A 78-year-old female patient was undergone general anesthesia for total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oopherectomy. Arterial blood pressure dropped 20 minutes after beginning of the surgery when uterine manipulation was started. From then, excessive sweating was found in the face and whole body and core temperature decreased to 34.3degrees C. Sweating and low body temperature were sustained despite of various aggressive warming efforts. Anticholinergic medication immediately put an end to an hour of excessive sweating and prevented further body temperature decline. Several possibilities of excessive sweating were discussed in this case: uterine manipulation during the light plane of general anesthesia, age related autonomic changes, use of intraoperative opioid and antihypertensive medications.
Aged ; Anesthesia, General* ; Arterial Pressure ; Body Temperature ; Female ; Humans ; Hypothermia* ; Hysterectomy* ; Sweat* ; Sweating*

Reinke's edema begins with a chronic diffuse edema on the surface of the lamina propria of the vocal folds. It frequently occurs in women, smokers, professional voice users, and in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease. Herein, we report the case of a patient who experienced ventilation difficulties during general anesthesia using positive pressure mask ventilation.
Airway Management* ; Airway Obstruction ; Anesthesia, General ; Edema* ; Female ; Gastroesophageal Reflux ; Humans ; Masks ; Mucous Membrane ; Ventilation ; Vocal Cords ; Voice

BACKGROUND: I-gel is a recently developed supraglottic airway device with many advantages. Like laryngeal mask airway (LMA), I-gel is an easier and quicker intubation alternative to endotracheal intubation in certain situations. In this study, we assessed the ease of I-gel insertion and compared the clinical performance of anesthetsiology residents (group R) experienced in endotracheal intubation versus that of interns (group I) with little intubation experience. METHODS: This prospective and randomized study included 60 patients. The ease of insertion, number of I-gel insertion attempts, presence of air leakage, and postoperative complications such as bleeding, dental trauma, hoarseness, and sore throat were evaluated in each group. RESULTS: Insertion was successful on the initial attempt in 29 of 30 cases in group R. In group I, 24 initial insertions were successful. The mean insertion times were 12.5 +/- 4.8 and 27.9 +/- 12.5 seconds for group R and group I, respectively (P < 0.001). No significant differences were observed between the two groups regarding postintubational air leakage. Regarding complications, two cases of bleeding, one case of dental trauma, and two cases of sore throat were recorded. No significant differences were observed between the two groups for any of the complications examined. CONCLUSIONS: I-gel is a suitable alternative insertion device that enables rapid and easy intubation by physicians who are experienced with endotracheal intubation. Moreover, this device also enables efficient and safe insertion during emergent situations for novice clinicians, even those who have little experience in intubation.
Airway Management ; Anesthesiology* ; Hemorrhage ; Hoarseness ; Humans ; Intubation ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Laryngeal Masks ; Pharyngitis ; Postoperative Complications ; Prospective Studies

Several cases of the hiccups that occurred after interventional pain procedures have been previously reported. A 34-year-old man had suffered from persistent hiccups that started after epidural and trigger point injection of steroid. His hiccups were stopped during meals and sleep. Furthermore, hiccups did not occur after intravenous or intramuscular steroid injection due to eczema and bronchitis, and after interventional pain procedure that was performed under sedation with midazolam. Hence, we suspected that his hiccups had resulted from a psychogenic cause.
Adult ; Bronchitis ; Eczema ; Hiccup* ; Humans ; Injections, Epidural ; Meals ; Midazolam ; Trigger Points

Patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease have significant morbidity due to large kidney size. Surgical extirpation of polycystic kidneys is frequently necessary to treat the morbidity or to obtain intraabdominal space for a graft kidney. Simultaneous bilateral nephrectomy and kidney transplantation are performed in many transplant centers to avoid the complications associated with anephric states such as anemia requiring blood transfusion, osteodystrophy, fluid overload, hyperkalemia, and congestive heart failure. However, the risk of postoperative complications after combined bilateral nephrectomy with kidney transplantation is relatively high, especially for cases in which the polycystic kidneys are huge. Here, we report two cases of severe and persistent hypotension during and after combined surgery which may have been caused by adrenal insufficiency or by sympathetic denervation and splanchnic vasculature decompression after the removal of huge polycystic kidneys.
Adrenal Insufficiency ; Anemia ; Blood Transfusion ; Decompression ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Hyperkalemia ; Hypotension* ; Kidney Failure, Chronic* ; Kidney Transplantation* ; Kidney* ; Nephrectomy* ; Polycystic Kidney Diseases* ; Polycystic Kidney, Autosomal Dominant ; Postoperative Complications ; Sympathectomy ; Transplants

Despite the well-known bleeding diathesis in patients with end-stage liver disease, inappropriate hypercoagulation is also emerging as a major concern. Pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) is a major cause of perioperative morbidity and mortality during liver transplantation (LT). Flat-line thromboelastography is reported to predict PTE during LT. In this case, a 52-year-old woman with hepatocellular carcinoma underwent living-related LT. During the pre-anhepatic phase, one unit of apheresis platelets was transfused because of thrombocytopenia (32,000 /ml). After 20 minutes, blood pressure became unstable and circulatory collapse suddenly developed. In the middle of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, transesophageal echocardiography was immediately conducted, which revealed flail thrombi in the right atrium. Rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) conducted at that time was surprisingly flat in 4 channels, contradictory to the finding of hypercoagulation. This finding lead to a management dilemma during LT. Flattening in ROTEM requires caution in interpretation of severe hypocoagulation or ongoing PTE.
Blood Component Removal ; Blood Platelets* ; Blood Pressure ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Disease Susceptibility ; Echocardiography, Transesophageal ; Female ; Heart Atria ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Liver Diseases ; Liver Transplantation* ; Liver* ; Middle Aged ; Mortality ; Platelet Transfusion* ; Pulmonary Embolism* ; Shock ; Thrombelastography* ; Thrombocytopenia

