Use of a Minimally Invasive Cardiac Output Monitor to Optimise Haemodynamics in a Patient with Mitral Valve Disease Undergoing Cerebrovascular Surgery.

Patients with mitral valve disease undergoing cerebrovascular surgery face increased inherent risks due to their associated cardiac comorbidities. As such, the anaesthetic management of such patients is distinctly challenging. Simultaneous consideration of both the cerebrovascular and underlying cardiac conditions determines key anaesthetic issues, as fluids and vasopressors or inotropes need to be titrated according to haemodynamic variables in order to optimise cerebral blood flow without compromising cardiac function. We report a 45-year-old female patient with mild mitral stenosis and moderate-to-severe mitral regurgitation who presented to the Khoula Hospital, Muscat, Oman, in 2016 following a ruptured anterior communicating artery aneurysm requiring urgent surgical intervention. As highlighted in this case, the VolumeView EV1000™ (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, California, USA) system is a minimially invasive haemodynamic monitor that can help immensely in the perioperative management of such patients.

Combination of Continuous Dexmedetomidine Infusion with Titrated Ultra-Low-Dose Propofol-Fentanyl for an Awake Craniotomy.

An awake craniotomy is a continuously evolving technique used for the resection of brain tumours from the eloquent cortex. We report a 29-year-old male patient who presented to the Khoula Hospital, Muscat, Oman, in 2016 with a two month history of headaches and convulsions due to a space-occupying brain lesion in close proximity with the left motor cortex. An awake craniotomy was conducted using a scalp block, continuous dexmedetomidine infusion and a titrated ultra-low-dose of propofolfentanyl. The patient remained comfortable throughout the procedure and the intraoperative neuropsychological tests, brain mapping and tumour resection were successful. This case report suggests that dexmedetomidine in combination with titrated ultra-low-dose propofolfentanyl are effective options during an awake craniotomy, ensuring optimum sedation, minimal disinhibition and a rapid recovery. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first awake craniotomy conducted successfully in Oman.