Intraoperative vascular air embolism and intracardiac thrombosis complicating liver transplantation: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Intracardiac thrombus and vascular air embolism represent rare complications in the context of orthotopic liver transplantation. While isolated reports exist for intracardiac thrombus and vascular air embolism during orthotopic liver transplantation, this report presents the first documentation of their simultaneous occurrence in this surgical setting. CASE PRESENTATION: This case report outlines the clinical course of a 60-year-old white female patient with end-stage liver disease complicated by portal hypertension, ascites, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The patient underwent orthotopic liver transplantation and encountered concurrent intraoperative complications involving intracardiac thrombus and vascular air embolism. Transesophageal echocardiography revealed the presence of air in the left ventricle and a thrombus in the right atrium and ventricle. Successful management ensued, incorporating hemodynamic support, anticoagulation, and thrombolytic therapy, culminating in the patient's discharge after a week. CONCLUSIONS: This report highlights the potential for simultaneous intraoperative complications during orthotopic liver transplantation, manifesting at any phase of the surgery. It underscores the critical importance of vigilant monitoring throughout orthotopic liver transplantation to promptly identify and effectively address these rare yet potentially catastrophic complications.

Perioperative Pulmonary Atelectasis: Part II. Clinical Implications.

The development of pulmonary atelectasis is common in the surgical patient. Pulmonary atelectasis can cause various degrees of gas exchange and respiratory mechanics impairment during and after surgery. In its most serious presentations, lung collapse could contribute to postoperative respiratory insufficiency, pneumonia, and worse overall clinical outcomes. A specific risk assessment is critical to allow clinicians to optimally choose the anesthetic technique, prepare appropriate monitoring, adapt the perioperative plan, and ensure the patient's safety. Bedside diagnosis and management have benefited from recent imaging advancements such as lung ultrasound and electrical impedance tomography, and monitoring such as esophageal manometry. Therapeutic management includes a broad range of interventions aimed at promoting lung recruitment. During general anesthesia, these strategies have consistently demonstrated their effectiveness in improving intraoperative oxygenation and respiratory compliance. Yet these same intraoperative strategies may fail to affect additional postoperative pulmonary outcomes. Specific attention to the postoperative period may be key for such outcome impact of lung expansion. Interventions such as noninvasive positive pressure ventilatory support may be beneficial in specific patients at high risk for pulmonary atelectasis (e.g., obese) or those with clinical presentations consistent with lung collapse (e.g., postoperative hypoxemia after abdominal and cardiothoracic surgeries). Preoperative interventions may open new opportunities to minimize perioperative lung collapse and prevent pulmonary complications. Knowledge of pathophysiologic mechanisms of atelectasis and their consequences in the healthy and diseased lung should provide the basis for current practice and help to stratify and match the intensity of selected interventions to clinical conditions.

Vascular Injuries During Hip and Knee Replacement.

Vascular injuries associated with hip and knee arthroplasty are rare but can result in devastating outcomes for the patient. A sound knowledge of vascular anatomy, potential mechanisms of injury, and diagnosis and management of vascular injuries are vital to an arthroplasty surgeon. Identifying high-risk patients and procedures allows careful preoperative planning, which combined with meticulous intraoperative technique, may help avoid vascular complications. When vascular injuries do occur, early recognition and intervention are critical to an improved outcome.

Treatment threshold for intra-operative hypotension in clinical practice-a prospective cohort study in older patients in the UK.

Intra-operative hypotension frequently complicates anaesthesia in older patients and is implicated in peri-operative organ hypoperfusion and injury. The prevalence and corresponding treatment thresholds of hypotension are incompletely described in the UK. This study aimed to identify prevalence of intra-operative hypotension and its treatment thresholds in UK practice. Patients aged ≥ 65 years were studied prospectively from 196 UK hospitals within a 48-hour timeframe. The primary outcome was the incidence of hypotension (mean arterial pressure <65 mmHg; systolic blood pressure reduction >20%; systolic blood pressure <100 mmHg). Secondary outcomes included the treatment blood pressure threshold for vasopressors; incidence of acute kidney injury; myocardial injury; stroke; and in-hospital mortality. Additionally, anaesthetists providing care for included patients were asked to complete a survey assessing their intended treatment thresholds for hypotension. Data were collected from 4750 patients. Hypotension affected 61.0% of patients when defined as mean arterial pressure <65 mmHg, 91.3% of patients had >20% reduction in systolic blood pressure from baseline and 77.5% systolic blood pressure <100 mmHg. The mean (SD) blood pressure triggering vasopressor therapy was mean arterial pressure 64.2 (11.6) mmHg and the mean (SD) stated intended treatment threshold from the survey was mean arterial pressure 60.6 (9.7) mmHg. A composite adverse outcome of myocardial injury, kidney injury, stroke or death affected 345 patients (7.3%). In this representative sample of UK peri-operative practice, the majority of older patients experienced intra-operative hypotension and treatment was delivered below suggested thresholds. This highlights both potential for intra-operative organ injury and substantial opportunity for improving treatment of intra-operative hypotension.

