Mechanical Thrombectomy for Methamphetamine-Associated Cardiomyopathy with Left Ventricular Thrombus: A Case Report.

Objective: The global increase in methamphetamine abuse has increased the incidence of methamphetamine-associated cardiomyopathy (MACM), which is often complicated by left ventricular thrombosis and acute ischemic stroke. Here, we report a case of left internal carotid artery occlusion during acute heart failure treatment in a patient with MACM that led to mechanical thrombectomy.

Case Presentation: A 54-year-old man with a history of approximately 30 years of methamphetamine abuse presented with dilated cardiomyopathy complicated by a left ventricular thrombus.

Effect of A118G (rs1799971) single-nucleotide polymorphism of the μ-opioid receptor OPRM1 gene on intraoperative remifentanil requirements in Japanese women undergoing laparoscopic gynecological surgery.

Aim: Abundant data are available on the effect of the A118G (rs1799971) single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the μ-opioid receptor OPRM1 gene on morphine and fentanyl requirements for pain control. However, data on the effect of this SNP on intraoperative remifentanil requirements remain limited. We investigated the effect of this SNP on intraoperative remifentanil requirements.

Adult-onset Acute Flaccid Myelitis Accompanied by Rhombencephalitis Which First Presented with Prominent Psychiatric Symptoms and Dysautonomia Mimicking Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate Receptor Encephalitis.

A 44-year-old woman with a subacute onset of an altered mental status, urinary retention, and fluctuating blood pressure was initially diagnosed with anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis, meeting the criteria of Graus et al. Cardiac arrest occurred, which required pacemaker placement. She subsequently showed profound flaccid limb paralysis, with magnetic resonance imaging demonstrating focal necrotic lesions localized in the anterior horn of the longitudinal segments of the spinal cord and in the pontine tegmentum.

Anesthesia outcomes of pregnant women with spinal diseases: a single-center case-series study.

Background: Neuraxial anesthesia is widely used as the most effective and standard method in obstetric anesthesia. However, there is a concern that neuraxial anesthesia may be technically difficult or ineffective in pregnant women with spinal disease. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the implementation rate of neuraxial anesthesia among pregnant women with spinal diseases and their success rate at our institution.

Comparison of the incidence of fetal prolonged deceleration after induction of labor analgesia between dural puncture epidural and combined spinal epidural technique: a pilot study.

Background: Abnormal cardiotocogram (CTG) tracing may appear after induction of neuraxial labor analgesia. Non-reassuring fetal status (NRFS) indicated by severely abnormal tracings, such as prolonged deceleration (PD) or bradycardia, can necessitate immediate operative delivery. Combined spinal epidural analgesia (CSEA) is known to result in more frequent abnormal tracings than epidural analgesia (EA); however, the corresponding data related to dural puncture epidural (DPE) are unclear.

Fibrinogen measurement by a novel point-of-care device with whole blood: comparison of values against Clauss method.

Timely fibrinogen replacement is key to treating critical hemorrhage. Measuring fibrinogen concentration by conventional laboratory tests requires centrifugation of blood samples and is often time-consuming. A point-of-care testing device (A&T, Yokohama, Japan), CG02N, has been available in Japan since 2011 to measure fibrinogen concentration without centrifugation.

Association of chorioamnionitis with failed conversion of epidural labor analgesia to cesarean delivery anesthesia: A retrospective cohort study.

Aim: This study aimed to examine the association between clinically diagnosed chorioamnionitis and failed conversion of epidural labor analgesia to cesarean delivery anesthesia.

Methods: This retrospective, single-center cohort study, conducted in a university hospital, enrolled term parturients undergoing emergency cesarean section after induction of epidural labor analgesia between September 2015 and May 2019. For the purpose of this study, all cases were re-examined to ensure that they fulfilled the criteria of chorioamnionitis, regardless of the actual indication for cesarean section proposed by obstetricians at the time of application.

Formulating an anesthetic plan using a list of high-risk pregnant women on cloud-based business communication tools: a case report.

Background: We report a case in which a list of high-risk pregnant women on cloud-based business communication tools was useful in formulating an anesthetic plan for unscheduled cesarean section.

Case Presentation: A 37-year-old woman, who had been prescribed icosapentate for hypertriglyceridemia, received an antenatal anesthetic evaluation for possible cesarean delivery, and it was agreed that the anesthetic method for emergency cesarean section was general anesthesia if the surgery would take place within 7 days after the discontinuation of the drug, and regional anesthesia if it would take place any time later. Then this agreement was uploaded on the cloud-based business communication tools, and updated until she delivered her baby via unscheduled cesarean section.

The value of the portable fibrinogen measuring device-a case report of severe postpartum hemorrhage with obstetric disseminated intravascular coagulation.

Background: Fibrinogen concentration is an important indicator of the treatment for obstetric disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). We present how using the fibrinogen measuring device could solve problems in the treatment of postpartum hemorrhage with complicated DIC.

Case Presentation: A 32-year-old woman with monochorionic diamniotic twins at 22 weeks of pregnancy was diagnosed with placental abruption and underwent emergent cesarean section.

Effects of rs958804 and rs7858836 single-nucleotide polymorphisms of the ASTN2 gene on pain-related phenotypes in patients who underwent laparoscopic colectomy and mandibular sagittal split ramus osteotomy.

Background: Opioids are widely used as effective analgesics, but opioid sensitivity varies widely among individuals. The underlying genetic and nongenetic factors are not fully understood. Based on the results of our previous genome-wide association study, we investigated the effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the astrotactin 2 (ASTN2) gene on pain-related phenotypes in surgical patients.

Comparison of the labor curves with and without combined spinal-epidural analgesia in nulliparous women- a retrospective study.

Background: Neuraxial labor analgesia is known to increase the rate of instrumental delivery and prolong the second stage of labor; however, there is no standard method to evaluate the progress of labor under analgesia. Friedman curve is considered the gold standard for evaluating the progress of labor. However, it included not only neuraxial labor analgesia but also labor without analgesia.

Characteristics of labor-onset hypertension persist after neuraxial labor analgesia.

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the rate of labor-onset hypertension (LOH) under neuraxial labor analgesia and the effect of neuraxial labor analgesia on LOH.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in a tertiary university hospital from 2015 to 2016. Patients who were admitted to the hospital for vaginal delivery under combined spinal and epidural anesthesia were selected.

Co-morbidity of progressive supranuclear palsy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a clinical-pathological case report.

Background: The coexistence of distinct neurodegenerative diseases in single cases has recently attracted greater attention. The phenotypic co-occurrence of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has been documented in several cases. That said, the clinicopathological comorbidity of these two diseases has not been demonstrated.

[A case of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy presenting recurrent attacks associated with pregnancies].

At 37 years of age, the patient initially presented with symptoms of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) during her 1st pregnancy. She was treated with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg), and showed favorable recovery, becoming almost asymptomatic by the age of 38. At 39 years of age, during her puerperal period of her second pregnancy, she developed symmetrical muscle weakness and sensory disturbance of the upper and lower limbs.

Successful management of obstetric disseminated intravascular coagulation using a portable fibrinogen-measuring device.

The importance of fibrinogen replacement therapy in obstetric disseminated intravascular coagulation is well recognized. However, fibrinogen measurement in conventional laboratories has been a time-consuming task. Recently, a Japanese manufacturer developed a portable device that enables immediate fibrinogen measurement at the point of care.