Efficacy of intrathecal drug delivery system for refractory cancer pain patients: a single tertiary medical center experience.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Between 10% and 20% of cancer pain patients fail to obtain adequate pain relief despite comprehensive medical management. The totally implantable programmable intrathecal drug delivery system (IDDS) is an attractive option for managing refractory cancer pain. In suitable patients, IDDS can provide reliable long-term analgesia without any permanent nerve or plexus destruction. IDDS can also allow patient care on an outpatient basis. In Taiwan, however, the experience of using IDDS in terminally ill cancer patients is very limited. METHODS: This retrospective study, describes experience of managing totally implantable programmable IDDS in 6 refractory cancer pain patients including patient selection, intraspinal morphine trial, surgical techniques, complications, and drug adjustment. Pain scores and functional status were compared before and after IDDS. RESULTS: By delivering liberal dose of intrathecal morphine, patients' pain scores decreased from 10 to 3.5. Due to much better pain control and improved quality of life, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status also improved in 4/6 patients. During the mean 5 ± 4.1 months of follow-up, two patients experienced pocket seroma, and resolved spontaneously after short-term abdominal binder compression. Otherwise, no serious complication was noted. CONCLUSION: Intrathecal morphine delivery by using totally implantable programmable IDDS is an effective method to relieve refractory cancer pain.

Modified lightwand intubation in a child with spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita.

This is the case report on a 1-year 9-month-old boy suffering from spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita who was successfully intubated with our modified lightwand intubation procedure for general anesthesia to undergo bilateral herniorrhaphy despite the great likelihood of facing a difficult airway because of unstable cervical spine. We bent the pediatric wand after it was encased in an endotracheal (ET) tube of appropriate diameter. The light tip of the wand was let to protrude just out of the bevel of the ET tube. Once the light bulb properly transilluminated the trachea, the ET tube was threaded gently into the trachea. The patient recovered from anesthesia smoothly and was discharged on the next day. This maneuver can facilitate both visual and tactile confirmations of the position and proper tube size. The effectiveness and safety of our modified lightwand intubation procedure is well demonstrated.

Iatrogenic left internal iliac artery perforation during lumbar discectomy.

Iatrogenic intra-abdominal vascular injury can result from lumbar discectomy via the posterior approach. Although it is well known and documented in the literature, few anesthesiologists have personal experience with this life-threatening incident. Here, we report a patient who sustained perforation of the left internal iliac artery at the L(4-5) level during posterior lumbar discectomy. The patient experienced refractory hypotension with tachycardia at the end of surgery, even with prompt fluid resuscitation and medical treatment. Abdominal distension and tenderness of the left lower abdominal quadrant were also noted. Emergency laparotomy was performed by the consulting vascular surgeon and revealed perforation of the left internal iliac artery. The vascular injury was successfully repaired. It is important that, as anesthesiologists, we must be aware of this potentially fatal complication. Prompt diagnosis and immediate laparotomy to control hemorrhage can result in favorable outcomes.

Cervicofacial subcutaneous emphysema following tonsillectomy: implications for anesthesiologists.

Cervicofacial subcutaneous emphysema is an unusual complication following tonsillectomy. We present a 37-year-old male patient who, after receiving tonsillectomy, developed cervicofacial subcutaneous emphysema immediately following endotracheal extubation. Valsalva maneuvers evidenced by coughing and straining of the patient, and positive pressure ventilation by mask to alleviate laryngospasm in an emergency were believed to induce and exacerbate the emphysema. Fortunately, the patient was re-intubated and protected from further complication of pneumomediastinum or pneumothorax. The emphysema resolved 7 days later with conservative treatment, including broad-spectrum antibiotics and abstention from enteral intake. This case serves as a reminder that an unusual and unexpected complication can occur in a routine procedure. Methods to prevent this complication are discussed.

Application of Pulse Contour Cardiac Output (PiCCO) system for adequate fluid management in a patient with severe reexpansion pulmonary edema.

We report a case of severe reexpansion pulmonary edema that occurred immediately after reinflation of a collapsed lung by rapid negative pressure drainage of prolonged malignant pleural effusion and pneumohemothorax. Although hemodynamic stability was difficult to maintain under aggressive treatment with inhalation of nitric oxide, inotropics and prostacyclin infusion, conventional pulmonary artery catheterization was not adequate for surveillance and adjustment of fluid therapy. For balancing the preload and the extent of pulmonary edema, pulse contour cardiac output monitoring using a single transpulmonary thermal dilution technique was applied to achieve optimal cardiac preload for organ perfusion and to prevent worsening of pulmonary edema from fluid overload.

