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There are various levels of consciousness. Wakefulness and general anesthesia are two extremes of the spectrum. Conscious sedation and monitored anesthesia care (MAC) refer to an awareness somewhere in the middle of the spectrum depending on the degree to which a patient is sedated. Awareness/wakefulness does not necessarily imply pain or discomfort. The aim of conscious sedation or monitored anesthetic care is to provide a safe and comfortable anesthetic while maintaining the patient's ability to follow commands.
Under certain circumstances, a general anesthetic, whereby the patient is completely unconscious, may be unnecessary and/or undesirable. For instance, with a cesarean delivery, the goal is to provide comfort with neuraxial anesthetic yet maintain consciousness so that the mother can participate in the birth of her child. Other circumstances may include, but are not limited to, procedures that are minimally invasive or purely diagnostic (and thus not uncomfortable). Sometimes, the patient's health may not tolerate the stress of general anesthesia. The decision to provide monitored anesthesia care versus general anesthesia can be complex involving careful consideration of individual circumstances and after discussion with the patient as to their preferences.
Patients who undergo conscious sedation or monitored anesthesia care are never meant to be without recall. Whether or not a patient remembers the procedure depends on the type of medications used, the dosages used, patient physiology, and other factors. Many patients undergoing monitored anesthesia do not remember the experience.
For certain operations, such as Cesarean section, or in hypovolemic patients or patients with minimal cardiac reserve, the anesthesia provider may aim to provide "light anesthesia" and should discuss this with the patient to warn them. During such circumstances, consciousness and recall may occur because judgments of depth of anesthesia are not precise. The anesthesia provider must weigh the need to keep the patient safe and stable with the goal of preventing awareness. Sometimes, it is necessary to provide lighter anesthesia in order to preserve the life of the patient. 'Light' anesthesia means less drugs by the intravenous route or via inhalational means, leading to less cardiovascular depression (hypotension) but, causing 'awareness' in the anesthetized subject.
In the 1980s and 1990s, several trials of melatonin administration to totally blind individuals without light perception produced improvement in sleep patterns, but it was unclear at that time if the benefits were due to entrainment from light cues. Then, using endogenous melatonin as a marker for circadian rhythms, several research groups showed that appropriately timed melatonin administration could entrain free-running rhythms in the totally blind. For example, Sack et al. found that 6 out of 7 patients treated with 10 mg melatonin at bedtime were normally entrained. When the dose was gradually reduced to 0.5 mg in three of the subjects, entrainment persisted. Subsequently, it was shown that treatment initiated with the 0.5 mg dose produced entrainment. One subject who failed to entrain at a higher dose was successfully entrained at a lower dose. A low dose produces melatonin blood levels that are similar to the concentrations naturally produced by nightly pineal secretion.
Products containing melatonin are available as dietary supplements in the United States and Canada, available over the counter. These "supplements" do not require FDA approval. As prescription drugs may be prescribed off-label, treatment recommendations for non-24 in the blind may vary.
There has been a constant growth in the field of melatonin and melatonin receptor agonists since the 1980s. In 2005 Ramelteon (Rozerem) was the first melatonin agonist to be approved in the United States (US), indicated for insomnia treatment in adults. Melatonin in the form of prolonged release (trade name Circadin) was approved in 2007 in Europe (EU) for use as a short-term treatment, in patients 55 years and older, for primary insomnia. Tasimelteon (trade name Hetlioz) received FDA-approval in January 2014 for persons diagnosed with non-24. TIK-301 (Tikvah Therapeutics, Atlanta, USA) has been in phase II clinical trial in the United States since 2002 and the FDA granted it orphan drug designation in May 2004, for use as a treatment for circadian rhythm sleep disorder in blind individuals without light perception as well as individuals with tardive dyskinesia.
Minor laryngospasm will generally resolve spontaneously in the majority of cases.
