Case Reports in Anesthesiology

Tracheal diverticulum (TD) is a rare disease. Due to the worldwide pandemic of COVID-19, the increase of routine preoperative chest CT examination has led to a higher detection rate of TD. Although TD is very rare, it is one of the reasons for difficult intubation and difficult ventilation. Improper treatment can cause severe airway emergencies such as diverticulum tearing, tracheal rupture, and subcutaneous or mediastinal emphysema. Unfortunately, there are few studies on TD, especially in perioperative airway and anesthesia management. This paper reports a case of TD found by preoperative chest CT examination who required tracheal intubation under general anesthesia. For the first time, ultrasound was used to confirm the position of tracheal tube and TD, and good results were achieved. This attempt provides a new idea and method for airway management in patients with TD.

Anaphylaxis, a type 1 hypersensitivity reaction, is a feared but uncommon complication of medications administered in the perioperative period. The incidence of perioperative hypersensitivity reactions has been reported to range from 1 in 20,000 to 1 in 1,361. Anesthesiologists are well aware of common causes of hypersensitivity such as paralytics and antibiotics; however, less common triggers of anaphylaxis need to be considered as well. Midazolam, a short acting benzodiazepine metabolized by cytochrome P450 enzymes, is considered very safe with a minimal risk profile. Previous reports have described adverse reactions to occur within seconds to minutes following the administration of midazolam. We describe a patient with no known history of asthma or allergies who underwent elective hydrocelectomy with spinal analgesia without incident until 42 minutes later at the conclusion of the procedure, when they experienced circulatory collapse necessitating immediate emergency treatment. This case emphasizes the necessity to improve knowledge and awareness of delayed hypersensitivity reactions following the administration of perioperative medications such as midazolam.

Foreign body ingestion remains a common cause of pediatric emergency surgery with button battery ingestion of particular concern. Newer, higher power lithium batteries can cause catastrophic damage of the gastrointestinal tract through erosion of mucosa into surrounding structures. Prompt diagnosis and treatment are paramount. We present a case of an 11-month-old with a button battery lodged in the proximal esophagus. The extraction was difficult and only made possible with the assistance of a video laryngoscope. We make the case for more routine usage of video laryngoscopy for removal of foreign bodies in the upper esophagus.

Background. Surgical fires are known, preventable, and devastating complications of transoral microlaryngeal laser surgery. Several guidelines have recommended maintaining the fraction of inspired oxygen concentration (FiO₂) at or below 30% for open delivery cases. We hereby present our experience utilizing an air/oxygen gas mixing device (blender) attached to a supraglottic manual jet ventilator during transoral laser microlaryngeal surgery in three cases to control oxygen levels. Methods. Retrospective chart review of three cases and literature review. Results. Three patients underwent microlaryngeal laser surgery and balloon dilation for the management of subglottic stenosis. All three patients were successfully ventilated throughout the procedures, and no major complications occurred intraoperatively. Two of three patients demonstrated symptomatic and clinical improvement at the first follow-up. Conclusions. This report demonstrates the successful use of an oxygen/air blender to reduce FiO₂ to fire-safe levels of less than 30% during laser surgery of the airway using jet ventilation.

Objective. Accidental fracture of epidural analgesia catheters has a very low incidence of 2.5 per 100,000 anesthesia. A rare image of the fracture is reported. Methods. A 42-year-old female patient was attending a cesarean section eight years earlier to her consult. In the cesarean section, she received regional epidural anesthesia, and the main complaint was low back pain, specifically between the spinous processes L2 and L3. The somatic pain had been presenting intermittently for eight years. The sagittal section of magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbar spine showed a “golf club” image from the midline to the laminae of L2 and L3 with the subcutaneous tissue. Results. A small right hemilaminectomy was performed to remove the complete catheter, which did not adhere, but was coiled in the S-shape. The catheter was trapped between the left facets of L2 and L3 laterally than through the midline. Several risk factors and therapeutic procedures have been proposed. Conclusion. In a systematic review, 24 articles were reported on this specific issue. No surgical procedure and follow-up were informed by 8 authors. Surgical remotion by laminectomy was used in 9 articles, surgical explanation by skin incision was reported by 4 authors, and remotion by endoscopy was reported in 1 article. Two articles not reported solution.

Lumboperitoneal shunt may be indicated as a treatment for idiopathic intracranial hypertension aiming to facilitate the dynamic flow of cerebrospinal fluid into the peritoneum for patients. Parturients with lumboperitoneal shunt are a few, making it difficult to choose the analgesic or anesthetic technique for delivery. We present the case of a successful spinal anesthesia for a cesarean delivery in a parturient who was diagnosed with idiopathic intracranial hypertension that was treated by lumboperitoneal shunt.