The optimal injection time of alfentanil for blunting circulatory responses to tracheal intubation.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to investigate the optimal injection time of alfentanil during induction of anesthesia to blunt the circulatory responses induced by laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation. METHODS: Seventy-five patients of ASA class I or II were randomly assigned to five groups. Group I was the placebo group in which the patients received normal saline 2 ml just before induction. Patients in groups II, III, IV and V received alfentanil 10 microg/kg at 5, 3, 1 and 0.5 min before intubation respectively. Anesthesia was maintained with 1.5% isoflurane and nitrous oxide in 50% oxygen (2:2 L/min). The patients' heart rate and blood pressure before and after intubation were documented and compared. The occurrence of adverse effects was also recorded. RESULTS: Patients' demographic data, baseline hemodynamic profile and the laryngoscopic time did not differ among the five groups. The patients in groups II, III and IV showed decreased heart rate compared with group I within 3 min after intubation. The patients in group V like those in group I did not show a reduction in heart rate 1 min after intubation. The patients in groups II, III, IV and V all showed reduced systolic blood pressure and rate-pressure product (RPP) 2 min after intubation. The occurrence of hypotension and bradycardia was not different among the five groups; hypertension and high RPP were less in groups II, III and IV as compared with group I. Ninety-three percent patients in group II and group III suffered from dizziness after alfentanil administration. One patient in group II had nausea and another one patient displayed hypoxemia after alfentanil administration. CONCLUSIONS: Considering equal effectiveness and fewer side effects, one minute before intubation is the optimal injection time of alfentanil to blunt the circulatory responses induced by laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation.

Intraoperative bronchospasm after intravenous adenosine during general anesthesia.

Adenosine with its rapid onset and brief duration of action has a number of clinical applications including treatment of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia and maximal coronary vasodilatation during pharmacologic stress testing. The adverse effects of adenosine include dyspnea, nausea, headache, chest pain, flushing and bronchospasam. Although there were few reports which mentioned the occurrence of bronchospam after administration of adenosine, a number of studies indicated that the use of adenosine was not contraindicated in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma. We report here a male patient with pulmonary emphysema and lung bullous disease who developed severe constriction of the main bronchi after intravenous adenosine during general anesthesia. After treatment, the patient was discharged without complications. We have reviewed the related current literature and herein discuss the reason and management of the adenosine induced bronchospasm.

General anesthetic management for diagnostic splenectomy in a patient with paraneoplastic pemphigus.

Paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) is an autoantibody-mediated mucocutaneous blistering disease that often occurs with confirmed or occult malignancy. It is often accompanied by extensive eruption of respiratory mucosa and can lead to respiratory failure. The indications for anesthetic management in patients with PNP are rare due to the high risk of generating further eruption of respiratory mucosa during intubation, with potentially disastrous consequences. We report the anesthetic management in a 43-year-old woman with PNP scheduled for diagnostic splenectomy. The surgery was postponed due to persistent hoarseness, diffuse oral-pharyngeal mucositis, and laryngeal erosion. Methylprednisolone 40 mg 3 times daily was prescribed for controlling the mucosa lesions. Two weeks later, after the improvement of mucosal lesions, direct laryngoscopic intubation and the scheduled splenectomy were performed under general anesthesia. Pathology of the spleen showed low-grade B-cell lymphoma had induced PNP. Flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopic examination revealed neither bleeding nor bullae formation in the trachea either immediately after intubation or before extubation. The tracheal mucosa is highly susceptible to mechanical stimulation with direct laryngoscopic intubation. Cuff inflation and positive pressure ventilation, awareness of the disease characteristics of PNP, a sufficient course of steroid therapy beforehand, and adequate mucosal protection are essential to the uneventful anesthetic management of the patient with PNP involving the respiratory tract mucosa.

Intraoperative TEE monitoring on pulmonary thromboembolectomy--a case report.

We present a successful thromboembolectomy under intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) monitoring on a woman with massive pulmonary embolism (PE). Sudden onset of dyspnea happened 7 days after lumbar spine surgery and ventilation/perfusion scan and angiography performed right away were suggestive of PE. Operation was performed 17 days later after invalid anticoagulant treatments and unavailing catheter fragmentation. Intraoperative TEE showed massive emboli in the main and right pulmonary arteries (MPA and RPA) and dilated right atrium (RA) with deviated intraatrial septum. Removal of the emboli was performed smoothly under TEE monitoring. The dilation of RA, right ventricle (RV) and PA were resolved soon after thromboembolectomy. The patient was extubated the next day with obvious improvement of clinical symptoms and discharged two weeks later without neurological sequale. We conclude that TEE can be an excellent tool not only for early diagnosing PE in high risk patients but also for intraoperative monitoring on removing emboli and managing cardiac functions.