Delayed Cerebral Infarction Following Trans-Sylvian Surgery for Craniopharyngioma Presenting as Status Epilepticus.

The postoperative period after craniopharyngioma surgery has a high likelihood of complications and its management can be challenging. We present the case of a 10-year-old boy who was operated for craniopharyngioma. In the postoperative period he developed lacunar infarct, endocrine disturbances, delayed vasospasm leading to cerebral infarction and status epilepticus. The likely cause of status epilepticus was likely delayed cerebral infarction compounded with dyselectrolytemia. We discuss the possible etiology of delayed cerebral infarction.

Perioperative challenges in management of a deaf and dumb patient posted for high-risk cardiac surgery.

Perioperative management of deaf and dumb patients can be a challenging task. For smooth postoperative recovery, proper care should begin in the preoperative period. Understanding the patients' needs and training him to follow the instructions requires to involve a communication specialist. Judicious use of sedatives and analgesics is essential to keep the patient pain-free and comfortable. Postoperatively, the patient should be kept awake, enough to understand the internal need of the body and to make a meaningful response to external stimuli. Adequate preoperative planning and coordinated team efforts with involvement of specialists can help in delivering better postoperative care.

Intractable hyperkalemia due to nicorandil induced potassium channel syndrome.

Nicorandil is a commonly used antianginal agent, which has both nitrate-like and ATP-sensitive potassium (K ATP ) channel activator properties. Activation of potassium channels by nicorandil causes expulsion of potassium ions into the extracellular space leading to membrane hyperpolarization, closure of voltage-gated calcium channels and finally vasodilatation. However, on the other hand, being an activator of K ATP channel, it can expel K + ions out of the cells and can cause hyperkalemia. Here, we report a case of nicorandil induced hyperkalemia unresponsive to medical treatment in a patient with diabetic nephropathy.

Cardiac surgery in a patient with immunological thrombocytopenic purpura: complications and precautions.

Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) patients are at high-risk for bleeding complications during and after cardiac surgeries involving cardiopulmonary bypass. We report a patient with ITP with severe coronary artery disease and mitral valve regurgitation who underwent uncomplicated coronary artery bypass grafting and mitral valve replacement. Three weeks later, the patient was readmitted in a very low general condition with signs of pericardial tamponade. We describe our experience of managing the case.

The clinical profile and surgical treatment of tetralogy of Fallot in the adult: results of repair in 200 patients.

This report describes our 17-year experience with intracardiac repair in 200 patients older than 14 years with tetralogy of Fallot. Congestive failure, hemoptysis, and cerebral abscess were present in 15, 10, and 3% of patients, respectively. Prior palliative shunts had been performed in 24.5% only. Polycythemia with a hematocrit greater than 60% was noted in 100 patients but was not considered an incremental risk factor (p greater than 0.05). A transannular gusset was utilized in 74% of patients in the last 5 years of the study. Hospital mortality was 1.3% in the last 5 years. Ninety-seven percent of survivors at follow-up are asymptomatic and leading an active life. Recatheterization data from 86 patients revealed excellent or good results in 88%. The incidence of residual ventricular defect was 1% overall, with a zero incidence in the last 12 years. On the basis of this review, we consider that easier and hemodynamically satisfactory repair has been achieved in the adolescent and older patient compared with the child. The ultimate longevity, however, must await the results of long-term functional and serial hemodynamic evaluation.