BACKGROUND: Tracheal tubes are different on the flexibility, material and bevel angle according to the manufacturers. These may affect the success rate of blind tracheal intubation through laryngeal mask airway (LMA). In addition, using straight-tip exchanger or curved-tip introducer, we tried to compare the success rate of tracheal tube insertion through LMA. METHODS: After receiving informed consents, 30 patients were enrolled. Blind tracheal intubation was tried with reinforced tracheal tube (M group), or one of two kinds of conventional tracheal tube (P group and B group). Tracheal tube was selected in random order and advanced into the trachea through LMA one by one. If all the three attempts was unsuccessful, we considered the blind tracheal intubation through LMA a failure. We also compared the success rate of blind tracheal insertion through LMA using straight-tip exchanger or curved-tip introducer. The first trial was performed on the neutral head position. The exchanger or introducer was rotated during the second trial. If the second attempt was unsuccessful, the exchanger- or intubator-guided intubation was performed on the sniffing position and, as a last and fourth trial, while mandible was being elevated with hands. RESULTS: Success rate of blind tracheal intubation through LMA was 50% (15/50) in group P and 36.7% (11/30) in group M, 33.3% (10/30) in group B (P=0.05). By using curved-tip introducer, intubation through LMA was successful in 80% (16/20), while it was successful only in 35% (7/20) via straight-tip exchanger. CONCLUSION: Blind tracheal intubation through LMA was dependent on the types of tracheal tube. Also, curved tip introducer may be a more valuable aid in performing blind tracheal intubation through LMA. Its use seems to be better technique than directly inserting tracheal tube through LMA.
Hand ; Head ; Humans ; Intubation* ; Laryngeal Masks* ; Mandible ; Pliability ; Trachea

Eisenmenger syndrome (ES) is characterized by pulmonary arterial hypertension and right-to-left shunting. The signs and symptoms of ES include cyanosis, shortness of breath, fatigue, hemoptysis, and sudden death. In patients with ES, it is important that the systemic and pulmonary circulations be properly distributed and maintained. General dental treatment is not known to be particularly dangerous. To control pain and anxiety, local anesthetics without epinephrine are usually recommended. However, in cases of difficulty of cooperation, general anesthesia for dental treatment makes the condition worse. In the present case, intravenous deep sedation with propofol and remifentanil was administered for behavioral management during dental treatment successfully.
Anesthesia, General ; Anesthetics, Local ; Anxiety ; Cyanosis ; Death, Sudden ; Deep Sedation* ; Down Syndrome* ; Dyspnea ; Eisenmenger Complex* ; Epinephrine ; Fatigue ; Hemoptysis ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Propofol

Dental treatment under sedation requires various sedation depths depending on the invasiveness of the procedure and patient drug sensitivity. Inappropriate sedation depth may cause patient discomfort or endangerment. For these reasons, patient-controlled sedation (PCS) pumps are commonly used. Patients are able to control the sedation depths themselves by pushing the demand button after the practitioner sets up the bolus dose and lock-out time. Dexmedetomidine is an α-2 adrenoreceptor agonist with sedative, analgesic, and anxiolytic properties. It has been widely used for sedation for its minimal respiratory depression; however, there are few studies on PCS using dexmedetomidine. This study assessed the applicability of dexmedetomidine to PCS.
Conscious Sedation ; Dexmedetomidine* ; Humans ; Infusion Pumps* ; Respiratory Insufficiency

PURPOSE: Goggles are frequently worn in the sport of swimming and are designed to form a seal around the periorbital tissue orbit. The resultant pressure on the eye may have the potential to affect intraocular pressure and blood flow of the optic nerve head. This study evaluates the influence of wearing swimming goggles on intraocular pressure (IOP) and blood flow of the ocular nerve head (ONH) in normal subjects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty healthy participants took part in this study. The IOP of each participant was measured using a Goldmann tonometer. Measurements were taken immediately before putting on swimming goggles, at 5, 10, 30, and 60 minutes after putting on swimming goggles, and then immediately after taking off the goggles. Blood flow of the ONH was measured using the Heidelberg retinal flowmeter. RESULTS: The average IOP before, during and after wearing the swimming goggles were 11.88 +/- 2.82mmHg, 14.20 +/- 2.81 mmHg and 11.78 +/- 2.89mmHg, respectively. The IOP increased immediately after putting on the goggles (p < 0.05) and then returned to normal values immediately after removal (p > 0.05). Blood flow of the ONH was 336.60 +/- 89.07 Arbitrary Units (AU) before and 319.18 +/- 96.02 AU after the goggles were worn (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: A small but significant IOP elevation was observed immediately after the swimming goggles were put on. This elevated IOP was maintained while the goggles were kept on, and then returned to normal levels as soon as they were taken off. Blood flow of the ONH did not change significantly throughout the experiment. These facts should be considered for safety concerns, especially in advanced glaucoma patients.
Adult ; Eye Protective Devices/*adverse effects ; Female ; Humans ; *Intraocular Pressure ; Male ; Optic Disk/*blood supply ; Regional Blood Flow ; *Swimming ; Time Factors

