1/22. uterine inversion: a life-threatening obstetric emergency.BACKGROUND: Acute puerperal uterine inversion is a rare but potentially life-threatening complication in which the uterine fundus collapses within the endometrial cavity. Although the cause of uterine inversion is unclear, several predisposing factors have been described. maternal mortality is extremely high unless the condition is recognized and corrected. methods: medline was searched from 1966 to the present using the key phrase "uterine inversion." Nonpuerperal uterine inversion case reports were excluded from review except when providing information on classification and diagnostic techniques. A summarized case involving uterine inversion and a review of the classification, etiology, diagnosis, and management are reported. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Although uncommon, if left unrecognized, uterine inversion will result in severe hemorrhage and shock, leading to maternal death. Manual manipulation should be attempted immediately to reverse the inversion. Tocolytics, such as magnesium sulfate and terbutaline, or halogenated anesthetics may be administered to relax the uterus to aid in reversal. Intravenous nitroglycerin provides an alternative to the tocolytics and offers several pharmacodynamic advantages. Treatment with hydrostatic pressure may be attempted while waiting for medications to be administered or for general anesthesia to be induced. In the most resistant of inversions, surgical correction might be required.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = pressure (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/22. Combined spinal-epidural anesthesia for cesarean section in a patient with peripartum dilated cardiomyopathy.PURPOSE: To report a case of peripartum dilated cardiomyopathy associated with morbid obesity and possible difficult airway presenting for elective cesarean section, which was successfully managed with combined spinal-epidural anesthesia. CLINICAL FEATURES: A morbidly obese parturient with a potentially difficult airway, suffering from idiopathic peripartum cardiomyopathy (ejection fraction 20%), was scheduled for an elective cesarean section. A combined spinal epidural anesthesia was performed and 6 mg of bupivacaine were injected into the subarachnoid space. This was supplemented after 60 min with 25 mg of bupivacaine injected epidurally. The patient's hemodynamic status was monitored with direct intra-arterial blood pressure and central venous pressure measurements. The patient's perioperative course was uneventful. CONCLUSION: In patients suffering from peripartum cardiomyopathy, undergoing cesarean section, combined spinal-epidural anesthesia may be an acceptable anesthetic alternative.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = pressure (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/22. Traumatic hypopituitarism due to maternal uterine leiomyomas.hypopituitarism has been associated with different types of head trauma including traumatic delivery. We report a case of hypopituitarism in a boy with a history of induced traumatic labor associated with maternal uterine leiomyomas. He also had head and face deformations that were apparently caused by spatial restriction due to the enlarging leiomyomas while the patient was growing in utero. Trauma to the pituitary stalk could have occurred by cerebral entrapment and the pressures of labor. Although hypopituitarism has been associated with traumatic delivery and breech delivery, there are no reported cases related to uterine leiomyomas.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = pressure (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/22. Valsalva retinopathy induced by labour.PURPOSE: To describe a patient with Valsalva retinopathy induced by labour. methods: Case report. RESULTS: A 29-year-old woman at her second pregnancy complained of a sudden loss of vision in her left eye during spontaneous labour. visual acuity was reduced to counting fingers. Funduscopy revealed a large preretinal hemorrhage at the macula in the left eye. Three weeks after delivery, the hematoma was treated with Nd:YAG laser. Two weeks after treatment, visual acuity was 20/20 and the premacular hemorrhage had resolved. CONCLUSIONS: A rise in intra-abdominal pressure during labour may result in Valsalva retinopathy. Nd:YAG laser may be useful in treating such hemorrhage.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = pressure (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/22. Peripartum cardiomyopathy and thromboembolism; anesthetic management and clinical course of an obese, diabetic patient.PURPOSE: To describe the anesthetic management and clinical course of a patient with peripartum cardiomyopathy. We highlight the frequent occurrence of thromboembolic morbidity in this group of parturients, emphasizing the need for early consideration of prophylactic anticoagulation. Clinical features: A 38-yr-old, diabetic, obese parturient was admitted with pulmonary edema and severe orthopnea at 31 weeks gestation. The respiratory rate was 44 breaths x min(-1), blood pressure 110/70 mmHg, pulse 120 beats x min(-1) and rales were heard in both lung fields. The diagnosis of peripartum cardiomyopathy was made based on sinus tachycardia with no evidence of ischemia on the electrocardiogram, and global left ventricular hypokinesis with an ejection fraction of 40-45% noted on transthoracic echocardiography. Cesarean delivery was planned to improve maternal respiratory status and hemodynamics. General anesthesia with invasive monitoring was planned, and surgery and anesthesia proceeded uneventfully. Less than 24 hr postoperatively, she sustained a thrombotic cerebral infarct leaving her hemiparetic and dysarthric. Subsequent investigations revealed a thrombophilic state due to elevated anticardiolipin antibody. CONCLUSION: General anesthesia is an acceptable option in parturients with heart failure secondary to cardiomyopathy. Thromboembolic complications are common, and early consideration should be given to prophylactic anticoagulation.