Laryngospasm in the operating room is treated by hyperextending the patient's neck and administering assisted ventilation with 100% oxygen. In more severe cases it may require the administration of an intravenous muscle relaxant, such as Succinylcholine, and reintubation.
When Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is the trigger, treatment of GERD can help manage laryngospasm. Proton pump inhibitors such as Dexlansoprazole (Dexilant), Esomeprazole (Nexium), and Lansoprazole (Prevacid) reduce the production of stomach acids, making reflux fluids less irritant. Prokinetic agents reduce the amount of acid available by stimulating movement in the digestive tract.
Spontaneous laryngospasm can be treated by staying calm and breathing slowly, instead of gasping for air. Drinking (tiny sips) of ice water to wash away any irritants that may be the cause of the spasm can also help greatly.
Patients who are prone to laryngospasm during illness can take measures to prevent irritation such as antacids to avoid acid reflux, and constantly drinking water or tea keep the area clear of irritants.
Additionally, laryngospasms can result from hypocalcemia, causing muscle spasms and/or tetany. Na+ channels remain open even if there is very little increase in the membrane potential. This affects the small muscles of the vocal folds.
Enforcing a 24-hour sleep–wake schedule using alarm clocks or family interventions is often tried but usually unsuccessful. Bright light exposure on awakening to counteract the tendency for circadian rhythms to delay, similar to the treatment for delayed sleep phase disorder, and seasonal affective disorder (SAD) has been found to be effective in some cases, as has melatonin administration in the subjective late afternoon or evening. Light therapy involves at least 20 minutes of exposure to 3000 to 10000 lux light intensity. Going outside on a bright sunny day can accomplish the same benefit as special light fixtures (light boxes). Bright light therapy combined with the use of melatonin as a chronobiotic and avoidance of light before bedtime may be the most effective treatment. Melatonin administration shifts circadian rhythms according to a phase response curve (PRC) that is essentially the inverse of the light PRC. When taken in the late afternoon or evening, it resets the clock earlier; when taken in the morning, it shifts the clock later. Therefore, successful entrainment depends on the appropriate timing of melatonin administration. The accuracy needed for successfully timing the administration of melatonin requires a period of trial and error, as does the dosage. In addition to natural fluctuations within the circadian rhythm, seasonal changes including temperature, hours of daylight, light intensity and diet are likely to affect the efficacy of melatonin and light therapies since these exogenous zeitgebers would compete for hormonal homoeostasis. Further to this there are unforeseen disruptions to contend with even when a stabilised cycle is achieved; such as travel, exercise, stress, alcohol or even the use of light emitting technology close to a subjective evening/night.
Hypnotics and/or stimulants (to promote sleep and wakefulness, respectively) have sometimes been used. Typically a sleep diary is requested to aid in evaluation of treatment, though the emergence of modern actigraphy devices can also assist in the logging of sleep data. Additionally, graphs can now be generated using mobile phone applications, utilising internal accelerometers which are present in most smartphones in use today. The graphs and basic sleep diary records can be shared with a physician. However, due to the lack of clinical accuracy they should not be used for diagnosis, but instead to monitor the cycle and general progress of any medications in use.
Physical therapy can be somewhat useful for patient’s recovery from surgery. The main focus of rehabilitation is centered on controlling the bladder and bowel functions and decreasing muscle weakness in the lower extremities.
Those unsuitable for surgery may receive thrombolytics. In the past, streptokinase was the main thrombolytic chemical. More recently, drugs such as tissue plasminogen activator, urokinase, and anisterplase have been used in its place. Mechanical methods of injecting the thrombolytic compounds have improved with the introduction of pulsed spray catheters—which allow for a greater opportunity for patients to avoid surgery. Pharmacological thrombolysis requires a catheter insert into the affected area, attached to the catheter is often a wire with holes to allow for a wider dispersal area of the thrombolytic agent. These agents lyse the ischemia-causing thrombus quickly and effectively. However, the efficacy of thrombolytic treatment is limited by hemorrhagic complications. Plasma fibrinogen level has been proposed as a predictor of these hemorrhagic complications. However, based on a systemtic review of the available literature until January 2016, the predictive value of plasma is unproven.
