We here describe a rare case of a 26-year-old male patient, presenting to our hospital after a motorcycle-car accident for the surgical management of long-bone fractures to the tibia and femur and shoulder dislocation and undergoing orthopedic surgery, who postoperatively developed seizure, coma, and respiratory failure due to a cerebral fat embolism. After some hours after the surgery, a loss of consciousness was described by caregivers, and the ICU team was alerted, and the patient was admitted to ICU. Intracranial hemorrhage and stroke were subsequently excluded and, finally, a whole-body computed tomography angiography scan and head magnetic resonance imaging showed lesions consistent with cerebral fat embolism.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Difficult intubation is the situation when a skilled anesthetist has difficulties to manage airway using face mask, laryngoscopy, supraglottic device, tracheal intubation, surgery. Videolaryngoscope and flexible fibroscope (FFS) represent valid alternatives for difficult airway management, with some limitations. However, literature lacks of studies about the efficacy of the combined use of videolaryngoscope and FFS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: This case of psittacosis in children, is the first described in literature, in Italy. This respiratory infection can be transmitted to humans from the inhalation of respiratory secretions, feces and plumage aerosol of infected birds (and other animals). Usually it can have an asymptomatic or paucisymptomatic course, and the onset is often flu-like, but in this case the child risked his life for a severe respiratory failure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: We sought to evaluate dexmedetomidine efficacy in assuring comfort and sparing conventional drugs when used for prolonged sedation (≥24 hr) in critically ill patients, by using validated clinical scores while systematically collecting drug dosages. We also evaluated the safety profile of dexmedetomidine and the risk factors associated with adverse events.
Design: Observational prospective study.
The causes of embryological developmental anomalies leading to laryngotracheoesophageal clefts (LTECs) are not known, but are proposed to be multifactorial, including genetic and environmental factors. Haploinsufficiency of the RERE gene might contribute to different phenotypes seen in individuals with 1p36 deletions. We describe a neonate of an obese mother, diagnosed with type IV LTEC and type III esophageal atresia (EA), in which a 1p36 deletion including the RERE gene was detected.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF