Thoracic epidural anesthesia and epidural hematoma.

This report involves a 74-year-old-male who developed a thoracic epidural hematoma with paraparesis on the second postoperative day in conjunction with thoracic epidural anesthesia established before surgery for acute abdominal aortic dissection. The finding indicates that laminectomy can be performed successfully as late as three days after diagnosis of the hematoma, with a complete restitution of neurological function. High-dose steroid treatment may have been a contributing factor for the positive outcome

Herbal medicine use by surgery patients in Hungary: a descriptive study

BACKGROUND: The popularity of non-conventional treatments, especially the consumption of herbs is showing an increasing tendency all over the world. The consumption of herbal medicines might cause several complications during perioperative care. METHODS: The survey was conducted at the First Department of Surgery of Semmelweis University and focused on the demographics of patients consuming herbal medicines who had undergone elective surgery between July 1(st) 2014 and February 28(th) 2015. A one-page questionnaire, that the patients filled in individually and anonymously, was used. The response rate was 17.3 %. RESULTS: Out of the 390 patients who filled in the questionnaire, 7.2 % (28 patients) used herbal medicines, 3.6 % (14 patients) of them two weeks prior to their hospitalization. The other 3.6 % (14 patients) took herbal medicines sometime in the past. The majority of those who have ever consumed herbs are women (18/28), have completed secondary or tertiary education (23/28), more than half of them suffer from tumorous diseases and only a quarter of them (7/28) informed their physician about their use of herbal medication of their own accord. CONCLUSIONS: Attention must be paid to the exploration of herb consumption habits of surgery patients during the preoperative examinations in order to avoid potential side effects, complications or drug interactions. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12906-015-0890-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Pain interventions for organ transplant patients undergoing incisional hernia repair: Is epidural or transversus abdominus plane block a better option?

Background Postoperative pain management in transplant recipients undergoing incisional herniorraphy is challenging. Historically limited to intravenous or oral opioids, alternatives including transversus abdominus plane (TAP) block catheters and thoracic epidural catheters have been introduced. The aim of this study was to determine whether TAP catheters and thoracic epidural analgesia significantly impacted on postoperative pain and opioid usage in transplant recipients undergoing incisional hernia repair. Methods This single‐center retrospective study included 154 patients undergoing incisional hernia repair from January 2011 to June 2015. Of these, 56 received epidurals, 51 received TAP catheters, and 47 received no intervention. Results Demographic profiles were comparable among the three groups including type of previous transplant and type of hernia surgery. Thoracic epidural analgesia was associated with lower median, mean, and maximum pain scores (P < 0.001) and less opioid requirement (P < 0.001). There was no difference in pain scores and opioid usage among the TAP catheter and no intervention groups. There was no difference in time to first flatus or first bowel movement, length of hospital stay, individual opioid‐related side effects, and adverse reactions among the three groups. Conclusion This study supports the use of thoracic epidural analgesia in patients undergoing hernia repair after transplant surgery

Spinal epidural hematoma after epidural anesthesia in a patient receiving enoxaparin -A case report-

Spinal epidural hematoma is a rare but serious neurological complication of neuraxial anesthesia. Enoxaparin sodium is a low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) for use in preventing deep venous thrombosis in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty and total knee arthroplasty. Hemorrhage is an uncommon but documented adverse reaction when using LMWH. We report a case of epidural hematoma after lumbar epidural anesthesia in a patient who administered enoxaparin in perioperative period

Italian intersociety consensus statement on antithrombotic prophylaxis in hip and knee replacement and in femoral neck fracture surgery

Anticoagulant prophylaxis for preventing venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a worldwide established procedure in hip and knee replacement surgery, as well as in the treatment of femoral neck fractures (FNF). Different guidelines are available in the literature, with quite different recommendations. None of them is a multidisciplinary effort as the one presented. The Italian Society for Studies on Haemostasis and Thrombosis (SISET), the Italian Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology (SIOT), the association of Orthopaedists and Traumatologists of Italian Hospitals (OTODI), together with the Italian Society of Anesthesia, Analgesia, Resuscitation, and Intensive Care (SIAARTI) have set down easy and quick suggestions for VTE prophylaxis in hip and knee surgery as well as in FNF treatment. This inter-society consensus statement aims at simplifying the grading system reported in the literature, and its goal is to benefit its clinical application. Special focus is given to fragile patients, those with high bleeding risk, and those receiving chronic antiplatelet (APT) and vitamin K antagonists treatment. A special chapter is dedicated to regional anaesthesia and VTE prophylaxis

Spinal epidural hematoma related to an epidural catheter in a cardiac surgery patient -A case report-

The addition of thoracic epidural anesthesia to general anesthesia during cardiac surgery may have a beneficial effect on clinical outcome. However, epidural catheter insertion in a patient anticoagulated with heparin may increase the risk of epidural hematoma. We report a case of epidural hematoma in a 55-year-old male patient who had a thoracic epidural placed under general anesthesia preceding uneventful mitral valve replacement and tricuspid valve annular plasty. During the immediate postoperative period and first postoperative day, prothrombin time (PT) and activate partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) were mildly prolonged. On the first postoperative day, he complained of motor weakness of the lower limbs and back pain. An immediate MRI of the spine was performed and it revealed an epidural hematoma at the T5-6 level. Rapid surgical decompression resulted in a recovery of his neurological abnormalities to near normal levels. Management and preventing strategies of epidural hematoma are discussed