Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) following injury or nerve damage, as its name signifies, is a challenging entity, and its successful management requires a multidisciplinary approach. It not only manifests as severe pain, but also gives rise to functional disability, lack of sleep, lack of enjoyment of life and poor quality of life. Various pain interventional techniques have been described in the literature for the management of CRPS ranging from sympathetic blocks to spinal cord stimulator. A 34-year-old liver transplant donor, who developed position-induced right upper limb neuropathic pain suggestive of CRPS type II was managed initially with medications and later with stellate ganglion block under fluoroscopic guidance at cervical C7 position. Following an initial significant improvement in pain and allodynia, which was transient, a pulsed radiofrequency ablation of stellate ganglion was performed successfully to provide prolonged and sustained pain relief, which persisted up to 14 months of follow-up.

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) deficiency is an X-linked recessive enzymopathy responsible for acute haemolysis following exposure to oxidative stress. Drugs which induce haemolysis in these patients are often used in anaesthesia and perioperative pain management. Neurosurgery and few drugs routinely used during these procedures are known to cause stress situations. Associated infection and certain foodstuffs are also responsible for oxidative stress. Here, we present two patients with G-6-PD deficiency who underwent uneventful neurosurgical procedures. The anaesthetic management in such patients should focus on avoiding the drugs implicated in haemolysis, reducing the surgical stress with adequate analgesia, and monitoring for and treating the haemolysis, should it occur.

Acute intermittent porphyria (AIP), the most common and the most severe form of acute hepatic porphyria, is an autosomal dominant condition. It results from lower-than-normal levels (less than 50%) of porphobilinogen (PBG) deaminase. Patients may present commonly with gastrointestinal complaints and neuropsychiatric manifestations. Diagnosis may be confirmed with the presence of intermediary metabolites of haem synthesis, amino levulinic acid (ALA) and PBG in urine or with specific enzyme assays. Abdominal pain is the most common symptom (90%). Peripheral polyneuropathy, primarily motor with flaccid paresis of proximal musculature, with or without autonomic involvement, is characteristic. Respiratory failure necessitates ventilator and intensive care support. Avoidance of precipitating factors and the use of haem preparations and intravenous dextrose form the basis of management. Gabapentin and propofol, rather than the conventional antiepileptics appear to be the appropriate choice for seizure control. Here, we present intensive care management of four cases of AIP with varying clinical presentation.

No abstract

Background:In patients with craniovertebral junction (CVJ) anomalies, the respiratory system is adversely affected in many ways. The sub-clinical manifestations may get aggravated in the postoperative period owing to anesthetic or surgical reasons. However, there is limited data on the incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) and associated risk factors in such patients, who undergo transoral odontoidectomy (TOO) and posterior fixation (PF) in the same sitting.Materials and Methods:Five years data of 178 patients with CVJ anomaly who underwent TOO and PF in the same sitting were analyzed retrospectively. Preoperative status, intraoperative variables, and PPCs were recorded. Patients were divided into two groups depending on the presence or absence of PPCs. Bivariate analysis was done to find out association between various risk factors and PPCs. Multivariate analysis was done to detect relative contribution of the factors shown to be significant in bivariate analysis. P < 0.05 was considered as significant.Results:The incidence of PPCs was found to be 15.7%. Factors significantly associated with PPCs were American Society of Anesthesiologists grade higher than II, preoperative lower cranial nerves palsy and respiratory involvement, duration of surgery, and intraoperative blood transfusion. In multivariate analysis, blood transfusion was found to be the sole contributing factor. The patients who developed PPCs had significantly prolonged stay in ICU and hospital.Conclusion:Patients with CVJ anomaly are at increased risk of developing PPCs. There is a strong association between intraoperative blood transfusion and PPCs. Patients with PPCs stay in the ICU and hospital for a longer period of time.