Efficacy of the Treatment of Intraperitoneal Bladder Perforation during Transurethral Resection of Bladder Tumor with the Urethral Catheter Alone: Retrospective Analysis of over 15 Years Using the Clinical Data Warehouse System.

INTRODUCTION: We investigated the efficacy of a urethral catheter alone for intraperitoneal perforation during transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated the medical records of 4,543 patients who underwent TURBT from January 2000 to December 2017 using the Clinical Data Warehouse system. The clinicopathologic characteristics, recurrence-free survival, and progression-free survival were compared between the patient groups with intraperitoneal perforation treated with the Foley catheter alone, extraperitoneal perforation, and matched control TURBT. RESULTS: Intraperitoneal perforation and extraperitoneal perforation were observed in 16 (35.6%) and 29 (64.4%) patients, respectively. In the intraperitoneal perforation group, 11 (68.8%), 2 (12.5%), and 3 (18.8%) patients were treated with the Foley catheter alone, additional percutaneous drainage, and delayed open surgery, respectively. The use of the Foley catheter alone in patients with intraperitoneal perforation of smaller size than the cystoscope or no pelvic radiotherapy history showed improved efficacy without sequelae or therapeutic delay. One of the 2 patients with the size of the intraperitoneal perforation larger than the cystoscope was successfully treated with the Foley catheter alone, whereas the other patient underwent delayed surgical repair. There was no difference in recurrence-free survival and progression-free survival of the intraperitoneal perforation treated with the Foley catheter alone compared to those of the matched control TURBT (p = 0.909, p = 0.518) and the extraperitoneal perforation (p = 0.458, p = 0.699). CONCLUSIONS: Intraperitoneal perforation rarely occurred during TURBT. In the case of intraperitoneal perforation of size smaller than cystoscopy or without pelvic radiotherapy history, treatment with the Foley alone showed successful improvement and safe oncological results. Therefore, treatment with the urethral catheter alone can be carefully considered when an intraperitoneal perforation smaller than the cystoscope size or without pelvic radiotherapy history occurs.

Perioperative Pulmonary Atelectasis: Part I. Biology and Mechanisms.

Pulmonary atelectasis is common in the perioperative period. Physiologically, it is produced when collapsing forces derived from positive pleural pressure and surface tension overcome expanding forces from alveolar pressure and parenchymal tethering. Atelectasis impairs blood oxygenation and reduces lung compliance. It is increasingly recognized that it can also induce local tissue biologic responses, such as inflammation, local immune dysfunction, and damage of the alveolar-capillary barrier, with potential loss of lung fluid clearance, increased lung protein permeability, and susceptibility to infection, factors that can initiate or exaggerate lung injury. Mechanical ventilation of a heterogeneously aerated lung (e.g., in the presence of atelectatic lung tissue) involves biomechanical processes that may precipitate further lung damage: concentration of mechanical forces, propagation of gas-liquid interfaces, and remote overdistension. Knowledge of such pathophysiologic mechanisms of atelectasis and their consequences in the healthy and diseased lung should guide optimal clinical management.

Application of Self-Adhesive Soft Silicone Common Foam Dressing in Reducing Intraoperative Pressure Ulcers in Elderly ICU Patients.

