Can remimazolam be safely used in cardiac tamponade?: A case report.

RATIONALE: Remimazolam, a benzodiazepine drug, has recently been developed and is currently used for the induction and maintenance of anesthesia. Remimazolam provides hemodynamic stability during anesthesia induction. However, in patients with cardiac tamponade, it is unclear how hemodynamic stability is maintained during the induction and maintenance of general anesthesia with remimazolam. PATIENT CONCERNS: An 88-year-old male patient had developed hemopericardium due to penetration of a pigtail catheter into the left ventricle during pericardiocentesis, which was performed to treat massive pericardial effusion. DIAGNOSES: The patient was diagnosed with acute cardiac tamponade and a hemothorax. Hemopericardium and hemothorax were confirmed on chest radiography and computed tomography performed immediately after pericardiocentesis. INTERVENTIONS: Decompressive pericardiostomy was performed through a left anterolateral thoracotomy with 1-lung ventilation under general anesthesia. Remimazolam was administered for total intravenous anesthesia. OUTCOMES: Severe hypotension and bradycardia occurred during the induction of anesthesia with remimazolam (6 mg/kg/hours). LESSONS: Remimazolam may induce severe hemodynamic instability during induction of general anesthesia in patient with cardiac tamponade.

Herpes zoster after COVID-19 vaccination, aspect of pain medicine: a retrospective, single-center study.

BACKGROUND: Herpes zoster (HZ) is one of the most common cutaneous adverse reactionsassociated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine and has been widely reported. This study aimed to evaluate HZ following COVID-19 vaccination from the viewpointof pain management. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on 42 patients with HZ who visited the painclinic between August 2021 and October 2021. Medical records were reviewed to comparepain severity, treatment methods, treatment duration, and incidence rate of postherpeticneuralgia (PHN) in patients who received COVID-19 vaccination within 6 weeks prior to developing symptoms compared with other patients with HZ. RESULTS: Fourteen patients developed HZ within 6 weeks after vaccination and were significantly younger than the other HZ groups. There were no significant differences in the frequency of prodromal pain, location of pain, pain severity, treatment methods, treatmentduration, or incidence of PHN compared with the other HZ groups. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 vaccination-related HZ showed clinical features similar to those ofthe other HZ.

Severe pancytopenia and coagulopathy discovered during anesthesia after pre-anesthetic evaluation - A report of two cases.

BACKGROUND: Pre-anesthetic evaluation is an important aspect of perioperative patient management. However, anesthesiologists often encounter challenges during anesthesia due toconditions that are not detected during pre-anesthetic evaluations. CASE: Case 1 involved a 74-year-old female patient scheduled for cranioplasty and meningioma excision. Severe pancytopenia was detected during anesthesia. Cranioplasty was onlyperformed, the surgery was terminated, and drug-induced pancytopenia was diagnosed andtreated. The pre-anesthetic test results were normal, except for anemia. Case 2 involved a71-year-old male patient who discovered large ecchymosis during general anesthesia preparation in the operating room for choledochal cyst surgery. Surgery was canceled to evaluatethe bleeding tendency, and acquired coagulation factor VIII deficiency was diagnosed andtreated. The pre-anesthetic tests were normal, except for prolongation of the activated partial thromboplastin time. CONCLUSIONS: Abrupt hematologic and hemostatic changes may occur during anesthesiaeven though pre-anesthetic evaluation findings are normal.

Assessing the Safety of Total Intravenous Anesthesia with Remimazolam in General Anesthesia for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation of Severe Aortic Valve Stenosis: A Case Series.

Background and Objectives: In patients with severe aortic stenosis (sAS), it is crucial to maintain hemodynamic stability during the induction and maintenance of general anesthesia for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). In this study, we assessed the efficacy and safety of remimazolam in maintaining hemodynamic stability during anesthetic induction and maintenance. Cases: TAVI was performed on seven patients with sAS, and remimazolam was administered for total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) of general anesthesia with induction (3.0 mg/kg/h) and maintenance (1.0 mg/kg/h). All patients underwent TAVI without major hemodynamic concerns and later recovered. Conclusions: Remimazolam can be safely used for induction and maintenance of general anesthesia in patients with sAS when performing TAVI.