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[Practice and complications of spinal anesthesia in African tropical countries].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the risk of the practice of spinal anaesthesia (SA) in African tropics. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective study in multiple centres over a two years period. PERSONS: Twenty-one anaesthesiologists and anaesthetist nurses covering ten African countries. METHODS: Two anonymous questionnaires; the first, filled in each anaesthetic problem occurred, to define the type of incident or accident, and its circumstances; the second was designed to define the position occupied, to quantify the global anaesthetic activity, the number of SA, and to value the number of complications or deaths linked to SA. RESULTS: Six anaesthesiologists and one anaesthetist nurse replied to the study, covering six sites in five different countries (Senegal, Chad, Central African Republic, Niger and Madagascar). On the 18,432 anaesthetic acts collected, 2,703 (14.7%) were SA. In the well-equipped centres, general anaesthesia was predominant with a frequency of over 75%. However in the not so well equipped centres or those which supplies were more problematical, SA technique was used with a frequency varying from 48.9 to 68.7%. Forty incidents and accidents were reported (1.5%), five led to the death of the patient (0.2%). Among the seven cardiac arrests (0.3%), four were fatal (0.1%). Eight of the ten accidents and all of the deaths occurred in the least equipped centres. Eight of ten accidents happened during emergency caesarean sections. All cardiac arrests were preceded by a severe hypovolemia. For the four deaths after cardiac arrest, an anaesthetist nurse with isobaric bupivacaine 0.5% carried out SA. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that the practice of SA in African tropics was performing in different practice conditions and people qualification than they were in France. The frequency of cardiac arrests and deaths was respectively five and 20 times more important, in those conditions. The first conclusion that can be drawn from this study is that it is questionable to use SA for emergency Caesarean section under hypovolemic condition. The second is the necessity for specific training on the local anaesthesia for anaesthetist nurses but also training to choose the anaesthesia best adapted to the surgery, the condition of the patient and the means available.

Adolescent↗

[Spinal arachnoiditis as a complication of peridural anesthesia].

Seven patients who received epidural anesthesia for gynecological (5 cases), cosmetic (1 case) or general surgery (1 case) developed spinal arachnoiditis leading to subarachnoid cyst in all 7 and cord cavitation in 5. MRI was useful to show the subarachnoid and intramedullary cysts, as well as to monitor lesion extent and progress. Associated MRI findings were a Chiari anomaly in one case, a tethered cord in another and spinal cord atrophy in a third. One patient refused surgery but improved spontaneously while the other six were treated by a shunting procedure, with a satisfactory outcome in three. Meningeal inflammation may have left scars which later induced ischemia and subsequent cavitation. Alternatively, CSF circulation blockade may have dilated the central spinal canal causing ischemia by compression, followed by myelomalacia and cavitation. Careful handling of this procedure is urged in order to avoid such severe complications.

Adolescent↗

[Anesthesia and perioperative complications of correcting transposition of the great arteries using the Jatene technique].

We present a retrospective morbi-mortality study in 12 patients undergoing Jatene's arterial repair for transposition of the great vessels between 1988 and 1992. Half of the patients were boys ranging in age from 4 days to 35 months. In 34% heart failure was grade III, while in 65.6% it was grade IV (NYHA). Anesthetic induction was with ketamine in 11 patients and with halothane in 1. Maintenance was with pancuronium and fentanyl supplemented with N2O in 2 and with isoflurane in 1. The overall intra- and perioperative death rate was 16.6%. Nine cases have undergone surgical repair since 1988 with no mortality. We conclude that Jatene's technique is the best alternative for repair of transposition of the great vessels when there is no hypoplasia of the right cavity.

Anesthesia, General↗

Subdural anesthesia as a complication of an interscalene brachial plexus block. Case report.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Interscalene brachial plexus block is performed in the groove between the anterior and middle scalene muscles at the level of C6, just over the transverse process. Injection occurs within 1-2 cm of the dural sleeve and could be misdirected into the epidural, subdural, or subarachnoid spaces. METHODS: Interscalene block was performed by elicitation of paresthesia with 40 mL 1.4% mepivacaine, 1/200,000 epinephrine. RESULTS: Initially, complete interscalene block was achieved that evolved into apnea, high motor, and sensory block; requiring induction of general anesthesia. CONCLUSIONS: The case represents a partial injection of local anesthetic intended for the interscalene brachial plexus into the subdural space. The diagnosis is based on the normal evolution of the block into full motor and sensory anesthesia of the ipsilateral brachial plexus that evolved into a patchy, sensory, and motor block involving many dermatomes outside the brachial plexus, with minimal sympathetic block, and evidence of a normal interscalene block on emergence from general anesthesia. Subdural injection must be considered when unusual motor and sensory block occurs after interscalene block, especially after a time interval too long for epidural or subarachnoid injection, or with minimal evidence of sympathetic block, after suspected high central block injection.