BACKGROUND: The changes in the hemodynamic parameters when the patients assumed a prone position from a supine position were examined using the FloTrac/EV1000(TM) system, during general anesthesia. METHODS: A total of 56 adult patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I-II and undergoing elective lumbar spine surgery were enrolled in the study. The hemodynamic parameters, such as the mean arterial pressure, heart rate, cardiac index, stroke volume variation, systemic vascular resistance index, central venous pressure, and peak airway pressure, were recorded when the patients were in a supine position and then in a prone position. RESULTS: No significant differences were found in the subjects' hemodynamic parameters between when the subjects were in a supine position and when they were in a prone position, except in the central venous pressure and peak airway pressure, both of which were elevated when the subjects were in a prone position. CONCLUSIONS: There were no differences in hemodynamic parameters between supine and prone positions measured by FloTrac/EV1000(TM) system during general anesthesia.
Adult ; Anesthesia, General ; Arterial Pressure ; Cardiac Output* ; Central Venous Pressure ; Heart Rate ; Hemodynamics* ; Humans ; Prone Position ; Spine ; Stroke Volume ; Supine Position* ; Vascular Resistance

We describe a case involving a 69-year-old woman who developed anaphylatic shock caused by a clinical dose of sugammadex (2 mg/kg, 100 mg intravenously) 5 minutes after its administration. She developed redness and welts all over her body, and complained of an oropharyngeal itching sensation with dyspnea and dizziness. Her vital signs were closely monitored. She also experienced a sudden onset of hypotension (from 110/70 to 49/40 mmHg) and tachycardia (from 75 to 120 bpm). We diagnosed anaphylactic shock on the basis of these clinical manifestations. After 20 min of traditional treatment (hydration, ephedrine, cortisol, and phenylephrine), her vital signs returned to normal. No postoperative complications were evident, and the patient was discharged from the hospital. Although the prevalence of anaphylactic reactions to sugammadex is rare, physicians using sugammadex should be aware of the possibility of sugammadex-induced anaphylaxis.
Aged ; Anaphylaxis* ; Dizziness ; Dyspnea ; Ephedrine ; Female ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; Hypersensitivity ; Hypotension ; Postoperative Complications ; Prevalence ; Pruritus ; Sensation ; Shock ; Tachycardia ; Vital Signs

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of routine pre-anesthetic aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) tests for detection of hepatic abnormalities and usefulness in perioperative management. METHODS: The laboratory findings of 14,185 pediatric patients younger than 18 years from October 2004 to December 2010 were investigated by retrospective review of medical records. All of the patients had undergone preoperative AST and ALT screening. RESULTS: Among the 14,185 patients, 221 patients experienced elevation of both AST and ALT. However, only 21 patients were suspicious for hepatic disease defined as persistent elevation of AST and ALT preoperatively. Among the 221 patients with elevation of both AST and ALT, 20 patients were examined by additional abdominal ultrasonography and hepatic abnormalities were detected in 13 of these patients (65%) and 40 patients were consulted to the department of pediatrics or internal medicine. CONCLUSIONS: In this single-center, retrograde study, the usefulness of preoperative routine AST and ALT testing was shown to be limited for detection of hepatic abnormalities in pediatric patients undergoing general anesthesia. Further multi-center, large-scale investigation would be required.
Alanine Transaminase* ; Alanine* ; Anesthesia, General ; Aspartate Aminotransferases* ; Aspartic Acid* ; Humans ; Internal Medicine ; Mass Screening ; Medical Records ; Pediatrics ; Retrospective Studies ; Ultrasonography

BACKGROUND: Minimal invasive gynecologic surgery usually requires pneumoperitoneum and Trendelenburg positioning, which results in adverse effects on respiratory and hemodynamic parameters. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of volume-controlled ventilation (VCV) and pressure-controlled ventilation (PCV) introduced sequentially in patients who underwent gynecological laparoscopy on respiratory mechanics, cardiovascular responses, and gas exchange. METHODS: Forty patients who were scheduled for gynecologic laparoscopic surgery were enrolled. Baseline ventilation of their lungs was performed with VCV with a tidal volume (TV) of 8 ml/kg ideal body weight (IBW). Forty minutes after pneumoperitoneum and Trendelenburg positioning, the ventilation mode was changed to PCV, and airway pressure was set to provide a TV of 8 ml/kg IBW without exceeding 35 cmH2O. Respiratory mechanics and hemodynamic and gas exchange parameters were recorded at 10 minutes after induction, 30 minutes after CO2 pneumoperitoneum and Trendelenburg positioning, 30 minutes after PCV, and 30 minutes after desufflation and supine position. RESULTS: After pneumoperitoneum and Trendelenburg positioning, there were significant increases in systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, central venous pressure, peak airway pressure (PAP), mean airway pressure (Pmean), whereas lung compliance and PaO2 significantly decreased. The decrease in PAP and increases of Pmean, lung compliance and PaO2 were observed during PCV compared with VCV (P < 0.05). There were no differences in hemodynamic parameters between VCV and PCV. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrated that PCV may be an effective method of ventilation during gynecologic laparoscopy in terms of improved oxygenation and minimizing adverse respiratory mechanics.
Blood Pressure ; Central Venous Pressure ; Female ; Gynecologic Surgical Procedures ; Head-Down Tilt* ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Ideal Body Weight ; Laparoscopy* ; Lung ; Lung Compliance ; Oxygen ; Pneumoperitoneum ; Respiratory Mechanics ; Supine Position ; Tidal Volume ; Ventilation*