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Sudden complications in regional anesthesia.

In regional anesthesia sudden and severe complications occur from time to time and may rapidly turn into life threatening situations. Their rarity might well be their most vicious characteristic. Therefore, awareness of the possible complications, careful preparation to cope with them, vigilance enabling prompt recognition of their occurrence and quick administration of the appropriate treatment are all essential for a safe practice of regional anesthesia. The routine use of pulse oximetry is now strongly recommended.

Anesthesia, Conduction↗

The impact of intraoperative monitoring on patient safety.

There is much more to study and learn about prevention of anesthesia complications and how technology may improve the safety and outcome of anesthesia. Large trials have never shown that a specific hemodynamic monitoring technique improves outcome. In controlled situations, oximetry and capnography have demonstrated efficacy in early detection of events that could be harmful during anesthesia. The BIS monitor has been shown to affect early recovery outcomes and possibly be of value in decreasing long-term mortality. Through all the controversy one thing remains constant: the response to information coming from monitors depends solely on the person administering the anesthesia. Aids to practitioner vigilance probably can never be proved to possess independent benefit, but their role in improving practitioner performance cannot be argued.

Anesthesia↗

Major complications of regional anesthesia in France: The SOS Regional Anesthesia Hotline Service.

BACKGROUND: Several previous surveys have estimated the rate of major complications that occur after regional anesthesia. However, because of the increase in the use of regional anesthesia in recent years and because of the introduction of new techniques, reappraisal of the incidence and the characteristics of major complications is useful. METHODS: All French anesthesiologists were invited to participate in this 10-month prospective survey based on (1) voluntary reporting of major complications related to regional anesthesia occurring during the study period using a telephone hotline service available 24 h a day and managed by three experts, and (2) voluntary reporting of the number and type of regional anesthesia procedures performed using pocket booklets. The service was free of charge for participants. RESULTS: The participants (n = 487) reported 56 major complications in 158,083 regional anesthesia procedures performed (3.5/10,000). Four deaths were reported. Cardiac arrest occurred after spinal anesthesia (n = 10; 2.7/10,000) and posterior lumbar plexus block (n = 1; 80/10,000). Systemic local anesthetic toxicity consisted of seizures only, without cardiac toxicity. Lidocaine spinal anesthesia was associated with more neurologic complications than bupivacaine spinal anesthesia (14.4/10,000 vs. 2.2/10,000). Most neurologic complications were transient. Among 12 that occurred after peripheral nerve blocks, 9 occurred in patients in whom a nerve stimulator had been used. CONCLUSION: This prospective survey based on a free hotline permanent telephone service allowed us to estimate the incidence of major complications related to regional anesthesia and to provide a detailed analysis of these complications.

Acute Disease↗

Eye problem following foot surgery--abducens palsy as a complication of spinal anesthesia.

BACKGROUND: Paralysis of abducens nerve is a very rare complication of lumbar puncture, which is a common procedure most often used for diagnostic and anesthetic purposes. CASE REPORT: A 38-year-old man underwent surgery for a left hallux valgus while he was under spinal anesthesia. On the first postoperative day, the patient experienced a severe headache that did not respond to standard nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication and hydration. During the second postoperative day, nausea and vomiting occurred. On the fourth postoperative day, nausea ceased completely but the patient complained of diplopia. Examination revealed bilateral strabismus with bilateral abducens nerve palsy. His diplopia resolved completely after 9 weeks and strabismus after 6 months. CONCLUSION: Abducens palsy following spinal anesthesia is a rare and reversible complication. Spinal anesthesia is still a feasible procedure for both the orthopaedic surgeon and the patient. Other types of anesthesia or performing spinal anesthesia with smaller diameter or atraumatic spinal needles may help decrease the incidence of abducens palsy. Informing the patient about the reversibility of the complication is essential during the follow-up because the palsy may last for as long as 6 months. Special attention must be paid to patient positioning following the operation. Recumbency and lying flat should be accomplished as soon as possible to prevent cerebrospinal fluid leakage and resultant intracranial hypotension. This becomes much more important if the patient has postdural puncture headache.

Abducens Nerve Diseases↗

[Endoscopic treatment with laryngeal masks for the removal of tracheobronchial foreign bodies].

