Combined lumbar spinal and thoracic high-epidural regional anesthesia as an alternative to general anesthesia for high-risk patients undergoing gastrointestinal and colorectal surgery.

OBJECTIVE: A prospective study was undertaken to review the use of combined lumbar spinal and thoracic high-epidural regional anesthesia in high-risk patients who underwent gastrointestinal/colorectal surgery from 2004 to 2006. METHODS: Twelve high-risk patients underwent 13 gastrointestinal/colorectal surgical procedures, using a regional anesthetic technique, which consisted of a thoracic epidural and lumbar subarachnoid block. All patients were classified as high risk based on anesthetic assessment (American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score 3 or 4). RESULTS: Six (46.2%) of the patients were men, and the overall median age was 86 years. Ten (76.9%) patients presented as emergencies, whereas only three (23.1%) patients underwent elective procedures. All patients subjectively rated their postoperative pain relief as effective. The 30-day mortality was 2 (15.4%); however, both of these patients refused initial treatment. Only one (7.7%) patient required delayed ITU admission for respiratory support (CPAP). None of the patients required intubation at any stage. There were two (15.4%) minor and two (15.4%) major early complications and only one (7.7%) delayed complication to date. Median length of stay was 7 days. Two (15.4%) patients had delayed discharge dates, for social reasons. DISCUSSION: These patients demonstrated early postoperative recovery, with effective analgesia, no requirements for intubation, and lower morbidity and mortality rates than similar studies of high-risk patients who underwent procedures using general anesthesia. Using this technique, patients were managed appropriately in HDU and the surgical ward, without affecting their overall length of hospital stay. CONCLUSIONS: This study supports the role of regional anesthetic techniques, combined with targeted, minimally invasive surgery--particularly for the management of high-risk patients presenting in the emergency setting.

Near-fatal small bowel ischaemia secondary to sacrocolpopexy mesh.

A 74-year-old woman presenting with acute abdominal pain underwent surgery for suspected small bowel ischaemia. At laparotomy, a sacrocolpopexy mesh in the pelvis, which had been inserted 8 years previously, was found to be causing strangulation of a 2-m length of the small bowel. Following resection and primary anastomosis, the patient spent several days in intensive care before her eventual discharge. This unusual life-threatening complication should be considered in patients presenting with abdominal pain even many years following abdominal sacrocolpopexy.

Paget-Schroetter syndrome: the importance of urgent referral and appropriate management.

The authors present the case of a young healthy male who was admitted with a case of acute primary subclavian vein thrombosis, otherwise known as Paget-Schroetter syndrome. The patient was successfully treated by catheter directed thrombolysis using a Trellis device and thoracic outlet decompression following prompt referral to the vascular team. The case highlights importance of early referral in the prevention of the long-term sequelae which can occur as a result of this rare condition.