When laryngospasm is coincident with a cold or flu, it may be helpful for some sufferers to take acid reflux medication to limit the irritants in the area. If a cough is present, then treat a wet cough; but limit coughing whenever possible, as it is only likely to trigger a spasm. Drink water or tea to keep the area from drying up. Saline drops also help to keep the area moist. Pseudoephederine may also help to clear any mucus that may cause coughing and thereby triggering more spasms.
Postanesthetic shivering (PAS) is shivering after anesthesia.
The intensity of PAS may be graded using the scale described by Crossley and Mahajan:
Postanesthetic shivering is one of the leading causes of discomfort in patients recovering from general anesthesia. It usually results due to the anesthetic inhibiting the body's thermoregulatory capability, although cutaneous vasodilation (triggered by post-operative pain) may also be a causative factor. First-line treatment consists of warming the patient; more persistent/severe cases may be treated with medications such as tramadol, pethidine, clonidine and nefopam, which work by reducing the shivering threshold temperature and reducing the patient's level of discomfort. As these medications may react and/or synergize with the anesthetic agents employed during the surgery, their use is generally avoided when possible.
The management of true cauda equina syndrome frequently involves surgical decompression. When cauda equina syndrome is caused by a herniated disk early surgical decompression is recommended.
Cauda equina syndrome of sudden onset is regarded as a medical/surgical emergency. Surgical decompression by means of laminectomy or other approaches may be undertaken within 6, 24 or 48 hours of symptoms developing if a compressive lesion, e.g., ruptured disc, epidural abscess, tumour or haematoma is demonstrated. Early treatment may significantly improve the chance that long-term neurological damage will be avoided.
Surgery may be required to remove blood, bone fragments, a tumor or tumors, a herniated disc or an abnormal bone growth. If the tumor cannot be removed surgically and it is malignant then radiotherapy may be used as an alternative to relieve pressure, with spinal neoplasms chemotherapy can also be used. If the syndrome is due to an inflammatory condition e.g., ankylosing spondylitis, anti-inflammatory, including steroids can be used as an effective treatment. If a bacterial infection is the cause then an appropriate course of antibiotics can be used to treat it.
Cauda equina syndrome can occur during pregnancy due to lumbar disc herniation; age of mother increases the risk. Surgery can still be performed and the pregnancy does not adversely affect treatment. Treatment for those with cauda equina can and should be carried out at any time during pregnancy.
Lifestyle issues may need to be addressed post - treatment. Issues could include the patients need for physiotherapy and occupational therapy due to lower limb dysfunction. Obesity might also need to be tackled.
The body's inflammatory response to surgery likely plays an important role, at least in elderly patients. Various research initiatives during recent years have evaluated whether actions taken before, during and after surgery can lessen the possible deleterious effects of inflammation. For example, anti-inflammatory agents can be given before surgery. During surgery, inflammation can be modulated by temperature control, use of regional rather than general anesthesia or the use of beta blockers. After surgery, optimal pain management and infection control is important. Several studies have shown variable-significance positive effects when a multidisciplinary, multifactorial approach to elderly patient is followed during pre, peri and post-operative care.
Animal studies indicate that volatile anaesthestics may augment the pathological processes of Alzheimer's Disease by affecting amyloid-beta processing. However, in young healthy mice, the volatile anesthetic isoflurane can also produce long-lasting memory impairment. This adverse effect is preventable by pre-administering the GABA(A)α5 inverse agonist L-655,708.
Another type of thrombolysis disrupts the clot mechanically using either saline jets or, more recently, ultrasound waves. Saline jets dislodge the clot using the Bernoulli effect. Ultrasound waves, emitted at low frequency, create a physical fragmentation of the thrombus.
