Airway Management in an Infant With Huge Hydrocephalus.

Huge hydrocephalus is defined as a head circumference larger than the length of the child. We discuss the perioperative anesthetic management of a case of huge hydrocephalus during ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement, focusing primarily on the airway management. The patient was a 4-month-old with a midline supratentorial lesion causing obstructive hydrocephalus due to compression of the sylvian aqueduct.

Ventilatory Management During Intraoperative Airway Obstruction due to Endotracheal Tube Kinking.

We present a case of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) endotracheal (ET) tube kinking and discuss the airway pressure changes, implications, and ventilation-based methods to functionally remedy the situation. The kink developed in the intraoral portion of an 8.5-cm PVC ET tube in a patient undergoing T3-T5 laminectomy in the prone position, heralded by a sudden increase in peak airway pressure.

Intraoperative aberrant bispectral index values due to facial nerve monitoring.

Bispectral index is an accepted depth of anaesthesia monitor for guiding intraoperative hypnotic agent administration. Frontalis EMG displayed on BIS monitor may increase due to twitching of frontalis muscle. EMG increases are also known to cause artefactual increases in BIS values.

Simple Cost-Effective Alternative to Fluid and Blood Warming System to Prevent Intraoperative Hypothermia.

Fluid and blood warming devices are useful in situations of massive transfusions and in pediatric patients. However, the initial cost and disposable nature of many of these devices are a major hindrance in their efficient utilization. We report a simple cost-effective means of warming blood and other fluids, consisting of intravenous tubing coiled around the hose of a convective body warmer before its connection to the patient.