BACKGROUND: An understanding of the features of postoperative pain is essential for optimal analgesic dosing strategies. Using a visual analogue scale (VAS) score and patient controlled analgesia (PCA) infusion pattern analysis, an anesthesiologist can estimate when and how severely patients suffer from pain. Several reports have been published about circadian changes in the pain threshold. Postoperative pain was analyzed retrospectively in 250 patients who underwent orthognathic surgery. METHODS: A total of 250 patients were allocated into two groups according to the time of recovery from anesthesia. Patients in the early group (group E) recovered from anesthesia before 06:00 p.m. Patients in the late group (group L) recovered from anesthesia after 06:00 p.m. All patients received intravenous patient controlled analgesia (IV PCA) at the end of the operation. The VAS score of pain intensity was measured. Self-administration of bolus analgesic from the IV PCA device was also analyzed according to actual time and elapsed time. RESULTS: VAS scores showed no difference between the two groups except 36 hours after recovery from anesthesia. On POD1, there were two peaks for self-administration of bolus analgesics in group L and one peak in the morning for group E. Two peaks each in the morning and in the afternoon were shown in both groups on POD2. CONCLUSIONS: Diurnal variance in pain should be considered for effective dosing strategies.
Analgesia, Patient-Controlled ; Analgesics ; Anesthesia ; Humans ; Orthognathic Surgery* ; Pain Threshold ; Pain, Postoperative ; Passive Cutaneous Anaphylaxis* ; Retrospective Studies*

BACKGROUND: An understanding of the features of postoperative pain is essential for optimal analgesic dosing strategies. Using a visual analogue scale (VAS) score and patient controlled analgesia (PCA) infusion pattern analysis, an anesthesiologist can estimate when and how severely patients suffer from pain. Several reports have been published about circadian changes in the pain threshold. Postoperative pain was analyzed retrospectively in 250 patients who underwent orthognathic surgery. METHODS: A total of 250 patients were allocated into two groups according to the time of recovery from anesthesia. Patients in the early group (group E) recovered from anesthesia before 06:00 p.m. Patients in the late group (group L) recovered from anesthesia after 06:00 p.m. All patients received intravenous patient controlled analgesia (IV PCA) at the end of the operation. The VAS score of pain intensity was measured. Self-administration of bolus analgesic from the IV PCA device was also analyzed according to actual time and elapsed time. RESULTS: VAS scores showed no difference between the two groups except 36 hours after recovery from anesthesia. On POD1, there were two peaks for self-administration of bolus analgesics in group L and one peak in the morning for group E. Two peaks each in the morning and in the afternoon were shown in both groups on POD2. CONCLUSIONS: Diurnal variance in pain should be considered for effective dosing strategies.
Analgesia, Patient-Controlled ; Analgesics ; Anesthesia ; Humans ; Orthognathic Surgery* ; Pain Threshold ; Pain, Postoperative ; Passive Cutaneous Anaphylaxis* ; Retrospective Studies*

Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) improves the survival rate in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Despite the low probability, iatrogenic hepatic arterial dissections during interventional procedure are rarely created by the technical difficulties. Direct trauma from the guidewire, the tip of the catheter, or the jet of contrast injection can contribute to iatrogenic hepatic arterial dissections. We report one case of a female who had HCC necrosis caused by iatrogenic hepatic arterial dissection during TACE. Ischemia resulting from iatrogenic hepatic arterial dissection during TACE was smilar to the result of transarterial embolization for HCC on our case. To our knowledge, none of the similar cases was reported in previously published literatures.

