Stellate ganglion block can relieve symptoms and pain and prevent facial nerve damage

Ramsay hunt syndrome [1] is a varicella zoster virus infection of the geniculate ganglion of the facial nerve. It is typically associated with a red rash and blister (inflamed vesicles or tiny water filled sacks in the skin) in or around the ear and eardrum and sometimes on the roof of the mouth or tongue. Corticosteroid, oral acyclovir, and anticonvulsant are used for treatment of this. In addition to this sympathetic neural blockade via stellate ganglion block is used to prevent facial nerve damage and relieve symptoms. We present a case of Ramsay hunt syndrome in which pain and symptoms are not relieved by oral medication but by daily sittings of stellate ganglion block with local anesthetic and steroid, pain, and other symptoms are relieved, and facial nerve damage is prevented

Nosocomial Pneumonia in Mechanically Ventilated Patients Receiving Ranitidine or Sucralfate as Stress Ulcer Prophylaxis

This study was conducted to evaluate the incidence of early- and late-onset nosocomial pneumonia, gastric colonization, and gastrointestinal bleeding in 50 orotracheally intubated, mechanically ventilated patients treated with sucralfate or ranitidine for stress ulcer prophylaxis in the intensive care unit. Patients received either iv ranitidine (50 mg every 6h) in Ranitidine group or nasogastric sucralfate suspension (1 g every 6h) in Sucralfate group. The overall incidence of pneumonia and incidence of early-onset pneumonia was comparable between the two groups (p > 0.05). Late- onset pneumonia was observed in 10 (23.8%) patients in the Ranitidine group and 2 (4.8%) patients in the Sucralfate group (P= 0.001). The mean gastric pH (6.04 ± 1.34 and 3.64 ± 1.55, respectively; P= 0.001)), rate of gastric colonization (92% and 16%, respectively; P=0.000), and gastric source of pneumonia (10 patients and 1 patient, respectively; P= 0.017) was higher in the Ranitidine group as compared to the Sucralfate group. Mortality and gastrointestinal bleeding were comparable between groups. We concluded that stress ulcer prophylaxis with ranitidine increases the risk for late- onset pneumonia in mechanically ventilated critically ill patients by favoring gastric colonization by gram- negative bacilli compared with sucralfate. In patients receiving mechanical ventilation, the use of sucralfate may be preferable to H 2 blockers

Intubating conditions following rapid sequence induction with three doses of succinylcholine

Background: The aim of this prospective, randomized, double-blind study was to compare tracheal intubating conditions and the duration of apnoea following administration of 0.4, 0.6 and 1.0 mg/kg of succinylcholine during simulated rapid sequence induction of anaesthesia. Methods: Anaesthesia was induced with fentanyl 2 μg/kg and propofol 2 mg/kg followed by application of cricoid pressure. Patients were randomly allocated to three groups according to the dose of succinylcholine administered (0.4, 0.6 or 1.0 mg/kg). Intubating conditions were assessed at 60 s after succinylcholine administration. Time to first diaphragmatic contraction (apnoea time) and time to resumption of regular spontaneous breathing were noted. Results: Excellent intubating conditions were obtained in 52.4%, 95.7% and 100% of the patients after 0.4, 0.6 and 1.0 mg/kg succinylcholine, respectively; P<0.001. Acceptable intubating conditions (excellent and good grade combined) were obtained in 66.7%, 100% and 100% of the patients after 0.4, 0.6 and 1.0 mg/ kg succinylcholine, respectively; P<0.001. Apnoea time and resumption of regular spontaneous breathing were dose-dependent. Apnoea time was 3.8±1.1 min, 4.3±0.9 min and 8.2±3.4 min in groups 0.4, 0.6 and 1.0 mg/kg, respectively; P<0.001. Time to regular spontaneous breathing was 5.3±1.2 min, 5.5±1.1 min and 8.9±3.5 min in groups 0.4, 0.6 and 1.0 mg/kg, respectively; P<0.001. Conclusion: A dose of 0.6 mg/kg succinylcholine can be used for rapid sequence induction of anaesthesia as it provides acceptable intubating conditions with a shorter apnoea time compared with a dose of 1 mg/kg

Sternomental distance and sternomental displacement as predictors of difficult laryngoscopy and intubation in adult patients

Background: Several morphometric airway measurements have been used to predict difficult laryngoscopy (DL). This study evaluated sternomental distance (SMD) and sternomental displacement (SMDD, difference between SMD measured in neutral and extended head position), as predictors of DL and difficult intubation (DI). Materials and Methods: We studied 610 adult patients scheduled to receive general anesthesia with tracheal intubation. SMD, SMDD, physical, and airway characteristics were measured. DL (Cormack-Lehane grade 3/4) and DI (assessed by Intubation Difficulty Scale) were evaluated. The optimal cut-off points for SMD and SMDD were identified by using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Multivariate logistic regression was used to predict DL and ROC curve was used to assess accuracy on developed regression model. Results: The incidence of DL and DI was 15.4% and 8.3%, respectively. The cut-off values for SMD and SMDD were ≤14.75 cm (sensitivity 66%, specificity 60%) and ≤5.25 cm (sensitivity 70%, specificity 53%), respectively, for predicting DL. The area under the curve (AUC) with 95% confidence interval (CI) for SMD was 0.66 (0.60–0.72) and that for SMDD was 0.687 (0.63–0.74). Multivariate analysis with logistic regression identified inter-incisor distance, neck movement <80°, SMD, SMDD, short neck and history of snoring as predictors and the predictive model so obtained exhibited a higher diagnostic accuracy (AUC: 0.82; 95% CI 0.77–0.86). SMDD, but not SMD, correlated with DI. Conclusions: Both SMD and SMDD provide a rapid, simple, objective test that may help identifying patients at risk of DL. Their predictive value improves considerably when combined with the other predictors identified by logistic regression