[Anaesthetic management in a paediatric patient with a difficult airway due to epidermolysis bullosa dystrophica]. / Manejo anestésico en paciente pediátrico con vía aérea difícil afectado de epidermólisis ampollosa distrófica.

Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB) is a rare inherited disorder characterized by blistering after minimal trauma. These blisters tend to form dystrophic scars, leading to limiting and life-threatening sequelae. The anaesthetic management of patients with DEB is a challenge, even for the most experienced anaesthesiologists, but basic principles can help us prepare the plan of care. The main goals are to prevent trauma/infection of skin/mucous, and to establish a secure airway without causing bullae. Patient positioning and the instruments used to monitor vital signs and administering anaesthetic agents can cause new lesions. It is advisable to lubricate the instruments and to avoid adhesive material and shearing forces on the skin. Besides the implications of the comorbidities, there is a potential difficult intubation and difficult vascular access. Acute airway obstruction can occur due to airway instrumentation. We report the case of a patient diagnosed with EBD difficult airway and undergoing correction of syndactylyl and dental extractions.

[Effect of ischemic tourniquet pressure on the intensity of postoperative pain]]. / Influencia de la presión del torniquete de isquemia sobre la intensidad del dolor postoperatorio.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of tourniquet pressure (TP) on the postoperative pain of patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA). MATERIAL AND METHODS: This prospective double-blind study enrolled 86 patients scheduled for TKA. The patients were randomized to groups to receive either a high TP (400 mgHg) or a low TP (100 mgHg above systolic pressure). A spinal block was performed in each patient. Intravenous morphine and metamizol were infused through a patient-controlled analgesia device. Postoperative pain was estimated on a visual analog scale (VAS). We also recorded the amount of morphine infused, functional recovery of the limb and the presence of complications. RESULTS: Surgical field conditions were considered good in all but two low PT cases. Postoperative pain was less intense in the low TP group at 6, 12, 24 and 36 hours, and that group required less morphine (11.38 +/- 4.9 mg vs. 15.13 +/- 4.9 mg, p < 0.05). More patients achieved 90 degrees flexion four days after surgery in the low TP group (65%) than in the high TP group (41%) (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Applying a lower-than-usual TP in orthopedic surgery could be sufficient for reducing postoperative pain while still providing a bloodless surgical field.