1/527. Sight-threatening acute orbital swelling from peribulbar local anesthesia.Severe allergic reactions to peribulbar local anesthesia are extremely rare. A 70-year-old woman presented with acute orbital swelling and optic nerve dysfunction after a peribulbar local anesthetic injection. The patient was treated with acute orbital decompression as well as intravenous antibiotics and methylprednisolone; she made a good recovery. An allergy, probably to lignocaine, was the most likely cause. Urgent recognition and treatment of this condition may prevent potentially serious visual consequences.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = visual (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/527. Acute respiratory alkalosis associated with low minute ventilation in a patient with severe hypothyroidism.PURPOSE: patients with severe hypothyroidism present unique challenges to anesthesiologists and demonstrate much increased perioperative risks. overall, they display increased sensitivity to anesthetics, higher incidence of perioperative cardiovascular morbidity, increased risks for postoperative ventilatory failure and other physiological derangements. The previously described physiological basis for the increased incidence of postoperative ventilatory failure in hypothyroid patients includes decreased central and peripheral ventilatory responses to hypercarbia and hypoxia, muscle weakness, depressed central respiratory drive, and resultant alveolar hypoventilation. These ventilatory failures are associated most frequently with severe hypoxia and carbon dioxide (CO2) retention. The purpose of this clinical report is to discuss an interesting and unique anesthetic presentation of a patient with severe hypothyroidism. CLINICAL FEATURES: We describe an unique presentation of ventilatory failure in a 58 yr old man with severe hypothyroidism. He had exceedingly low perioperative respiratory rate (3-4 bpm) and minute ventilation volume, and at the same time developed primary acute respiratory alkalosis and associated hypocarbia (P(ET)CO2 approximately 320-22 mmHg). CONCLUSION: Our patient's ventilatory failure was based on unacceptably low minute ventilation and respiratory rate that was unable to sustain adequate oxygenation. His profoundly lowered basal metabolic rate and decreased CO2 production, resulting probably from severe hypothyroidism, may have resulted in development of acute respiratory alkalosis in spite of concurrently diminished minute ventilation.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1.5973007671169keywords = sensitivity (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/527. Observations on the treatment of dissection of the aorta.The results are presented of treatment in twenty-three patients with dissection of the thoracic aorta, in four of whom it was acute (less than 14 days' duration), and in nineteen chronic (more than 14 days' duration). Sixteen patients had Type I and II dissection (involving the ascending aorta) and five Type III (descending aorta at or distal to the origin of the left subclavian artery); in two, dissection complicated coarctation of the aorta in the usual site. Thirteen patients had aortic regurgitation. Three of the patients with acute dissection were treated medically; two, both with Type I dissection, died, and the third, with Type III, survived. The remaining acute patient was treated surgically and also died. Of the patients with chronic dissection, eight were treated medically and eleven surgically. None of the medical group died in hospital; three died between 3 months and 1 year, and five have survived from periods of 12-72 months. Eleven patients with chronic dissection were treated surgically; four died in hospital at or shortly after operation; and the remaining seven lived for periods of 12-84 months. The presentation, indications for surgical treatment and results are discussed. It is concluded that surgical treatment of chronic dissection may carry a higher initial mortality than medical, but that there may be slightly better overall long term results in the former. As this series was not selected randomly, because patients with complications were selected for surgery, and there are only a few patients in each group, the results do not permit firm conclusion regarding the relative merits of medical and surgical treatment. It is suggested that all patients should initially be treated medically but that surgical treatment should be considered if the dissection continues, if aortic regurgitation is severe, if an aneurysm develops or enlarges, if cardiac tamponade develops or there is evidence of progressive involvement of the branches of the aorta. attention is drawn to the important syndrome of chronic dissecting aneurysm of the ascending aorta with severe aortic regurgitation which requires definitive surgical treatment and aortic valve replacement. The importance of adequate visualization of the origin and extent of the dissection as a preliminary to surgical treatment is stressed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = visual (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/527. steroids treatment of granulomatous hepatitis complicating coxiella burnetii acute infection.Granulomatous hepatitis associated with coxiella burnetii acute infection has an adverse clinical course in some patients. Surprisingly, it does not respond to antibiotic but to steroids treatment. A hypersensitivity mechanism has been implicated. A case of granulomatous hepatitis complicating C. burnetii acute infection is reported, which was refractory to antibiotics but, as in four other cases previously reported, showed a complete response to steroids. This case was found to support findings that moderate doses of steroids can be useful in patients with granulomatous hepatitis complicating C. burnetii infection and showing no response to antibiotic treatment.