We studied the endoscopic removal of tracheobronchial foreign bodies from 13 patients. Eight patients were treated under local anesthesia and 5 under general anesthesia. Complications included mild bleeding during endoscopic treatment of 3 patients. One patient was placed under general anesthesia because the patient was irritable and because hemorrhage made observation difficult. Laryngeal masks were used in 4 cases, and resulted in no complications. The follow-up courses ranged from 4 months to 12 years and were uneventful for all patients. Use of a fiberoptic bronchoscope in combination with laryngeal masks facilitated the management and removal of tracheobronchial foreign bodies by providing a secure airway and by minimizing the effect on the cardiorespiratory system.

Adult↗

[Endoscopic biopsy of the small intestine in children].

As from 1983, endoscopy with biopsy in general anesthesia was used instead of the capsule suction method in children with suspected coeliac disease in a county hospital. A study was carried out to evaluate mean endoscopy time, duration of general anesthesia, complications and quality of biopsies. An ordinary Olympus GIF-Q endoscope (diameter 11 mm) was used in 17 patients, eight boys and nine girls. Mean age was 5.9 years (range 11 months-14 years). Mean endoscopy time was 5.3 min. and of duration of general anesthesia 13.6 min. No serious complications such as perforation or bleeding were recorded. All the biopsies that were taken were considered representative. In coeliac disease the method is time-sparing, less harmful to the children, provides representative biopsies and gives fewer complications.

Adolescent↗

[Complications of pediatric spinal anesthesia].

We evaluated retrospectively the complications of pediatric spinal anesthesia in our center based on the histories of 50 spinal anesthesia cases (5-15 years of age, 0.56%) over the last 15 years. Five cases (10%) showed transient hypotension. In the prospective study of those under 5 years of age (35 children), there were no hypotensive cases, and the only critical complication was high spinal anesthesia; this case was complicated by giant hepatoblastoma. There was no obvious neurological damage in any of the patients who underwent spinal anesthesia. Because of low incidence of complications, pediatric spinal anesthesia is a useful method especially for patients with respiratory insufficiency. It is advisable to watch carefully for changes in blood pressure in senior infants, and to avoid spinal anesthesia in patients with giant abdominal tumors.

Adolescent↗

A national survey of complications associated with suction lipectomy: a comparative study.

In March of 1988, a survey form was sent to all 2695 U.S. and Canadian members of the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. Nine-hundred and thirty-five members responded, for a response rate of 34.7 percent. The purpose of the survey was to ascertain the total number of major liposuction, dermatolipectomy, and abdominoplasty procedures performed from January of 1984 to January of 1988 and to compare nine specific complications that are associated with these three procedures. The 935 surgeons reported a total of 112,756 procedures performed: major liposuction (75,591), dermatolipectomy (10,603), and abdominoplasty (26,562). Nine major complications were surveyed: mortality, myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accident or transient ischemic attack, pulmonary thromboembolism, fat embolism, major skin loss, anesthesia complication, transfusion complications, and deep venous thrombosis. The findings in this survey showed, when comparing these three procedures and the nine types of complications, that the complication rate for major suction lipectomy was 0.1 percent, for dermatolipectomy 0.9 percent, and for abdominoplasty 2.0 percent. Fat emboli did not prove to be a significant factor associated with any of the three procedures. However, of the 15 reported deaths (major liposuction 2, dermatolipectomy 2, and abdominoplasty 11), pulmonary thromboembolism was the causative factor in 9 deaths (60 percent). Based on these analyzed data, we feel that major suction lipectomy has a low complication rate and is a reasonably safe procedure.

Abdominal Muscles↗

Postoperative sudden sensorineural hearing loss after posterior lumbar decompression: a case report.

PURPOSE: We report a case in which a patient sustained a dural tear during spinal surgery under general anesthesia complicated by a severe and persistent unilateral sensorineural hearing loss. CLINICAL FINDINGS: A 51-yr-old man with no previous otological history underwent a posterior lumbar decompression surgery in the prone position under general anesthesia. A small dural tear was discovered intra-operatively and was repaired by sutures. Surgery lasted for eight hours with over 3 L of blood loss. Recovery from anesthesia was otherwise uneventful. A unilateral right-sided sensorineural hearing loss was discovered shortly after completion of surgery. This was associated with mild tinnitus but no vertigo. There was no aural fullness, pain, headache or postural element to his symptoms. Despite extensive investigations, treatment and follow-up by an otorhinolaryngologist, his symptoms failed to improve 18 months following surgery. DISCUSSION: The possible etiologies, preventive strategies, prognosis and management plan of this rare complication are discussed.

