief, an ultrasound-guided continuous RSB was performed on POD 17. After the block, the numerical rating scale (NRS) score during movement decreased immediately (from 10 to 2 or 3), and she had no further need for oral or intravenous analgesics. She was discharged from the hospital without any complications on POD 28. CONCLUSIONS: Continuous RSB can be an effective technique for pain relief of postoperative RSH.

[Usefulness of a noncontact continuous tympanic thermometer in patients undergoing cardiac surgery using an artificial heart-lung machine].

BACKGROUND: Most of the thermometers used during operations are invasive and non-hygienic. The usefulness of a noncontact continuous tympanic thermometer under general anesthesia has been reported. We evaluated the usefulness of a noncontact continuous tympanic thermometer in patients undergoing cardiac surgery using an artificial heart-lung machine. METHODS: Twenty patients scheduled to undergo cardiac surgery using an artificial heart-lung machine were selected for this study. After induction of general anesthesia, thermistor probes were inserted into the rectum and esophagus for measurements of rectal and esophageal temperatures, respectively. A noncontact continuous tympanic thermometer was inserted into the ear canal on the right side. These temperatures were monitored and recorded at one-minute intervals. Regression analysis and Bland-Altman analysis were used to compare the data (tympanic/rectal temperatures) with esophageal temperature as a core temperature. RESULTS: Tympanic temperature showed a good correlation with esophageal temperature (r=0.983, P<0.05). Rectal temperature also showed a good correlation with esophageal temperature (r=0.923, P<0.05), but the coefficient of correlation was low compared to that of tympanic temperature. The mean difference between tympanic temperature and esophageal temperature was -0.022 degrees C, and standard deviation (SD) was 0.395 degrees C. The mean difference between rectal temperature and esophageal temperature was -0.299 degrees C, and standard deviation (SD) was 0.838 degrees C. CONCLUSIONS: A noncontact continuous tympanic thermometer is useful for measurement of core temperature during cardiac surgery using an artificial heart-lung machine.

[A patient with a huge posterior mediastinal tumor and ST-segment depression in electrocardiogram].

A 68-year-old woman had felt a chest and back pain for 3 months. Gradually her symptom became aggravated, and she felt severe dyspnea in supine position and dysphagia combined with superior vena cava syndrome. A huge posterior mediastinal tumor was revealed and her esophagus was severely narrowed on the chest MRI. Therefore, emergency tumor resection was scheduled under general anesthesia. Anesthesia was induced by midazolam (2 mg) with the patient in the right lateral position. After gas exchange and oxygenation were comfirmed by pulse oximetry reading and clinical signs, she was slowly turned to supine position. But, suddenly, ST-segment depression and low amplitude developed in electrocardiogram and systolic blood pressure was depressed to below 60 mmHg. Therefore, she was rapidly retuned to right lateral position, and ST-segment and systolic blood pressure recoverd. On the next time, although she was slowly turned to the right semi-lateral position, there was almost no circulatory failure. A bronchial tube was intubated in her left bronchia under bronchoscope. We should remember that the preparation of percutaneous cardiopulmonary support (PCPS) should be considered as a means of protection against cardiovascular collapse or airway obstruction perioperatively.