Background: The global population is aging rapidly, and accordingly, the number of patients with dementia is increasing every year. Although the need for dental treatment increases for various reasons in patients with dementia, they cannot cooperate during dental treatment. Therefore, behavioral management, including sedation (SED) or general anesthesia (GA), is required for patients with dementia. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the trends and effects of SED or GA in patients with dementia undergoing dental treatment in South Korea based on the Korean National Health Insurance claims data. Methods: This study utilized customized health information data provided by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. Among patients with records of using sedative drugs during dental treatment from January 2007 to September 2019, patients with the International Classification of Diseases-10 code for dementia (F00, F01, F02, F03, and G30) were selected. We then analyzed the full insurance claims data for dental care.Age, sex, sedative use, and dental treatment of patients were analyzed yearly. In addition, the number of cases of GA or SED per year was analyzed, and changes in behavioral management methods with increasing age were investigated. Results: Between January 2007 and September 2019, a total of 4,383 (male, 1,454; female, 2,929) patients with dementia received dental treatment under SED or GA. The total number of SED and GA cases were 1,515 (male, 528 ; female, 987 ) and 3,396 (male, 1,119 ; female, 2,277) cases, respectively. The total number of cases of dental treatment for 4,383 patients with dementia was 153,051 cases, of which 2.22% were under GA and 0.98% were under SED. Midazolam was the most commonly used drug for SED. Conclusion Although gingivitis and pulpitis were the most common reasons for patients with dementia to visit the dentist, GA or SED for patients with dementia was frequently used in oral and maxillofacial or periodontal surgery.

Background: The global population is aging rapidly, and accordingly, the number of patients with dementia is increasing every year. Although the need for dental treatment increases for various reasons in patients with dementia, they cannot cooperate during dental treatment. Therefore, behavioral management, including sedation (SED) or general anesthesia (GA), is required for patients with dementia. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the trends and effects of SED or GA in patients with dementia undergoing dental treatment in South Korea based on the Korean National Health Insurance claims data. Methods: This study utilized customized health information data provided by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. Among patients with records of using sedative drugs during dental treatment from January 2007 to September 2019, patients with the International Classification of Diseases-10 code for dementia (F00, F01, F02, F03, and G30) were selected. We then analyzed the full insurance claims data for dental care.Age, sex, sedative use, and dental treatment of patients were analyzed yearly. In addition, the number of cases of GA or SED per year was analyzed, and changes in behavioral management methods with increasing age were investigated. Results: Between January 2007 and September 2019, a total of 4,383 (male, 1,454; female, 2,929) patients with dementia received dental treatment under SED or GA. The total number of SED and GA cases were 1,515 (male, 528 ; female, 987 ) and 3,396 (male, 1,119 ; female, 2,277) cases, respectively. The total number of cases of dental treatment for 4,383 patients with dementia was 153,051 cases, of which 2.22% were under GA and 0.98% were under SED. Midazolam was the most commonly used drug for SED. Conclusion Although gingivitis and pulpitis were the most common reasons for patients with dementia to visit the dentist, GA or SED for patients with dementia was frequently used in oral and maxillofacial or periodontal surgery.

PURPOSE: This study analyzed the results of the midclavicle fracture treatment using the minimally invasive percutaneous plate osteosynthesis (MIPO) technique in a retrospective manner. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between March 2013 and March 2017, this study analyzed 40 patients who received MIPO surgery. Excluding 1 patient who underwent surgery on another body part injury, and 4 patients who were lost to follow-up over 1 year, 40 patients were analyzed for their operation time, bone union, functional American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score, scar lengths, pain relief (visual analogue scale), and complications. RESULTS: All patients over a 1 year of follow-up achieved bone union, and American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score 97.6 (94–100) on their shoulder functional scores. Their average operation time was 42.7 minutes, and the average scar length was 6.1 cm. Eighteen patients successfully received metal removal using the previous scar without additional incision. The clavicle length was similar in the normal and operated group. CONCLUSION: Despite its small sample size, clavicle fixation using the MIPO technique can be considered an effective treatment because of its limited number of complications, such as nonunion and rotational angulations.
Cicatrix ; Clavicle ; Elbow ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lost to Follow-Up ; Retrospective Studies ; Sample Size ; Shoulder ; Surgeons