Profound bradycardia with lidocaine during anesthesia induction in a silent sick sinus syndrome patient

Sick sinus syndrome is caused by sinus node dysfunction that renders it unable to function as a pacemaker. Patients with sick sinus syndrome are often asymptomatic or have symptoms that are mild and nonspecific. Lidocaine (0.5 mg/kg) injection is used for reduction of pain associated with intravenous injection of propofol. Episodes of marked bradycardia with sinus arrest after prophylactic lidocaine injection are reported in a 69-y-old man with no apparent preoperative cardiac disease or electrocardiographic abnormality. Surgery was postponed, and he was later diagnosed with sick sinus syndrome.     

General anesthesia for a patient with Cornelia de Lange syndrome

Cornelia de Lange syndrome involves anomalies in cardio-vascular and musculo-skeletal systems, and mental retardation. In addition, a patient with this syndrome shows a peculiar look. A 22-year-old woman with Cornelia de Lange syndrome underwent general anesthesia twice. She has a small mouth, thin lips, a short neck, short limbs, and stiffness of the neck and some joints associated with slight mental retardation. She was scheduled for arthroscopy and then for rotational acetabular osteotomy and valgus osteotomy. The maximum distance between the upper and lower incisors was 34 mm, when she opened her mouth. Anesthesia was induced with sevoflurane increased slowly to 7.0% in oxygen 6 l.min-1 in both procedures. After the administration of 4% lidocaine 3.5 ml into the pharynx, orotracheal intubation was attempted, but was not successful. Then blind naso-tracheal intubation was performed successfully under spontaneous respiration under sevoflurane-oxygen inhalation. The induction of anesthesia with sevoflurane under spontaneous respiration was useful for blind naso-tracheal intubation in a case with difficult intubation such as in Cornelia de Lange syndrome.     

General anesthesia for a patient with Noonan's syndrome and long-term antidepressant therapy

Noonan's syndrome is associated with cardiovascular, spinal and airway abnormalities. We experienced general anesthesia for a patient with Noonan's syndrome and long-term antidepressant therapy. A 42-year-old man was scheduled for radical operation for ventral hernia. He had been diagnosed as Noonan's syndrome by his facial and spinal abnormalities. He was intubated under bronchofiberscopy for his previous general anesthesia. He had received amitriptyline 50 mg daily for ten years. Anesthesia was induced with midazolam 3 mg, fentanyl 50 microg, droperidol 1.25 mg. He was intubated under bronchofiberscopy after topical lidocaine 400 mg application. Then thiopental 125 mg and sevoflurane 0.4% was administered. Blood pressure decreased after intubation to 70/40 mmHg, which was resistant to ephedrine 10 mg. After starting surgery, blood pressure increased to 100/70 mmHg and was stable until the end of surgery. This patient presented a problem of difficult intubation as Noonan's syndrome and had a history of a long-term use of antidepressant, which might induce sympathomimetic resistant hypotension.     

General anesthesia with remifentanil for Cesarean section in a patient with HELLP syndrome

HELLP syndrome is a severe complication of pre-eclampsia characterised by hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and a low platelet count. It is associated with an increased risk of adverse outcome for both the mother and the fetus. Patients with HELLP syndrome are also at greater risk of pulmonary edema, adult respiratory distress syndrome, abruptio placentae, intracerebral hemorrhage, eclamptic convulsions, disseminated intravascular coagulation, ruptured liver hematomas and acute renal failure. Perinatal mortality is equally high. Before delivery, aggressive obstetric management is directed toward stabilization of the affected organ systems, if possible, and interruption of the pregnancy in the early phase of the accelerated disease progression. Definitive therapy is delivery. Parturients HELLP syndrome often require general anesthesia for Cesarean section delivery. The anesthetic technique is critical for these patients with a high risk of uncontrollable hypertension, bleeding and multiple organ failure. Remifentanil is increasingly used as a very short analgesic agent providing cardiovascular stability in high-risk patients. We report the management of a patient presenting in labor with HELLP syndrome, and describe the successful use of remifentanil as part of the anesthetic technique for her subsequent Cesarean section.     

Regional anesthesia for a patient with stiff-person syndrome

We report a case of stiff-person syndrome (SPS). A 65-year-old male underwent an emergency pacemaker implantation for syncope. With lidocaine infiltration under fentanyl and propofol sedation, the operation was completed without complications. Muscle rigidity and spasms are exacerbated by sensory and emotional stimuli in SPS. However, the present case suggests that regional anesthesia is also acceptable under adequate sedation.     