Adult↗

Neurologic complications of lumbar epidural anesthesia and analgesia.

We reviewed the clinical features of 12 patients with neurologic complications following lumbar epidural anesthesia or analgesia. Eleven patients experienced lumbosacral radiculopathy or polyradiculopathy and, of these, 10 received epidural anesthesia or analgesia and one received subarachnoid injection of medication after intended epidural anesthesia. One patient suffered a moderately severe thoracic myelopathy in the setting of unintended spinal anesthesia. The two patients with more severe polyradiculopathy had severe lumbar spinal stenosis on MRI. The other patients experienced mild to moderate neurologic deficits most often involving the L-2 root, and MRIs, when performed, were unremarkable. EMG on three patients helped to localize the lesions to the lumbosacral roots and to quantify the extent of axonal loss. Ten patients were ambulatory upon discharge from the hospital and had good neurologic outcome. One patient with severe polyradiculopathy did not improve after 4 years and had severe motor axonal loss based upon electrodiagnostic studies. The patient with a thoracic myelopathy was ambulatory 4 months after onset. Although generally a safe procedure with low frequency of complications, lumbar epidural anesthesia or analgesia occasionally causes neurologic sequelae such as radiculopathy or myelopathy. Neurologic complications may be more severe in the presence of spinal stenosis or after inadvertent subarachnoid injection of anesthetic or analgesic agent.

Adult↗

[Cerebral pneumocephalus after epidural anesthesia: a rare complication?].

A case is reported of pneumoencephalus occurring after an accidental dural puncture during a cervical epidural puncture using the loss of resistance technique. Six ml of air were injected intrathecally. The patient recovered spontaneously within five days. This complication may occur more frequently than commonly admitted. It may be difficult to differentiate between headache due to pneumoencephalus and that by stretching of the meninges due to cerebrospinal fluid leakage. Only a CT scan can help to answer this question.

Anesthesia, Epidural↗

Comparative analysis of tissue reactions to anesthetic solutions: histological analysis in subcutaneous tissue of rats.

Postanesthetic pain is a relatively common complication after local anesthesia. This complication may be caused by the anesthetic technique or by the anesthetic solution used. Tissue reactions induced by the anesthetic solutions may be one of the factors resulting in pain after anesthesia. The objective of this study was to comparatively analyze tissue reactions induced by different anesthetic solutions in the subcutaneous tissue of rats. The following solutions were utilized: 2% lidocaine without vasoconstrictor; a 0.5% bupivacaine solution with 1:200,000 adrenaline; a 4% articaine solution and 2% mepivacaine, both with 1:100,000 adrenaline; and a 0.9% sodium chloride solution as a control. Sterilized absorbent paper cones packed inside polyethylene tubes were soaked in the solutions and implanted in the subcutaneous region. The sacrifice periods were 1, 2, 5, and 10 days after surgery. The specimens were prepared and stained with hematoxylin and eosin for histological analysis. The results showed that there is a difference in tissue irritability produced by the local anesthetic solutions. The results also showed that there is no relation between the concentration of the drug and the inflammatory intensity, that the mepivacaine and articaine solutions promoted less inflammatory reaction than the bupivacaine, and that the lidocaine solution produced the least intense inflammation.

Anesthetics, Local↗

Atlantoaxial subluxation. An unusual complication after local anesthesia for tonsillectomy.

After tonsillectomy, atlantoaxial subluxation occurred in two patients. Operations had been performed with the use of local anesthesia, and it was assumed that, during the injection of anesthetics, bacteria infected the prevertebral space. The initial symptoms of the prevertebral space infection were neck pain and stiffness; the movements of the neck were minimal, and opening of the mouth caused pain due to spasm of the deep cervical muscles. Both patients had persistent fever. The roentgenographically observed subluxation developed in one to two months after tonsillectomy. One of the patients was treated only with antibiotics; the other patient required atlantoaxial spondylodesis. Healing of the subluxation lasted about six months in both cases.

Adult↗