Changes in motor evoked potentials after erector spinae block in scoliosis surgery-when to take pre-incision baseline recordings?

Multimodal intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) is highly valuable in scoliosis surgeries for monitoring spinal cord function, particularly during instrumentation. Accurate timing of baseline recordings of TcMEP and SSEP is crucial, as any changes observed during surgery and instrumentation are compared to these baseline recordings. However, the impact of ultrasound-guided erector spinae block (USG-ESPB) on SSEP and TcMEP is not well-studied in scoliosis surgery. In this report, we present two cases of scoliosis surgery where bilateral two-level USG-ESPB using different concentrations of ropivacaine (0.375% and 0.2%) resulted in a transient and significant deterioration of TcMEP, occurring 3 minutes after the block and lasting for 20 minutes. Remarkably, SSEPs remained unchanged during this period. These findings suggest that USG-ESPB may produce TcMEP changes, highlighting the importance of carefully considering the timing of baseline TcMEP acquisition in scoliosis surgery.

Factors influencing the need for emergent conversion to general anesthesia during mechanical thrombectomy in acute anterior circulation stroke - A retrospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: Endovascular mechanical thrombectomy (EMT) for acute ischemic stroke can be conducted under conscious sedation (CS) or general anesthesia (GA). Emergency conversion from CS to GA during the procedure can occur, but its predictors and impact on clinical outcomes are not fully understood. METHODS: A single centre retrospective analysis was conducted on 226 patients who underwent EMT for anterior circulation stroke. Two groups were identified: patients who completed the procedure under CS and those requiring emergency conversion to GA. The predictors of emergency conversion to GA and its impact on clinical outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: Forty-five patients (19.9%) required conversion to GA. Atrial fibrillation (OR 2.38; CI 1.09-5.22; p = 0.03) and prolonged duration of procedure (OR 1.02; CI 1.01-1.04; p < 0.001) were identified as the independent predictors of emergency conversion to GA. CONCLUSION: Patients with atrial fibrillation and prolonged duration of procedure especially when utilizing combined aspiration-stent retriever or angioplasty/stenting techniques, had a higher likelihood of requiring emergency conversion to general anesthesia (GA).

Acute ischemic stroke & emergency mechanical thrombectomy: The effect of type of anesthesia on early outcome.

BACKGROUND: Endovascular mechanical thrombectomy (EMT) is the standard of care for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) caused by proximal large vessel occlusions. There is conflicting evidence on outcome of patients undergoing EMT under procedural sedation (PS) or general anesthesia (GA). In this retrospective study we analyze the effect of GA and PS on the functional outcome of patients undergoing EMT. METHODS: Patients who have been admitted at our institute AIS and were treated with EMT under GA or PS between January 2015 and September 2018 were included in the study. Primary end point was the proportion of patients with good functional outcome as defined by a modified Rankin score (mRS) 0-2 at discharge. RESULTS: A total of 155 patients were analyzed in this study including 45 (29.03 %) patients who received 97 GA, 110 (70.9 %) PS and 31 of these received Dexmedetomidine/Remifentanil. The median (IQR) 98 mRS at discharge was 4.0 (1.0-4.0) in the GA group Vs 3.00, (1.00-4.00) in the PS group. Among the secondary outcomes the lowest MAP recorded was significantly less in GA group (64.56 100 ± 18.70) compared to PS group (70.86 ± 16.30); p = 0.03. The PS group had a lower odd of mRS 3-5 (after adjustment), however, this finding was statistically not significant (OR 0.52 [0.07-3.5] 102 p = 0.5). CONCLUSIONS: Our retrospective analysis did not find any influence of GA compared to PS whenever this was delivered by target controlled infusion (TCI) of propofol or by remifentanil/dexmedetomidine (REX) on early functional outcome.

Delayed incidental diagnosis of postoperative extradural hematoma following ventriculoperitoneal shunt.

Ventriculo peritoneal (VP) shunt uncommonly complicates as intracranial hematomas which can still occur in patients with a functioning VP shunt leading to a delay in the diagnosis which can be extremely dangerous and lead to adverse outcomes. We report a case of an incidental diagnosis of delayed post-operative EDH following VP shunt in an young adult patient with a right cerebellar lesion and highlight the need for meticulous post-operative neurological examination.

Successful anesthetic management for microsurgical excision of ruptured cerebellar arteriovenous malformation with trapped endovascular microcatheter.

Microsurgical excision and good anesthetic management of arteriovenous malformation (AVM) that ruptures during endovascular embolization can ensure good outcome despite per-procedural catastrophe. This case report illustrates the successful anesthetic management of microsurgical excision of ruptured AVM with entrapped microcatheter and highlights the role of the anesthesiologist in careful monitoring of the patient's hemodynamic status and communicating any changes to the radiology team to facilitate check angiography to diagnose the intracranial complication. This case highlights the need for anticipating and defining a catastrophe plan in advance of each interventional neuroradiology procedure as complications are rapid and require good multidisciplinary communication to ensure safe and successful outcomes.