General anesthesia for cesarean section in a patient with Marfan's syndrome associated with dissecting aortic aneurysm

A 23-year-old woman with Marfan's syndrome was scheduled for Cesarean section at 31 week gestation because of progressive aortic dissection. Since she had undergone two surgical corrections for scoliosis (Harrington rod instrumentation) 5 and 12 years ago, we selected general anesthesia. She had been taking diltiazem and propranolol for hypertension and tachycardia. Anesthesia was induced with thiopental 75 mg iv followed by O2-N2O-enflurane (4%) by face mask. Following iv administration of vecuronium 4 mg and tracheal injection of 4% lidocaine 120 mg, the trachea was intubated without a significant hemodynamic change. Anesthesia was maintained with O2-N2O-enflurane (0.5-1.5%) before delivery. Following delivery, enflurane was discontinued and small doses of fentanyl iv (total 0.2 mg) were given with iv infusion of nitroglycerin (0.2-0.5 micrograms.kg-1.min-1) during surgery. Bleeding after delivery was controllable by iv infusion of oxytocin. The Apgar score was good (9 at 1 min and 10 at 5 min respectively). Post-operative course was uneventful. Therapeutic abortion or Cesarean section should be performed as soon as possible in a patient with dissecting aortic aneurysm because of increasing risk of aneurysm rupture during pregnancy. During the surgery, minimal hemodynamic changes are required to prevent the rupture.     

Prolonged cardiac arrest unveiled silent sick sinus syndrome during general and epidural anesthesia

Patients who have silent sick sinus syndrome (SSS) can show various unexpected arrhythmias during surgery. The severity of these bradyarrythmias is affected by anesthetic methods. We report a unique case of a patient with silent SSS who developed 40 s of asystole under combined general and epidural anesthesia. A 40-year-old woman with no apparent cardiac disease underwent abdominal hysterectomy. General anesthesia was induced and maintained with propofol, fentanyl, and vecuronium combined with thoracic epidural anesthesia. During surgery, severe bradycardia, triggered by peritoneal manipulation, occurred, leading to 40 s of asystole. She was diagnosed as having SSS by a postoperative 24-h Holter electrocardiogram. We propose that the possible existence of SSS should be kept in mind even in a patient who shows no abnormalities on routine preoperative examination, especially in those in whom vagomimetic anesthetic methods are used.     

Marked bradycardia during anesthetic induction treated with temporary cardiac pacing in a patient with latent sick sinus syndrome

A 59 year-old woman with latent sick sinus syndrome was scheduled to undergo ophthalmic surgery including phacoemulsification and aspiration, vitrectomy, photocoagulation and intraocular lens under general anesthesia. Preoperative ECG showed sinus rhythms of 77 bpm without bradycardia or a sinus pause. Total intravenous anesthesia with propofol, fentanyl, ketamine and vecuronium was employed for the induction of anesthesia immediately followed by severe bradycardia with a rate of 36-40 bpm including sinus arrest and atrio/nodal escaped beats. Intravenous atropine was ineffective to restore the heart rate and then urgent temporary pacing was successfully applied to overcome bradycardia. The patient recovered uneventfully from anesthesia. She complained of being dizzy and faint with prominent bradycardia due to sick sinus syndrome three months after the surgery. Therefore she underwent permanent cardiac pacemaker implantation successfully. Temporary pacing is mandatory when anesthesia is given to surgical patients with latent sick sinus syndrome.     

General anesthesia for a patient on hemodialysis with arteriosclerosis obliterans

A 48-year-old man with arteriosclerosis obliterans was scheduled for axillofemoral bypass. He had chronic renal failure and on hemodialysis (HD) for 22 years. On the morning of the day of surgery he received HD and two hours later anesthesia was induced with fentanyl 300 micrograms and midazolam 6 mg, and maintained with fentanyl, nitrous oxide and intermittent isoflurane. The common carotid artery was cannulated to measure arterial blood pressure because arteries in extremities were not available. Internal jugular vein at the other side of the arterial catheterization was cannulated to measure central venous pressure. Crystalloid and blood transfusion was performed to adjust hemodynamics and central venous pressure. Hemodynamics were stable during surgery and no complication occurred regarding the common carotid arterial line. The common carotid artery was useful for blood pressure monitoring in a patient whose extremities were not available. Midazolam and fentanyl could give stable hemodynamics to a patient with arteriosclerosis obliterans and chronic renal failure.     

Left atrial myxoma with neovascularization presenting as a sick sinus syndrome

Myxoma is benign tumor of the heart. It is mostly located in the left atrium and revascularized by the left and right coronary artery in 30% to 40% of cases. Symptoms of these neovascularized cardiac myxomas are typically quite variable, from obstruction of mitral valve to coronary embolism resulting in acute myocardial infarction. In this case, left atrial myxoma that is revascularized by nodal branches of the right coronary artery presented as a sick sinus syndrome, which is rare in literature.