Adult↗

Contralateral decreased visual acuity and extraocular muscle palsies following retrobulbar anesthesia.

Numerous complications resulting from retrobulbar injections in the injected eye and orbit have been reported. A rare complication of retrobulbar anesthesia is the occurrence of decreased visual acuity and extraocular muscle palsies in the contralateral eye. We report three cases of contralateral dysfunction of cranial nerves II and III, following retrobulbar anesthesia. None of the patients suffered permanent sequelae. Several methods of decreasing the probability of such an occurrence are discussed.

Aged↗

Femoral and genitofemoral nerve blocks versus spinal anesthesia for outpatients undergoing long saphenous vein stripping surgery.

Long saphenous vein stripping (LSVS) surgery is often used to treat varicose veins. We tested the hypothesis that femoral nerve block (FNB) with genitofemoral nerve infiltration provides sufficient analgesia and superior recovery characteristics to spinal anesthesia for LSVS procedures in the ambulatory setting. Thirty-six patients were randomized to receive FNB with 30 mL of 3% alkalinized chloroprocaine, and 32 patients received spinal anesthesia with 65 mg of 5% hyperbaric lidocaine. Data collected included patient demographics, time required for induction of and recovery from anesthesia, postoperative anesthesia complications, and patient report of pain severity after the operation. During a follow-up call, a blinded observer noted the onset of any complications, the requirement for analgesics, and the patients' satisfaction with the anesthetic technique. Patients in the FNB group had significantly faster recovery (P < 0.01) and lower incidences of pain (P < 0.05) and complications (P < 0.05) than the patients in the spinal group. All patients who received FNB indicated that they would choose this type of anesthesia in the future, whereas five (15%) patients in the spinal group would refuse spinal anesthesia in the future (P < 0.01). We conclude that FNB is an excellent anesthetic choice for LSVS.

Adult↗

The posterior superior alveolar injection technique: a report on technique variations and complications.

The posterior superior alveolar (PSA) injection technique has varied over time with respect to the depth and angle of penetration, the location for deposition of anesthetic agent, and the number of injections necessary to assure adequate anesthesia to the maxillary molars. Of the standard intraoral injections, the PSA carries with it the second highest risk for anesthesia complications. With changes in armamentarium and technique, the complication rates have declined and more often are associated with anatomical considerations with respect to neurovascular compromise and/or anesthetic solution. In this study, the PSA injection technique and complication histories were investigated. Seventeen variations to the technique are reported along with 12 injection complications. A historic injection complication classification system is presented along with a management strategy based upon a review of reported provider experiences and treatment suggestions.

Alveolar Process↗

[Day Surgery. An opportunity for postgraduate surgeons' training].

BACKGROUND: It is widely acknowledged that day surgical procedures must be performed by expert personnel or carried out under their supervision. Recent regulations introduced by Schools of Postgraduate Surgery oblige postgraduate surgeons to carry out a number of minor and medium-sized operations. The characteristics of day surgery make it an appropriate organisational model for complying with the requirements of these directives. Interventional research has shown that adequate training permits education to be coupled with good results. METHODS: The postgraduate surgeons are trained to perform hernioplasty using Trabucco's method through surgical training based on an initial phase of at least 20 operated patients during which they act as the second surgeon, and a phase of 10 patients during which they are the first surgeon working alongside a tutor with proven experience. Five doctors are completing their training, having acted as first surgeon assisted by a tutor during the period 01/11/1999 - 31/10/00 in 60 hernioplasty operations using Trabucco's method out of a total of 143 carried out in the same period, with an average of 12 operations each. Specific informed consent was obtained from all patients. All operations were performed under local anesthesia. RESULTS: There was no need to convert to general anesthesia. Complications were comparable to those occurring during surgery performed by experienced colleagues. No recurrences were reported. The mean follow-up was 10 months. CONCLUSIONS: An evaluation of these data confirms the real possibility of dedicating a number of ambulatory surgical procedures to training postgraduate surgeons. This would not lead to a reduced efficacy of treatment and does not increase the percentage of complications.

Aged↗