Anal abscesses are rarely treated with a simple course of antibiotics. In almost all cases surgery will need to take place to remove the abscess. Treatment is possible in an emergency room under local anesthesia, but it is highly preferred to be formally admitted to a hospital and to have the surgery performed in an operating room under general anesthesia.
Generally speaking, a fairly small but deep incision is performed close to the root of the abscess. The surgeon will allow the abscess to drain its exudate and attempt to discover any other related lesions in the area. This is one of the most basic types of surgery, and is usually performed in less than thirty minutes by the anal surgical team. Generally, a portion of the exudate is sent for microbiological analysis to determine the type of infecting bacteria. The incision is not closed (stitched), as the damaged tissues must heal from the inside toward the skin over a period of time.
The affected individual is often sent home within twenty-four hours of the surgery, and may be instructed to perform several 'sitz baths' per day, whereby a small basin (which usually fits over a toilet) is filled with warm water (and possibly, salts) and the affected area is soaked for a period of time. Another method of recovery involves the use of surgical packing, which is initially inserted by the surgical team, with redressing generally performed by hospital staff or a District Nurse (however, following the results of several double-blind studies, the effectiveness of surgical packing has come into question). During the week following the surgery, many patients will have some form of antibiotic therapy, along with some form of pain management therapy, consistent with the nature of the abscess.
The patient usually experiences an almost complete relief of the severe pain associated to his/her abscess upon waking from anesthesia; the pain associated with the opening and draining incision during the post-operative period is often mild in comparison.
Dantrolene is a muscle relaxant that appears to work directly on the ryanodine receptor to prevent the release of calcium. After the widespread introduction of treatment with dantrolene, the mortality of malignant hyperthermia fell from 80% in the 1960s to less than 5%. Dantrolene remains the only drug known to be effective in the treatment of MH. It is recommended that each hospital keeps a minimum stock of 36 dantrolene vials (720 mg) sufficient for a 70-kg person.
The current treatment of choice is the intravenous administration of dantrolene, the only known antidote, discontinuation of triggering agents, and supportive therapy directed at correcting hyperthermia, acidosis, and organ dysfunction. Treatment must be instituted rapidly on clinical suspicion of the onset of malignant hyperthermia.
Complications are often diagnosed post-operatively, which can be differentiated through duplex ultrasound scanning and are bit observed until 24 to 48 hours for early complications such as drainage, infection, formation of haematocele, rupture, etc., but also for 1 to 6 weeks during follow-up on out-patient basis.
Anaphia, also known as tactile anesthesia, is a medical symptom in which there is a total or partial absence of the sense of touch.
Anaphia is a common symptom of spinal cord injury and neuropathy.
A number of treatments may be useful including physiotherapy and exercise. While surgery can remove fat tissue it can also damage lymphatic vessels. Treatment does not typically result in complete resolution.
There is currently no known way to prevent lipedema. Some treatments, both conservative and surgical, may help some people postpone or prevent symptom worsening sometimes.
If lipedema is diagnosed early, which currently is very rare, it is possible to prevent a significant expansion of lipedematous fat cells and to alert patients to their heightened risk factors so they can take appropriate action.
This condition is most often treated using voice therapy (vocal exercises) by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) or speech therapists who have experience in treating voice disorders. The duration of treatment is commonly one to two weeks.
Techniques used include:
- Cough: The patient is asked to apply pressure on the Adam's apple and cough. This results in the shortening of the vocal folds which is the physiological mechanism that reduces pitch. The patient can thus practice voicing at a lower pitch.
- Speech range masking: This procedure is based on the theory that when speaking in noisy backgrounds, people speak louder and more clearly in order to be heard. The patient practices speaking while a masking noise is playing. Then, the patient listens to a recording of his/her voice during the masking session and tries to match it without the masking. By doing this, the patient practices their 'loud and clear' voice.
- Glottal attack before a vowel: A glottal attack is when the vocal folds are fully closed and then pushed open by the air pressure from breathing out or making a sound. In this technique, the patient breathes in and then makes a vowel as he/she breathes out.
