Retinal Hemorrhage Following Anesthesia

Valsalva hemorrhagic retinopathy presenting as a rare cause of impaired vision after a general anesthetic—a case report and review of the literature

“…Valsalva hemorrhagic retinopathy has also been reported after common medical and surgical interventions including the following: colonoscopy [15], upper endoscopy [16,17], laparoscopy [4,11], laparoscopic cholecystectomy [5], prostate biopsy [50], dental procedures [18,19], lumbar and caudal epidural injection [6][7][8][9][10]12], a seizure [51], choking and an attempted Heimlich maneuver [52], and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) [53].…”

“…These patients underwent general anesthesia for laparoscopy and subsequently complained of decreased vision and were diagnosed with VHR. All were intubated and had increased abdominal and intrathoracic pressures secondary to insufflation and positioning [4,5,11].…”

“…Postoperative visual loss may occur after common interventions and has been previously reported after a number of seemingly benign and common anesthetic-related maneuvers [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19].…”

Valsalva haemorrhagic retinopathy in a pregnant woman: implications for delivery

“…Anaesthesia is required for delivery by elective caesarean section. Several cases of retinal haemorrhage have been described in association with both general and epidural anaesthesia (Bolder & Norton 1984; Ling et al. 1993).…”

Retinal Hemorrhages Following Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

“…[1][2][3][4][5] In the absence of the above causes, several reports have suggested that retinal hemorrhages are virtually pathognomonic of child abuse.6-8 Whether or not retinal hemorrhages occur as a complication of cardiopulmonary resuscitation remains unclear. Inasmuch as the finding of retinal hemorrhages, in the absence of the above predisposing conditions, raises the medical, social, and legal implications of child abuse, it is important to document whether retinal hemorrhages may occur as a result of cardiopulmonary resuscitation.…”