Biomedical subjects

Chung-Hang Wong

Publications and source records attributed to Chung-Hang Wong.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2003

Delayed hypoxemia after bone cement insertion during total hip replacement under spinal anesthesia--a case report.

We report a case of delayed hypoxemia in an aged healthy male patient, which developed 2 hours after cementation of the prosthesis in total hip replacement (THR) under spinal anesthesia. The patient was doing well throughout the operation but unfortunately, progressive tachypnea was noted 1 h after he was transferred to the recovery room (i.e. 2 h after the application of bone cement into the femur). An hour further, distinct wheeze was heard bilaterally on auscultation, which signified bronchospasm. Arterial blood gases analysis revealed a low PaO2 of 71 mmHg and a decrease of oxygen saturation to 91% with supplement of fractional oxygen of 35%. Aerosolization of bronchodilator with terbutaline was administered and supplemental fractional oxygen was increased to 50%. Although wheezing soon subsided, tachypnea and desaturation persisted. He was then transferred to the surgical intensive care unit for further management. Ventilation-perfusion lung scan was performed, which was suggestive of multiple pulmonary embolism.

Aged↗

PubMed2003

Reproducible hepatic dysfunction following separate anesthesia with sevoflurane and desflurane.

Both desflurane and sevoflurane have individually been reported to induce hepatic dysfunction; however hepatic dysfunction after administration of both of them separately in a single patient has not previously been reported. As their metabolites differ in nature, we considered that it would be unlikely that their combined use would cause sensitization and induce hepatic dysfunction. We report on the first patient with reproducible liver dysfunction after sevoflurane and desflurane. This 54-year-old man sequentially received 3 anesthetics over a 1-year period. The first anesthetic was isoflurane, and the course was uneventful. The second anesthetic was sevoflurane, and this resulted in fever with chills and elevated aspartate aminotransferase (543 U/l) 17 days later. The third anesthetic was desflurane which resulted in a similar clinical picture after 17 days. The symptoms improved, and the serum transaminase level returned to normal after conservative therapy. The similar time interval between the operation date and the onset of hepatic dysfunction, after excluding other possibilities, made us highly suspicious that the hepatic dysfunction was induced by sevoflurane on 1 occasion and desflurane on the other. We suggest that inhaled anesthetics should be totally replaced by intravenous anesthetics for future operations in patients with such a diagnosis.

Anesthetics, Inhalation↗

PubMed2003

Anesthesia for pediatric patients with Prader-Willi syndrome: report of two cases.

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a sporadic disorder of chromosome abnormalities with an estimated prevalence of 1 in 15,000. It mainly affects the central nervous system, and often involves the hypothalamus. Both general and regional anesthesia for these patients is difficult mainly due to morbid obesity. Other common problems include hypotonia, disturbance in thermoregulation, arrhythmia, cor pulmonale, diabetes mellitus, behavior problems, and convulsions. We report on 2 pediatric patients with PWS receiving general anesthesia. The first patient experienced life-threatening episodes of severe hypoxemia in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) as well as in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) was suggested by the pediatric pulmonary medicine specialist, and thereafter the patient's condition improved. The clinical course of the second patient was uneventful except for transient intermittent episodes of bronchospasms during emergence. In addition, we discuss differences between these 2 cases and our strategy for the prevention of perioperative complications for PWS patients in the future.

Anesthesia, General↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Dexamethasone effectively reduces postoperative nausea and vomiting in a general surgical adult patient population.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is still a common and major complication for surgical patients, which may delay post-anesthetic care unit discharge, prolong hospital stay and thus increase the cost of hospitalization. It is understood that PONV is a multi-factorial outcome and occurs more often with general anesthesia than with other anesthetic methods. Prophylactic administration of antihistamines, antidopaminergics, anticholinergics, phenothiazines, serotonin antagonist, steroids and even acupuncture has been shown to be effective. However, expenses and side effects of these agents have also been a concern for clinical doctors. The aim for this prospective study was to find an agent that is cost effective and side effect free (or at least with a low incidence of side effects) for the prevention of PONV. METHODS: A total of 700 adult surgical patients who planned to have surgery under general anesthesia were enrolled in this double-blinded, randomized and placebo-controlled study. Group P received the placebo (0.9% normal saline 2 ml) and Group D received 10 mg dexamethasone intravenously right before the induction of anesthesia. RESULTS: We found that during the postoperative period of 1-8 h, patients in Group D reported a lower incidence of PONV (24%) than those in Group P (39%, p < 0.001). Patients in Group D also requested less rescue anti-emetic (17%) than those in Group P (30%, p < 0.05). The same phenomenon was also noted in the 8-to-24-hour interval (PONV 4% vs. 12%, p < 0.05 and rescue anti-emetic 3% vs. 9%, p < 0.05 in Group D vs. Group P, respectively.) CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the prophylactic intravenous administration of 10 mg dexamethasone immediately before the induction of anesthesia is effective in preventing PONV in the general surgical adult patient population.

Adult↗