- Laryngeal musculature relaxation techniques: Laryngeal muscles surround the vocal folds and by relaxing them, there is reduced pressure on the vocal folds. This can be done by yawning and subsequently sighing, exaggerated chewing while speaking, and speaking or singing the 'm' sound.
- Lowering of larynx to appropriate position: The larynx is lowered by the patient by putting pressure on the Adam's apple. By lowering the larynx, the vocal folds relax, and thus pitch is lowered. The patient does this while speaking to practice speaking with a lower pitch.
- Humming while sliding down the scale: The patient starts humming at the highest pitch that they can reach and then keeps lowering the pitch while humming. This allows the patient to practice using a lower pitch and also to relax the laryngeal muscles.
- Half swallow Boom technique: The patient says 'boom" just after swallowing. This is repeated with the patient turning his/her head to either side and also while lowering the chin. After practice, the patient adds more words. This technique helps to close the vocal folds completely.
Indirect Voice Therapy
Indirect treatment options for puberphonia focus on creating an environment where direct treatment options will be more effective. Counselling, performed by the S-LP, a psychologist, or counsellor, can help patients identify the psychological factors that contribute to their disorder and give them tools to address those factors directly. Patients may also be educated about good vocal hygiene and how their behaviour could have long term effects on their voice.
Audiovisual feedback:
In puberphonia, the use of audiovisual feedback allows the patient to observe graphic and numerical representations of their voice and pitch. This allows the patient to determine an ideal pitch range based on normative data on age and gender, and incrementally work through speech tasks while working in that desired pitch range. As the patient improves, speech tasks progress to become more natural, involving tasks such as reciting automatic information, to reading, to spontaneous speech and conversation. Incorporating audiovisual feedback in speech and voice therapies has been successful in intervention by improving motivation and guidance.
Surgery:
In some cases when traditional voice therapy is ineffective, surgical interventions are considered. This can occur in situations where intervention is delayed or the patient is in denial, causing the condition to become resistant to voice therapy.
There are different types of surgical interventions which have been successful in lowering the vocal pitch in men with puberphonia who had previously received ineffective voice and psychotherapy. The first surgical intervention developed, called "Relaxation Thyroplasty" or "Retrusion Thyroplasty", involves a bilateral excision of 2 to 3 mm vertical strips of thyroid cartilage which lowers the vocal pitch through anteroposterior relaxation and shortening of the vocal folds. It can be performed under local or general anesthesia.
"Relaxation Thyroplasty by a medial approach" is a modified approach of traditional "Relaxation Thyroplasty". This version involves lowering the vocal pitch by creating an incision bilaterally in the thyroid lamina and then depressing the anterior segment of the thyroid cartilage.
A more recent, less invasive intervention is the "Window Relaxation Thyroplasty". This approach involves creating a window at the anterior commissure which is then displaced posteriorly.
Permanent stents are often metal coils, which are inserted into the male urethra. The braided mesh is designed to expand radially, applying constant gentle pressure to hold open the sections of the urethra that obstruct the flow of urine. The open, diamond-shape cell design of the stent allows the stent to eventually become embedded in the urethra, thus minimizing the risk for encrustation and migration. Permanent stents are used to relieve urinary obstructions secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), recurrent bulbar urethral stricture (RBUS), or detrusor external sphincter dyssynergia (DESD). The main motive for removal of permanent stents is worsening of symptoms even with device fitted. Other reasons have been migration, clot retention, hematuria, and urinary retention. The only FDA approved permanent stent is the Urolume. Usually, permanent stents are used only for men who are unwilling or unable to take medications or who are reluctant or unable to have surgery. Most doctors do not consider permanent stents a viable long-term treatment for most men.
Postoperative residual curarization (PORC) is a residual paresis after emergence from general anesthesia with neuromuscular-blocking drugs.