Pressure ulcer (PU), also called pressure injury, is localized damage to the skin and underlying soft tissues, usually over bony prominences, as a result of sustained mechanical loads applied to the tissues. However, in many situations, complete off-loading of sacral PUs is not possible. Minimising the exposure of wounds and their surroundings to elevated mechanical loads is crucial for healing. We for the first time reported the application of Meipicang in the prevention and treatment of intraoperative pressure ulcers in elderly ICU patients with severe illness. We found that the pressure ulcer risk score (20.15 ± 2.17) in the dressing group after intervention was higher than that (17.42 ± 3.62) in the regular group. The incidence of pressure sores in the dressing group was 3.77% lower than the 18.88% in the regular group. The psychological concern score (31.41 ± 3.15) of the dressing group was higher than that (26.92 ± 3.43) of the regular group. The trust score (29.57 ± 2.61) of the dressing group was higher than the score (24.28 ± 2.29) of the regular group. The score of physiological problems in the dressing group (34.69 ± 3.82) is higher than that in the regular group (29.88 ± 3.54). The skin complication rate of the dressing group was 5.56% lower than that of the regular group (22.64%). The comfort score (92.46 ± 4.15) of the dressing group was higher than that (80.59 ± 5.43) of the regular group. The nursing satisfaction score (94.53 ± 3.72) of the dressing group was higher than that (81.79 ± 4.61) of the regular group. To conclude, in this study, we found that the Meipicang dressing can reduce the incidence of pressure ulcers in ICU patients with severe ICU and improve the comfort and nursing satisfaction of elderly ICU patients with severe ICU, which is worthy of promotion.

Management of neurophysiological monitoring changes during carotid endarterectomy exposure.

BACKGROUND: Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) is a safe and effective operation in the management of carotid stenosis. Intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring (IONM) changes during carotid clamping has been well studied, but there is scant evidence detailing IONM changes during carotid exposure. OBJECTIVE: We analyzed our experience with IONM changes during CEA exposure to determine whether multimodal IONM changes during exposure predict outcomes and how best to manage this challenging clinical scenario. METHODS: We reviewed all CEAs performed at our medical center between January 2015 and June 2020 and identified patients with multimodal IONM changes during exposure of the carotid artery. Our primary outcomes were perioperative stroke and functional outcomes. Functional outcomes were measured by modified Rankin scale (mRS), with good functional outcome defined at mRS scores 0-3. We also reviewed our intraoperative IONM change management strategies. RESULTS: Five patients (4 males, 1 female) with an average age of 67 ± 12 years had intraoperative IONM changes during carotid exposure. Among these, three patients were discharged with good functional outcome, and four patients had a good functional outcome at last follow-up. Two patients had perioperative stroke, half of which resulted in significant disability. One patient was transferred to the neuroendovascular suite intraoperatively for evaluation for thromboembolism followed by angioplasty and stenting with distal protection. CONCLUSION: Intraoperative IONM changes during carotid exposure predict outcomes in CEA. We propose that transition to the neuroendovascular suite following significant IONM changes during carotid exposure may be a useful strategy for management of this challenging clinical scenario. This approach provides the opportunity to evaluate and treat thromboembolism and still complete carotid revascularization when appropriate. This algorithm may be particularly useful in the era of dual trained vascular neurosurgeons.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation in special circumstances.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation prioritises treatment for cardiac arrests from a primary cardiac cause, which make up the majority of treated cardiac arrests. Early chest compressions and, when indicated, a defibrillation shock from a bystander give the best chance of survival with a good neurological status. Cardiac arrest can also be caused by special circumstances, such as asphyxia, trauma, pulmonary embolism, accidental hypothermia, anaphylaxis, or COVID-19, and during pregnancy or perioperatively. Cardiac arrests in these circumstances represent an increasing proportion of all treated cardiac arrests, often have a preventable cause, and require additional interventions to correct a reversible cause during resuscitation. The evidence for treating these conditions is mostly of low or very low certainty and further studies are needed. Irrespective of the cause, treatments for cardiac arrest are time sensitive and most effective when given early-every minute counts.

Clinical Response to Procedural Stroke Following Carotid Endarterectomy: A Delphi Consensus Study.

