[Analgesia for childbirth in a patient with factor V Leiden mutation]. / Analgesia para trabajo de parto en paciente con mutación del factor V Leiden.

Factor V Leiden mutation is the most common congenital thrombophilic disorder, affecting between 5% and 8% of the Caucasian population. Pregnancy creates a state of hypercoagulability and all factors that increase the risk of thrombosis should be considered, as they may be cumulative. In recent years, the diagnosis of new allelic variants of thrombophilic states have increased the incidence of pregnant women receiving anticoagulant therapy, with the anesthetic considerations that implies. We report the case of a 33-year-old woman with heterozygous Leiden factor V mutation who was admitted with spontaneous amniorrhexis in the 38th week of gestation. She was taking low molecular weight heparin therapy. An epidural catheter was inserted to provide analgesia for labor, with all safety precautions to prevent an epidural hematoma. Epidural anesthesia is the technique of choice for obstetric labor in patients with hypercoagulability because of its effects of favoring blood flow and inhibiting clot formation.

[Comparison of gastric aspirate volume after intubation in patients with and without symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease]. / Comparación del volumen gástrico tras intubación entre pacientes con y sin síntomas de enfermedad por reflujo gastroesofágico.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the postintubation gastric aspirate volume of patients with and without symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). METHODS: Prospective randomized study of 331 physical status ASA I-II adults scheduled for surgery. Patients with GERD symptoms (heartburn and regurgitation) were assigned to group A (n=83); asymptomatic patients (n=248) were assigned to groups B (n=85), C (n=70), and D (n=93). Group A was subdivided: group A1 received outpatients treatment for GERD and group A2 did not. Groups A, B, and C received prophylaxis with omeprazole 40 mg and metoclopramide 10 mg, respectively. Group D received no prophylaxis. Groups A and B patients received 1 mg x kg(-1) of succinylcholine, and groups C and D received 0.2 mg x kg(-1) of cisatracurium. After intubation, gastric content was aspirated and measured. The results were compared with Pearson's chi2 and Student t tests, analysis of variance, and Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests. RESULTS: The gastric aspirate volumes in each group were as follows: 36.6 (SD 5) mL in group A; 9.98 (4.9) mL in group B; 10.8 (5.5) mL in group C; 15.62 (6.3) mL in group D; 32.7 (5.1) mL in group A1; and 39.08 (3.6) mL in group A2. Volumes were significantly greater in group A than in groups B, C, and D (P<0.0001), and in subgroup A2 than in subgroup A1 (P<0.001). The percentages of patients from whom a volume greater than 25 mL was aspirated in each group were as follows: 98.9% of group A, 1.2% of group B, 2.8% of group C, and 8.6% of group D (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Patients with chronic heartburn and regurgitation have greater postintubation gastric aspirate volumes than do asymptomatic patients, attributable to the gastroesophageal motility dysfunction characteristic of GERD that can favor aspiration. GERD questions should be included in preanesthetic medical history taking, and symptomatic patients should be prescribed outpatient proton pump inhibitor therapy.

[Anesthesia and fibrobronchoscopy for the study of chronic stridor in a boy with Robinow syndrome]. / Anestesia y fibrobroncoscopia para el estudio de estridor crónico en un niño con síndrome de Robinow.

Robinow's syndrome involves fetal facial features, short stature, brachymelia, hypoplastic genitals and a normal karyotype. A 10-year-old boy with Robinow's syndrome was scheduled for study of chronic stridor by fiberoptic bronchoscopy. Airway exploration with the patient awake revealed hipertelorism, retromicrognathia, poor dental alignment, macroglossia and class IV Mallampati. After anesthetic induction in spontaneous ventilation with 5% sevoflurane, grade IV Cormack-Lehane conditions were observed. A laryngeal mask was placed without muscle relaxation after which the boy was ventilated manually for several minutes without stridor. Anesthetic maintenance was with 3% sevoflurane in 50% oxygen and air. After recovery of spontaneous ventilation, marked stridor presented along with a decrease in oxygen saturation and expired fractions of sevoflurane and CO2. Pulse oxymetry did not increase with increased FiO2. However, when continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) was set al 10 cm H2O, pulse oxymetry did increase; likewise, expired and inspired sevoflurane concentrations became equal, and expired CO2 increased. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy revealed an area of intrathoracic tracheomalacia, which collapsed partially during spontaneous expiration and collapsed less when CPAP was started. We discuss the relation between the facial dysmorphia characteristic of this syndrome and the possibility of finding a difficult airway, as well as the diagnosis and treatment of intrathoracic tracheomalacia during anesthesia.