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = pressure (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/22. Spontaneous acute thoracic epidural hematoma causing paraplegia in a patient with severe preeclampsia in early labor.This is a case of acute spontaneous thoracic epidural hematoma in a laboring patient at term who presented with severe preeclampsia and acute spinal cord compression, paraplegia, and sensory loss below T8. In early labor, at home, the patient experienced sudden lumbar back pain that progressed to mid-scapular pain leading to paraplegia and T8 sensory loss within one hour of onset of pain. Her symptoms were caused by a spontaneous thoracic epidural hematoma. Upon arrival at the first hospital, the correct presumptive diagnosis was made in the emergency room, magnesium sulfate was administered, and the patient was transferred to our medical center. Her hypertension was not treated despite severe preeclampsia in order to maintain spinal cord perfusion pressure. Following cesarean section under general anesthesia, thoracic laminectomy was performed and an epidural hematoma compressing the spinal cord to 2-3 mm was evacuated 13 h after the onset of symptoms. After approximately three months of paraplegia, five months with quad-walker and cane use, the patient can now walk with a cane or other minimal support but has remaining bowel and bladder problems. The conflicting anesthetic management objectives of severe preeclampsia and acute paraplegia secondary to spinal epidural hematoma required compromise in the management of her preeclampsia in order to preserve spinal cord perfusion.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = pressure (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/22. Obstetrical anaesthesia and analgesia in chronic spinal cord-injured women.Improved acute and rehabilitative care and emphasis on integrating patients into society after spinal cord injury is likely to result in increasing numbers of cord-injured women presenting for obstetrical care. Anaesthetists providing care to these women should be familiar with the complications resulting from chronic cord injury and aware that many may be aggravated by the physiological changes of normal pregnancy. These complications include reduced respiratory volumes and reserve, decreased blood pressure and an increased incidence of thromboembolic phenomena, anaemia and recurrent urinary tract infections. patients with cord lesions above the T5 spinal level are at risk for the life-threatening complication of autonomic hyperreflexia (AH) which results from the loss of central regulation of the sympathetic nervous system below the level of the lesion. Sympathetic hyperactivity and hypertension result in response to noxious stimuli entering the cord below the level of the lesion. Labour appears to be a particularly noxious stimulus and patients with injuries above T5 are at risk for AH during labour even if they have not had previous AH episodes. morbidity is related to the degree of hypertension and intracranial haemorrhage has been reported during labour and attributed to AH. We report our experience in providing care to three parturients with spinal cord injuries. Two patients had high cervical lesions, one of whom experienced AH during labour and was treated with an epidural block. The second was at risk for AH having had episodes in the past and received an epidural block to provide prophylaxis for AH. In both cases epidural blockade provided effective treatment and prophylaxis for AH.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = pressure (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/22. Intrapartum coccygeal fracture, a cause for postpartum coccydynia: a case report.Coccydynia can result from a varying number of causes, parturition being one of them. Although strains and sprains of the ligaments attached to the coccyx have been thought to be the usual cause for coccydynia occurring after childbirth, an intrapartum coccygeal fracture dislocation can result in the same. A 28-year-old female presented to the orthopaedic department 4 weeks after the birth of her first child with the complaint of coccygeal pain. Examination revealed marked local tenderness over the coccyx but no crepitus was felt. Radiographs established the diagnosis of fracture and posterior dislocation between the second and third coccygeal fragments. Conservative treatment in the form of rest, doughnut ring, local heat, and avoidance of direct pressure over the area resulted in considerable improvement over the next 4 weeks. Coccygeal fracture dislocation may result in introital dyspareunia and tension myalgia of the pelvic floor. Pain from this lesion may become recurrently symptomatic. The diagnosis must be established at the outset and appropriate treatment instituted to avoid these complications.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = pressure (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/22. chylothorax after childbirth.We report a case of chylothorax which appeared in a mother after childbirth. Disruption of the thoracic duct occurred with the high intrathoracic pressures generated by the valsalva maneuver used by the patient during labor to "push." No evidence of other trauma or malignancy were found and the patient did well after use of total parenteral nutrition, thoracotomy with thoracic duct ligation, and pleurodesis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = pressure (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/22. Successful management of severe aortocaval compression in twin pregnancy.In a patient with severe aortocaval compression, simultaneous brachial and femoral blood pressure measurements demonstrated the need for a 30 degrees left-down tilt to avoid significant obstruction of the vessels. When emergency cesarean section became necessary, proper positioning of the patient was readily accomplished.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = pressure (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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