OBJECTIVE: No dedicated studies have been performed on the optimal management of patients with an acute stroke related to carotid intervention nor is there a solid recommendation given in the European Society for Vascular Surgery guideline. By implementation of an international expert Delphi panel, this study aimed to obtain expert consensus on the optimal management of in hospital stroke occurring during or following CEA and to provide a practical treatment decision tree. METHODS: A four round Delphi consensus study was performed including 31 experts. The aim of the first round was to investigate whether the conceptual model indicating the traditional division between intra- and post-procedural stroke in six phases was appropriate, and to identify relevant clinical responses during these six phases. In rounds 2, 3, and 4, the aim was to obtain consensus on the optimal response to stroke in each predefined setting. Consensus was reached in rounds 1, 3, and 4 when ≥ 70% of experts agreed on the preferred clinical response and in round 2 based on a Likert scale when a median of 7 - 9 (most adequate response) was given, IQR ≤ 2. RESULTS: The experts agreed (> 80%) on the use of the conceptual model. Stroke laterality and type of anaesthesia were included in the treatment algorithm. Consensus was reached in 17 of 21 scenarios (> 80%). Perform diagnostics first for a contralateral stroke in any phase, and for an ipsilateral stroke during cross clamping, or apparent stroke after leaving the operation room. For an ipsilateral stroke during the wake up phase, no formal consensus was achieved, but 65% of the experts would perform diagnostics first. A CT brain combined with a CTA or duplex ultrasound of the carotid arteries should be performed. For an ipsilateral intra-operative stroke after flow restoration, the carotid artery should be re-explored immediately (75%). CONCLUSION: In patients having a stroke following carotid endarterectomy, expedited diagnostics should be performed initially in most phases. In patients who experience an ipsilateral intra-operative stroke following carotid clamp release, immediate re-exploration of the index carotid artery is recommended.

Severe Bronchospasm During Aortic Surgery for Type A Aortic Dissection.

Severe bronchospasm during cardiopulmonary bypass is an unusual but potentially fatal event. No literature previously has reported such an event observed during surgery for type A aortic dissection. Herein, we report on a case of severe bronchospasm following cardiopulmonary bypass, during aortic surgery for type A aortic dissection. Bronchospasm did not respond to any conventional therapy, necessitating extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation thus serves as an alternative and effective therapy for refractory bronchospasm.

Rescue balloon-assisted remodeling technique for protrusion of coil loop: A case report.

RATIONALE: Among the possible complications during endovascular embolization of intracranial aneurysms, coil protrusion into the parent artery is associated with parent artery occlusion or thromboembolic of the distal arteries. There is no clearly established management strategy for coil protrusion. This report demonstrates our experience with balloon-assisted remodeling to reposition a protruded coil loop. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 53-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with severe bursting headache, nausea, and vomiting. Computed tomography showed subarachnoid hemorrhage and digital subtraction angiography revealed an anterior communicating artery aneurysm. We decided to obliterate the aneurysm with endovascular embolization using detachable coils. DIAGNOSIS: A small loop protruded into the parent artery during the removal of the microcatheter. INTERVENTIONS: We performed successful repositioning of the protruded coil loop using balloon inflation. CONCLUSION: The rescue balloon-assisted remodeling technique was useful in the management of protrusion of a small coil loop into the parent artery during endovascular coil embolization of an intracranial aneurysm. The procedure was associated with minimal complications.

Technique to manage intraoperative cuff leak from damaged endotracheal tube pilot balloon.

We report a technique that was utilized to manage an intraoperative airway complication occurring during orthognathic surgery wherein the endotracheal tube pilot balloon was inadvertently damaged during the procedure. Readily available operating room materials were used to safely and rapidly repair the damaged endotracheal tube pilot balloon. This allowed the perioperative team to avoid emergent endotracheal tube exchange and potential airway complications.

Anesthetic Complications Associated With Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 in Pediatric Patients.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with high perioperative morbidity and mortality among adults. The incidence and severity of anesthetic complications in children with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is unknown. We hypothesized that there would be an increased incidence of intra- and postoperative complications in children with SARS-CoV-2 infection as compared to those with negative testing. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study analyzing complications for children <18 years of age who underwent anesthesia between April 28 and September 30, 2020 at a large, academic pediatric hospital. Each child with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test within the prior 10 days was matched to a patient with a negative SARS-CoV-2 test based on American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status, age, gender, and procedure. Children who were intubated before the procedure, underwent organ transplant surgery, or had severe COVID-19 were excluded. The primary outcome was the risk difference of a composite of intra- or postoperative respiratory complications in children positive for SARS-CoV-2 compared to those with negative testing. Secondarily, we used logistic regression to determine the odds ratio for respiratory complications before and after adjustment using propensity scores weighting to adjust for possible confounders. Other secondary outcomes included neurologic, cardiovascular, hematologic, and renal complications, unanticipated postoperative admission to the intensive care unit, length of hospital stay, and mortality. RESULTS: During the study period, 9812 general anesthetics that had a preoperative SARS-CoV-2 test were identified. Sixty encounters occurred in patients who had positive SARS-CoV-2 testing preoperatively and 51 were included for analysis. The matched controls cohort included 99 encounters. A positive SARS-CoV-2 test was associated with a higher incidence of respiratory complications (11.8% vs 1.0%; risk difference 10.8%, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.6-19.8; P = .003). After adjustment, the odds ratio for respiratory complications was 14.37 (95% CI, 1.59-130.39; P = .02) for SARS-CoV-2-positive children as compared to controls. There was no occurrence of acute respiratory distress syndrome, postoperative pneumonia, or perioperative mortality in either group. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric patients with nonsevere SARS-CoV-2 infection had higher rates of perianesthetic respiratory complications than matched controls with negative testing. However, severe morbidity was rare and there were no mortalities. The incidence of complications was similar to previously published rates of perianesthetic complications in the setting of an upper respiratory tract infection. This risk persisted after adjustment for preoperative upper respiratory symptoms, suggesting an increased risk in symptomatic or asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Morbidity and mortality after anaesthesia in early life: results of the European prospective multicentre observational study, neonate and children audit of anaesthesia practice in Europe (NECTARINE).

