Intraoperative Anesthetic Care During Emergent/Urgent Craniotomy or Craniectomy for Intracranial Hypertension or Herniation: A Systematic Review.

This systematic review aimed to identify and describe best practice for the intraoperative anesthetic management of patients undergoing emergent/urgent decompressive craniotomy or craniectomy for any indication. The PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases were searched for articles related to urgent/emergent craniotomy/craniectomy for intracranial hypertension or brain herniation. Only articles focusing on intraoperative anesthetic management were included; those investigating surgical or intensive care unit management were excluded.

Intraoperative Seizure Under General Anesthesia Not Detected by EEG: A Case Report.

Intraoperative seizures under general anesthesia are infrequent. However, seizure activity under general anesthesia confirmed by contemporaneous EEG has been reported. We describe the case of a 39-year-old female undergoing right frontal brain tumor resection who experienced an intraoperative seizure.

Differences in Perioperative Management of Patients Undergoing Complex Spine Surgery: A Global Perspective.

Background: The aim of this survey was to understand institutional spine surgery practices and their concordance with published best practices/recommendations.

Methods: Using a global internet-based survey examining perioperative spine surgery practice, reported institutional spine pathway elements (n=139) were compared with the level of evidence published in guideline recommendations. The concordance of clinical practice with guidelines was categorized as poor (≤20%), fair (21%-40%), moderate (41%-60%), good (61%-80%), or very good (81%-100%).

Fosaprepitant Does Not Interfere With Commonly Used Intraoperative Neuromonitoring Modalities Under General Anesthesia: A Preliminary Study.

Background: Fosaprepitant [Emend®], a neurokinin type-1 [NK-1] receptor antagonist, is a highly effective for the prophylaxis of postoperative nausea and vomiting [PONV] after general anesthesia; it is particularly effective in patients undergoing neurosurgical procedures. Based on the widespread distribution of NK-1 receptors in the central and peripheral nervous systems, we sought to determine whether fosaprepitant administration would interfere with commonly used intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring modalities during general anesthesia.

Methods: Eleven patients having propofol-based general anesthesia for interventional neuroradiology procedures were administered 150 mg fosaprepitant intravenously after baseline electroencephalogram [EEG], transcranial motor evoked potential [TcMEP], and somatosensory evoked potential [SSEP] recordings were obtained.

Perioperative Care of Patients Undergoing Major Complex Spinal Instrumentation Surgery: Clinical Practice Guidelines From the Society for Neuroscience in Anesthesiology and Critical Care.

Evidence-based standardization of the perioperative management of patients undergoing complex spine surgery can improve outcomes such as enhanced patient satisfaction, reduced intensive care and hospital length of stay, and reduced costs. The Society for Neuroscience in Anesthesiology and Critical Care (SNACC) tasked an expert group to review existing evidence and generate recommendations for the perioperative management of patients undergoing complex spine surgery, defined as surgery on 2 or more thoracic and/or lumbar spine levels. Institutional clinical management protocols can be constructed based on the elements included in these clinical practice guidelines, and the evidence presented.

Rapid Blood Transfusion: The Importance of Hemodilution and Needleless Connectors.

Introduction:  Large-bore cannulas are critical to administering IV fluids and blood products during resuscitation and treatment of hemorrhage. Although catheter flow rates for crystalloid solutions are well defined, rapid administration of blood products is poorly characterized. In this in vitro study, we examined the effects of hemodilution and needleless connectors on red blood cell (RBC) flow rates.

Incidence of Anaphylaxis to Sugammadex in a Single-Center Cohort of 19,821 Patients.

Background: Sugammadex is a modified cyclodextrin that is being increasingly used in anesthetic practice worldwide for the reversal of the aminosteroid neuromuscular blockers rocuronium and vecuronium. Its safety profile, however, is incompletely understood. One such aspect is the incidence of anaphylactic reactions that occur after its administration.

Intraoperative Transcranial Motor-evoked Potential Stimulation Does Not Seem to Cause Seizures.

Background: Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring is of critical importance in evaluating the functional integrity of the central nervous system during surgery of the central or peripheral nervous system. In a large recent study, transcranial motor-evoked potentials (TcMEPs) were found to be associated with a 0.7% risk of inducing a seizure as diagnosed by clinical observation and electromyography in patients having general anesthesia with intravenous anesthetics.

Intraoperative Kirschner Wire Migration during Robotic Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery.

We present the case of a 58-year-old woman who underwent a minimally invasive robotic-assisted L4-S1 instrumentation and fusion which was complicated by a Kirschner wire (K-wire) fracture and migration into the abdominal cavity necessitating emergent exploratory laparotomy. Retrieval of the K-wire proceeded without incident, and the patient had an otherwise uneventful surgery and recovery. This is the first such case description reported in the literature.

Paradoxical Critical Hyperkalemia After Acetazolamide for Cerebrovascular Reactivity Study: A Case Report.

We present the case of a 42-year-old man with moyamoya disease presenting for cerebral revascularization surgery who developed critical hyperkalemia following a single intravenous (iv) dose of 1000 mg of acetazolamide 1 day preoperatively for a cerebrovascular reactivity study. His potassium increased from 5.1 to 6.

An Anesthesia Attempt to Be Green: How Do You Waste Your Carbon Dioxide Absorbers?

Operating room waste is categorized as noncontaminated solid waste (SW) and regulated medical waste (RMW). RMW is treated by autoclaving at an increased economic and environmental cost. We evaluated these costs with a focus on the disposable carbon dioxide (CO2) absorbers.

Inaccurate Blood Pressure Readings in the Intensive Care Unit: An Observational Study.

Measuring and monitoring cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) is important in the management of patients with certain neurological conditions. To accurately reflect blood pressure at the circle of Willis, the arterial line transducer should be leveled at the tragus. This study measured the relative distance of the transducer to the tragus in 100 intensive care unit (ICU) patients in the mixed ICU at our institution, of which 44 patients had a pressure-sensitive neurological diagnosis.

Effect of Head Rotation on Jugular Vein Patency Under General Anesthesia.

Head rotation causes compression and occlusion of the ipsilateral internal jugular (IJ) vein. This can result in raised intracranial pressure and increased bleeding if the patient is having or has recently had surgery. The amount of head rotation in adults resulting in occlusion of the ipsilateral IJ vein is unknown however.

Acetaminophen Does Not Reduce Postoperative Opiate Consumption in Patients Undergoing Craniotomy for Cerebral Revascularization: A Randomized Control Trial.

Background Postoperative management in patients undergoing craniotomy is unique and challenging. We utilized a population of patients who underwent bilateral extracranial-to-intracranial (EC-IC bypass) revascularization procedures for moyamoya disease and hypothesized that 1 gram (gm) of intravenous (IV) acetaminophen given immediately after intubation and again 45 minutes prior to the end of craniotomy may be more effective than saline in minimizing opiate consumption and decreasing pain scores. Methods In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover pilot study, 40 craniotomies in 20 patients were studied.

The use of end-tidal argon to detect venous air embolism: foiled by "fake oxygen!".

Venous air-embolism (VAE) potentially catastrophic complication surgery. Based on previous data using changes in end-tidal nitrogen as an indicator of VAE, we surmised that changes in end-tidal argon (EtAr) may be an indicator of VAE. We sought to determine if a commercial mass-spectrometer (PCT Proline Analyzer 61700-8 Class 85, Ametek, Pittsburgh, PA 15238) could be used to detect changes in EtAr in an invitro model.