Comment on the Edwards FloTrac™/Vigileo versus pulmonary artery catheter study: What is really going on with this patient?

Monitored anesthesia care for craniotomy in a patient with Eisenmenger syndrome: A case report

BACKGROUND

Eisenmenger syndrome (ES) is an uncorrected congenital cardiac defect with a left-to-right shunt, leading to pulmonary arterial hypertension. Patients with ES are susceptible to hemodynamic alterations during noncardiac surgery with general anesthesia, which increases perioperative morbidity and mortality. Monitored anesthesia care (MAC) is often used during minor procedures in patients with cardiac disease. However, few reports on MAC in patients with ES exist.

CASE SUMMARY

A 49-year-old man was admitted for a severe headache lasting 30 d. He had been diagnosed with a large perimembranous ventricular septal defect (VSD) with bidirectional shunt flow and pulmonary arterial hypertension 10 years ago. A round mass in the right frontal lobe was revealed by Magnetic resonance imaging. Stereotactic aspiration using a neuronavigation system was performed under MAC. The patient was stayed in the hospital for 5 d, and discharged without complications.

CONCLUSION

MAC may be effective for craniotomy in patients with ES.

Advanced airway management and respiratory care in decompensated pulmonary hypertension

Meticulous risk stratification is essential when considering intubation of a patient with decompensated pulmonary hypertension (dPH). It is paramount to understand both the pathophysiology of dPH (and associated right ventricular failure) and the complications related to a high-risk intubation before attempting the procedure. There are few recommendations in this area and the literature, guiding these recommendations, is limited to expert opinion and very few case reports/case series. This review will discuss the complex pathophysiology of dPH, the complications associated with intubation, the debates surrounding induction agents, and the available options for the intubation procedure, with specific emphasis on the emerging role for awake fiberoptic intubation. All patients should be evaluated for candidacy for veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygen as a bridge to recovery, lung transplantation, or pulmonary endarterectomy prior to intubation. Only an experienced proceduralist who is both comfortable with high-risk intubations and the pathophysiology of dPH should perform these intubations.

Accuracy of non-invasive and minimally invasive hemodynamic monitoring: where do we stand?

One of the most important variables in assessing hemodynamic status in the intensive care unit (ICU) is the cardiac function and blood pressure. Invasive methods such as pulmonary artery catheter and arterial line allow monitoring of blood pressure and cardiac function accurately and reliably. However, their use is not without drawbacks, especially when the invasive nature of these procedures and complications associated with them are considered. There are several newer methods of noninvasive and minimally invasive hemodynamic monitoring available. In this manuscript, we will review these different methods of minimally invasive and non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring and will discuss their advantages, drawbacks and limitations.