BACKGROUND: Neonates and infants requiring anaesthesia are at risk of physiological instability and complications, but triggers for peri-anaesthetic interventions and associations with subsequent outcome are unknown. METHODS: This prospective, observational study recruited patients up to 60 weeks' postmenstrual age undergoing anaesthesia for surgical or diagnostic procedures from 165 centres in 31 European countries between March 2016 and January 2017. The primary aim was to identify thresholds of pre-determined physiological variables that triggered a medical intervention. The secondary aims were to evaluate morbidities, mortality at 30 and 90 days, or both, and associations with critical events. RESULTS: Infants (n=5609) born at mean (standard deviation [sd]) 36.2 (4.4) weeks postmenstrual age (35.7% preterm) underwent 6542 procedures within 63 (48) days of birth. Critical event(s) requiring intervention occurred in 35.2% of cases, mainly hypotension (>30% decrease in blood pressure) or reduced oxygenation (SpO2 <85%). Postmenstrual age influenced the incidence and thresholds for intervention. Risk of critical events was increased by prior neonatal medical conditions, congenital anomalies, or both (relative risk [RR]=1.16; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-1.28) and in those requiring preoperative intensive support (RR=1.27; 95% CI, 1.15-1.41). Additional complications occurred in 16.3% of patients by 30 days, and overall 90-day mortality was 3.2% (95% CI, 2.7-3.7%). Co-occurrence of intraoperative hypotension, hypoxaemia, and anaemia was associated with increased risk of morbidity (RR=3.56; 95% CI, 1.64-7.71) and mortality (RR=19.80; 95% CI, 5.87-66.7). CONCLUSIONS: Variability in physiological thresholds that triggered an intervention, and the impact of poor tissue oxygenation on patient's outcome, highlight the need for more standardised perioperative management guidelines for neonates and infants. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02350348.

Intraoperative injuries from abdominopelvic surgery: an analysis of national medicolegal data.

Background: Intraoperative injuries during abdominopelvic surgery can be associated with substantial patient harm. The objective of this study was to describe abdominopelvic intraoperative injuries and their contributing factors among medicolegal cases. Methods: This study was a descriptive analysis of medicolegal matters reported to a national body, with subgroup analyses by type of surgery. We reviewed medicolegal matters involving a population-based sample of physicians who were subject to a civil legal action or complaint to a regulatory authority that was closed between 2013 and 2017 in Canada. Results: Our analysis included 181 civil legal cases and 88 complaints to a regulatory authority. Among legal cases, 155 patients (85.6%) (median age 47 yr) underwent elective procedures. The most common injury site was the bowel (53 cases [29.3%]). Injuries frequently occurred during dissection (79 [43.6%]) and ligation (38 [21.0%]), were identified postoperatively (138 [76.2%]) and necessitated further surgery (139 [76.8%]). Many patients experienced severe harm (55 [30.4%]) or died (25 [13.8%]). Peer experts in nongynecologic cases were more likely than those in gynecologic cases to include criticisms of a provider in a harmful incident (79 [71.2%] v. 30 [42.9%], p < 0.01). Peer expert criticisms often related to clinical evaluation, decision-making and misidentification of anatomy. Criticisms of nontechnical skills identified documentation and communication deficiencies. Conclusion: This study confirms the importance of provider and team training to improve clinical evaluation and decision-making, documentation and communication. Effective protocols may help support clinicians in providing safer surgical care.