Most hydroceles appearing in the first year of life seldom require treatment as they resolve without treatment. Hydroceles that persist after the first year or occur later in life require treatment through open operation for removing surgically, as these may have little tendency towards regression. Method of choice is open operation under general or spinal anesthesia, which is sufficient in adults. General anesthesia is the choice in children. Local infiltration anesthesia is not satisfactory because it cannot abolish abdominal pain due to traction on the spermatic cord. If a testicular tumor is suspected, a hydrocele must not be aspirated as malignant cells can be disseminated via the scrotal skin to its lymphatic field. This is excluded clinically by ultrasonography. If a tumor is not present, the hydrocele fluid can be aspirated with a needle and syringe. Clear straw-colored fluid contains mostly albumin and fibrinogen. If the fluid is allowed to drain in a collecting vessel, it does not clot but can be coagulated if small amounts of blood come in contact with the damaged tissue. In long standing cases, hydrocele fluid may be opalescent with cholesterol and may contain crystals of tyrosine and a palpable normal testis confirms the diagnosis; other wise surgical exploration of testis is needed.
The scrotum should be supported post-operatively and ice bags should be placed to soothe pain. Regular changes of surgical dressings, observation of drainage, and looking for other complications may be necessary to prevent re-operation. In cases with presence of one or more complications, open operation with/without Orchidectomy is preferred depending on the complications.
Jaboulay’s procedure
After aspiration of a primary hydrocoele, fluid reaccumulates over the following months and periodic aspiration or operation is needed. For younger patients, operation is usually preferred, whereas the elderly or unfit can have aspirations repeated whenever the hydrocoele becomes uncomfortably large. Sclerotherapy is an alternative; after aspiration, 6% aqueous phenol (10-20 ml) together with 1% lidocaine for analgesia can be injected and this often inhibits reaccumulation. Several treatments may be necessary. Aspiration of the hydrocele contents and injection with sclerosing agents sometimes with Tetracyclines is effective but it can be very painful. These alternative treatments are generally regarded as unsatisfactory treatment because of the high incidence of recurrences and the frequent necessity for repetition of the procedure.
Anesthesia dolorosa or anaesthesia dolorosa or deafferentation pain is pain felt in an area (usually of the face) which is completely numb to touch. The pain is described as constant, burning, aching or severe. It can be a side effect of surgery involving any part of the trigeminal system, and occurs after 1–4% of peripheral surgery for trigeminal neuralgia. No effective medical therapy has yet been found. Several surgical techniques have been tried, with modest or mixed results. The value of surgical interventions is difficult to assess because published studies involve small numbers of mixed patient types and little long term follow-up.
- Gasserian ganglion stimulation is stimulation of the gasserian ganglion with electric pulses from a small generator implanted beneath the skin. There are mixed reports, including some reports of marked, some of moderate and some of no improvement. Further studies of more patients with longer follow-up are required to determine the efficacy of this treatment.
- Deep brain stimulation was found in one review to produce good results in forty-five percent of 106 cases. Though relief may not be permanent, several years of relief may be achieved with this technique.
- Mesencephalotomy is the damaging of the junction of the trigeminal tract and the periaqueductal gray in the brain, and has produced pain relief in a group of patients with cancer pain; but when applied to six anesthesia dolorosa patients, no pain relief was achieved, and the unpleasant sensation was in fact increased.
- Dorsal root entry zone lesioning, damaging the point where sensory nerve fibers meet spinal cord fibers, produced favorable results in some patients and poor results in others, with incidence of ataxia at 40%. Patient numbers were small, follow-up was short and existing evidence does not indicate long term efficacy.
- One surgeon treated thirty-five patients using trigeminal nucleotomy, damaging the nucleus caudalis, and reported 66% "abolition of allodynia and a marked reduction in or (less frequently) complete abolition of deep background pain."
1.escape when filling refillable vapourizers,
2.Leaks in the high pressure system between the nitrous oxide (N2O) cylinder,
3.Can escape from around the patient's anesthesia mask,
4.Can escape from around the patient's endotracheal tube
5.Can in an anesthetic medical procedure.