Background: Pre-existing poor respiratory function is a significant challenge for women to successfully continue pregnancy and accomplish delivery. Case: Pregnancy and delivery were successfully managed without any maternal or neonatal complications, in a 26year-old woman with severely impaired respiratory function, due to a unilateral hypoplastic lung, accompanying Scimitar syndrome-like circulation. Hyperventilation, normally observed even at the first trimester, was absent by the end of the second trimester. This would indicate her ventilation must have reached utmost capacity. Premature delivery by the mode of elective cesarean section delivery was, therefore, the most reasonable option. General anesthesia, combined with a continuous epidural infusion of low-concentrate local anesthetics, containing opioid, was sufficient to avoid the need for unexpected mechanical ventilation in intra-and early postoperative periods and to provide excellent post-partum analgesia. Conclusion: This combination can be a potent alternative in tailoring anesthesia for cesarean section in women with extremely impaired pulmonary reserve.
Patients with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS) develop alveolar hypoventilation resulting from a failure of central ventilatory control. Late-onset CCHS (LO-CCHS), which may be precipitated by severe respiratory infection or exposure to sedatives or general anesthesia, presents after the neonatal period. Since CCHS patients require lifelong mechanical-assisted ventilation, in western countries, diaphragm pacing is used to provide adequate alveolar ventilation and oxygenation during rest and daily activities. The main anesthesia-related concern regarding CCHS is postoperative respiratory failure or apnea, and anesthetic agents should be minimized to avoid further respiratory depression after surgery. A 5-year-old girl with LO-CCHS was referred to our hospital for implantation of a phrenic nerve stimulator for diaphragm pacing. Respiratory infection triggered the need for permanent nocturnal ventilator support at age 3 years and tracheotomy was performed at age 4 years. Repeated self-dislodgement of the ventilator tube led to hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. The patient was thought to require mechanical ventilation under minimum sedation and pain management during the early postoperative period. The co-administration of dexmedetomidine and morphine provided effective conscious sedation with protection of the surgical site and without adverse events. She was discharged from the intensive care unit with a home ventilator at 3 days post-operation.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.