Importance of Life-Long Alerts in Electronic Medical Report Systems for Patients With Positive Antigen Screening.

Perioperative red blood cell transfusions are common. Antigen screening, performed via indirect Coombs test, is required prior to red blood cell transfusion. False-negative test results can lead to acute or delayed hemolytic transfusion reactions. This case report emphasizes the importance of using life-long alerts in a hospital's electronic medical record system for patients with positive antigen screening to prevent false-negative preoperative antigen results from leading to hemolytic transfusion reactions.

Preoperative Evaluation of Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common disease of older adults. It presents a unique set of anesthetic challenges. With increasing life expectancy and the rapid growth of oldest-old patients, it is now more likely for anesthesiologists to encounter older patients with PD. Due to polypharmacy in the older adults with PD a potential for drug interactions during and after surgery needs to be considered. More data from prospective, multicenter trials about short- and long-term outcomes of anesthesia in PD patients are needed.

Anesthetic Considerations in Patients With Achondroplasia.

Anesthetic management of achondroplastic patients warrants special anatomical and physiological considerations due to significant variations in the airway as well as the spine in regional techniques. In this report, we present the case of a 30-year-old morbidly obese male with achondroplasia, end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on hemodialysis, and renal osteodystrophy, who was scheduled for incision and drainage of a rectal abscess. Preoperative evaluation revealed Mallampati IV airway with a short neck and a scoliotic spine with possible atlantoaxial instability.