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1.5973007671169keywords = sensitivity (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/527. listeria monocytogenes-induced endogenous endophthalmitis in an otherwise healthy individual: rapid PCR-diagnosis as the basis for effective treatment.PURPOSE: listeria monocytogenes is a rare cause of endogenous endophthalmitis. To date 15 cases have been published in the literature. All eyes showed similar clinical features and profound visual loss mainly due to delayed diagnosis. methods: An additional case of an otherwise healthy 73 year-old male, who was referred to our hospital because of acute iridocyclitis with secondary glaucoma, is reported. Within a few days the severity of the intraocular infection increased dramatically, resulting in the clinical picture of acute endophthalmitis. RESULTS: In contrast to most published cases, early identification of the causative pathogen in the aqueous humor after anterior chamber puncture using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the initiation of a specific, systemic antibiotic medication, resulted in-complete recovery of visual acuity. CONCLUSIONS: PCR is very useful for the identification of the pathogen in intraocular infections.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = visual (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/527. Superselective intraarterial fibrinolysis in central retinal artery occlusion.Intraarterial fibrinolysis was performed in three patients with acute central retinal artery occlusion using recombinant tissue plasminogen activator as a fibrinolytic agent. In two cases the ophthalmic artery was selectively catheterized, and in the other a thrombolytic drug was infused into the ophthalmic artery by way of the meningeal collaterals. All patients experienced visual improvement. fibrinolysis can produce better results than obtained from conservative treatment. A good prognosis can be achieved if the treatment starts within the first 4 to 5 hours after occlusion.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = visual (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/527. Acute orbital compartment syndrome after lateral blow-out fracture effectively relieved by lateral cantholysis.PURPOSE: To report the observation of an acute traumatic orbital compartment syndrome in an 80-year-old man. methods: Lateral canthotomy and cantholysis. Computed x-ray tomography. RESULTS: Unilateral proptosis, blindness, a frozen globe and a dilated pupil developed within one hour after a blunt trauma to the left orbital region. Surgery two hours later resulted in normal orbital tension and near-complete recovery of functions. An orbital hematoma was found overlying a lateral blow-out fracture. CONCLUSION: Under favorable conditions, the orbital compartment syndrome can be effectively relieved by lateral canthotomy and cantholysis. The present and previous reports suggest that two hours of orbital ischemia is near the critical time limit for recovery of full visual function.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = visual (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/527. Scintiangiographic diagnosis of acute mesenteric venous thrombosis.Scintiangiographic findings of prolonged mesenteric activity in a case of acute mesenteric thrombosis is described and 105 cases with abdominal scintiangiography are reviewed. Usual peak mesenteric blush occurred 5--15 sec after initial visualization of the aorta. Normal clearance of this activity was 15--30 sec. Future cases should confirm the importance of this observation in early diagnosis of mesenteric venous thrombosis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = visual (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/527. resuscitation of the multitrauma patient with head injury.head injury remains the leading cause of death from trauma. The definitive method for eliminating preventable death from traumatic brain injury remains elusive. New research underscores the danger of inadequate or inappropriate support of oxygenation, ventilation, and perfusion to cerebral tissues. The belief that sensitivity to hypotension makes the patient with head injury fundamentally different is critical to nursing strategies. The conventional concept that fluid restriction decreases cerebral edema in patients with head injury must be weighed against mounting evidence that aggressive hemodynamic support decreases the incidence of subsequent organ system failure and secondary brain injury. New evidence has triggered a scrutiny of conventional interventions. A search for optimal treatments based on prospective randomized trials will continue. Development of neuroprotective drugs and use of hypertonic saline may be on the horizon. In an effort to ensure optimal outcome, contemporary trauma nursing must embrace new concepts, shed outmoded therapy, and ensure compliance with the basic tenets of critical care for the multitrauma patient with head injury.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1.5973007671169keywords = sensitivity (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/527. Laser pointer maculopathy.PURPOSE: To report a case of macular damage from a laser pointer. METHOD: Case report. A 19-year-old woman had an acute reduction of visual acuity in the right eye after deliberately staring into a commercial class 2 laser pointer for approximately 10 seconds. RESULTS: The patient's best-corrected visual acuity was RE: 20/40, and she had two small pericentral scotomata, as well as a hypopigmented ring-shaped lesion in the fovea. Within 8 weeks, her visual acuity improved to 20/20 and visual field returned to normal, but a subjective relative decrease in brightness of objects viewed by the right eye was apparent. Retinal pigment epithelial abnormality persisted. CONCLUSIONS: Commercial laser pointers, commonly used for teaching and entertainment purposes, may cause notable macular damage if abused. Morphologically, this may manifest as foveal retinal pigment epithelial disturbance.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 4keywords = visual (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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