Contexte: Les blessures survenant durant une chirurgie abdominopelvienne peuvent être associées à d'importants préjudices chez les patients. La présente étude avait pour but de décrire les blessures peropératoires abdominopelviennes faisant l'objet d'enquêtes médicolégales et à connaître leurs facteurs contributifs. Méthodes: Cette étude comprend une analyse descriptive d'affaires médicolégales signalées à un organisme de réglementation national, ainsi que des analyses par sousgroupes selon le type de chirurgie. Nous avons examiné des cas impliquant un échantillon de médecins canadiens représentatifs de la population qui avaient fait l'objet d'une poursuite au civil ou d'une plainte auprès d'un organisme de réglementation. Toutes les poursuites et plaintes étudiées ont été résolues entre 2013 et 2017. Résultats: Notre analyse comprenait 181 poursuites au civil et 88 plaintes auprès d'un organisme de réglementation. En ce qui concerne les poursuites au civil, 155 patients (85,6 %) (âge médian 47 ans) avaient subi une intervention non urgente. Les blessures déclarées touchaient généralement les intestins (53 cas [29,3 %]). Elles sont fréquemment survenues durant la dissection (79 cas [43,6 %]) et la ligature (38 cas [21,0 %]), ont été repérées en période postopératoire (138 cas [76,2 %]) et ont nécessité une autre chirurgie (139 cas [76,8 %]). De nombreux patients ont subi de graves préjudices (55 cas [30,4 %]) ou sont décédés (25 cas [13,8 %]). Les pairs experts dans un domaine autre que la gynécologie étaient plus susceptibles que ceux experts en gynécologie de critiquer un fournisseur en cas d'incident avec préjudice (79 cas [71,2 %] c. 30 cas [42,9 %]; p < 0,01). Les critiques formulées par les pairs experts portaient souvent sur l'évaluation clinique, la prise de décision et les erreurs d'identification des structures anatomiques. Les critiques visant les habiletés non techniques avaient trait aux lacunes dans la documentation et la communication. Conclusion: Cette étude vient confirmer l'importance que revêt la formation des fournisseurs et de leur équipe dans l'amélioration de la prise de décision, de la documentation et de la communication. Des protocoles efficaces pourraient soutenir l'offre de soins chirurgicaux sûrs par les professionnels de la santé.

Symptomatic Intracranial Hemorrhage after Dural Tear in Spinal Surgery-A Series of 10 Cases and Review of the Literature.

OBJECTIVE: Intracranial hemorrhage (IH) after spinal surgery is a rare but potentially life-threatening complication. Knowledge of predisposing factors and typical clinical signs is essential for early recognition, helping to prevent an unfavorable outcome. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed of patients with IH after spinal surgery treated in our institution between 2012 and 2018. The literature dealing with IH complicating spinal surgery was reviewed. RESULTS: Our investigation found 10 patients with IH (6 female and 4 male). To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest series reported so far. The assumable incidence of IH after spinal surgery in our population was 0.0657%. Durotomy was noticed in 6 patients, all of whom were treated according to a local standard protocol. In 4 patients, the dural tear was occult. Hemorrhage occurred mostly in the cerebellar compartment. Eight of 10 patients had long-standing arterial hypertension, which seems to be a risk factor (hazard ratio, 1.58). Five patients were treated conservatively, whereas 3 required a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) diversion procedure. In 2 patients, revision surgery with duraplasty was necessary. Seven patients were discharged with little to no neurologic symptoms, and 3 had significant deterioration. One patient died because of brainstem herniation. Review of the literature identified 54 articles with 72 patients with IH complicating spinal surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with intraoperative CSF loss should be kept under close supervision postoperatively. After opening of the dura, a watertight closure should be attempted. The use of subfascial suction drainage in cases of a dural tear as well as preexistent arterial hypertension seems to be a risk factor for the development of IH. Intracranial bleeding must be considered in every patient with unexplained neurologic deterioration after spinal surgery and should be ruled out by cranial imaging. To ensure early recognition and prevent an unfavorable outcome, a high index of suspicion is required, especially in revision spinal surgery. The treatment is specific to the extent and location of the IH, thus dictating the outcome. In most patients, conservative treatment led to a good outcome. CSF diversion measures may be necessary in patients with compression or obstruction of the fourth ventricle. Large hematomas with mass effect may require decompressive surgery.