[Anesthesia Management for Primary Cleft Lip Closure in an Infant with Congenital Total Length Complete Tracheal Rings].

Complete tracheal ring causes congenital tracheal stenosis in neonates and infants. We have to prevent further tracheal stenosis in perioperative period. This is a case report of an infant with congenital tracheal stenosis due to complete tracheal ring who underwent primary cleft lip closure under general anesthesia. An 8 month-old boy was scheduled for bilateral cleft lip closure. His first operation at two months was canceled because of unsuccessful intubation in previous hospital. He came to our hospital to seek a second opinion. His CT scan showed long segment stenosis of the trachea below glottis. The tracheobronchial endoscopy showed complete tracheal rings 1.5 cm below glottis to the bifurcation. Considering his aspiration episode, we decided to do the cleft lip closure promptly after examinations. We chose an ID 3.0 mm RAE tracheal tube, which is commercially narrowest We intubated 2 cm below glottis, and confirmed that the tip did not touch narrowed trachea with endoscope. This tube was fixed in the center of the mandible and packed with gauze. He was discharged on 8 POD without complication. CT scan and its integrated 3 D image of the trachea were useful to understand the approximate structure. However endoscopic examination allowed more detailed structure-measurement below glottis.

[Ultrasound-guided rectus sheath blockade is a safe and accurate method for emergency ileostomy for patients with coagulopathy].

Obstructive ileus is a life-threatening gastrointestinal condition that requires emergency operation. Patients with obstructive ileus sometimes develop coagulopathy. In such cases, central neuraxial blockade should be avoided. Rectus sheath blockade (RSB) is one of the popular methods for abdominal wall surgery. Ultrasound imaging of the rectus sheath may facilitate successful RSB by indicating the presence and location of rectus abdominis. Two patients presented with ileus secondary to rectal or sigmoid cancer and underwent emergency ileostomy. The patients had mild coagulopathy [platelet count, 77,000 microl(-1) in case 1, and platelet count, 98,000 microl(-1) in case 2]. Each patient underwent general anesthesia using propofol and remifentanil. They were given 0.5% ropivacaine 20ml for RSB under ultrasound-guidance. Their hemodynamics was stable and they did not need another muscle relaxant during operation, except succinylcholine during induction. RSB is useful for abdominal operations. In addition, ultrasonogrhaphy facilitates the prediction of depth of the posterior rectus sheath and improves the accuracy of local anesthetic placement. We conclude that RSB is effective for improving postoperative pain and intraoperative muscle relaxation of the abdominal wall. Ultrasound-guided RSB is an alternative method to central neuraxial blockade.

[Peripheral nerve blocks for a patient with spondylolysis undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction].

A 24-year-old man, 178 cm tall and weighting 82 kg, underwent anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. We gave general anesthesia and ultrasound-guided combined femoral and sciatic nerve block. Neuraxial blocks increase the risk of neuropathy in the patient with spondylolysis compared with peripheral nerve blocks. In this report, we describe the successful postoperative pain control with peripheral nerve blocks to a patient with spondylolysis.

Ultrasound-guided medial mid-thigh approach to sciatic nerve block with a patient in a supine position.

We report the use of a 'medial mid-thigh approach (medial approach),' a new approach for performing ultrasound-guided sciatic nerve blockade (SNB) with patients in a supine position. Fifty-four patients undergoing knee surgery under general anesthesia and a combined femoral nerve block (FNB) and SNB were included in the study. After FNB, an ultrasound-guided medial approach was used to perform the SNB. The patient was placed in a supine position, and the hip and knee joints were flexed with the leg rotating externally. A linear ultrasound transducer was positioned perpendicular to the skin at the level of the upper mid-thigh. The sciatic nerve was identified in all patients using ultrasound imaging, and the distance to the nerve was 3.0-5.5 cm. A combined ultrasound- and nerve stimulator-guided SNB was then performed, and 0.375% ropivacaine was administered. The block was successful in all patients, and the mean duration of the sensory and motor blockade was 11.9 and 8.2 h, respectively. In this study, the medial approach was highly successful and easy to perform. As performing a simultaneous FNB and SNB with patients in a supine position has several potential advantages, future studies should compare this approach with other more proximal approaches for performing SNB.