Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine >> Research >> Focus Areas >> Pain Medicine & Neuroscience >> Neurologic Injury after Non-Supine Surgery Registry
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Research Focus Areas:
Pain Medicine & Neuroscience

Neurologic Injury after Non-Supine Surgery Registry

Principal Investigators

L. A. Lee, M.D., L. Stephens, Ph.D., K. B. Domino, M.D., M.P.H., K. L. Posner, Ph.D.

Description

Severe brain injuries, cervical spinal cord infarction, and death have been reported after the use of deliberate or permissive hypotension in the beach chair position for shoulder surgery. Cullen first reported a series of 4 cases of severe brain damage or high spinal cord injury after beach chair or sitting surgery with intraoperative hypotension. Suggested etiologies for this complication include low cerebral perfusion pressure caused by measurement of the blood pressure on the arm or leg in the beach chair / sitting position without correction for height, deliberate hypotensive anesthetic techniques, relative hypovolemia from poor venous return caused by positional changes, dynamic occlusion of vertebral arteries caused by head rotation, and the possibility of air emboli. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have demonstrated a 12% decrease in cerebral blood flow (CBF) when changing from supine to sitting positions in healthy awake adults, and aging may affect the ability of the posterior cerebral artery to autoregulate with changes in posture. Further, over half of the population has an "incomplete" circle of Willis in their cerebral circulation, potentially making them less able to autoregulate their cerebral blood flow over wide changes in systemic blood pressure. These large changes in systemic blood pressure may arise from 1) general anesthesia, 2) relative hypovolemia caused by poor venous return in the sitting position, 3) surgical requests for deliberate hypotension to decrease bleeding to improve their visualization, and 4) lack of correction for height differences between the site of measurement of blood pressure and the brain.

The need for correction of blood pressure for height differences between the site of measurement of blood pressure and the brain has long been debated in neuroanesthesiology. Recent studies in giraffes suggest that cerebral blood flow depends on the arterial pressure in the upright position, and is not supported by a siphon mechanism. The beach chair position is widely utilized in the United States for shoulder surgery despite an absence of outcome studies regarding its superiority to the lateral decubitus position. Consequently, it is unclear if the benefits outweigh this incredibly high severity risk.

Because the incidence of this complication appears to be low, a voluntary registry available by web across the country to any practitioner or patient would greatly facilitate collection of cases, as demonstrated by the ASA Postoperative Visual Loss Registry.

Pain Medicine & Neuroscience:
Research Projects

An Internet CBT Intervention for Pediatric Chronic Pain and Disability
T. Palermo, Ph.D.
Cervical Sympathetic Block in Patients with Cerebral Vasospasm following Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemmorhage
M. DePinto, M.D., M.M. Treggiari, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H.
Controlling Pain After Trauma
D. Patterson, Ph.D., S. R. Sharar, M.D., M. Jensen, Ph.D., H. Hoffman, Ph.D., et al.
Cytokine and Neurotransmitter Interactions in Sleep Regulation
M. R. Opp, Ph.D., L. Imeri, M.D.
Disability from Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury
P Rivara, M.D., M. S. Vavilala, M.D.
Drug Interactions at the Human Blood-Brain Barrier
J. D. Unadkat, Ph.D., K. B. Domino, M.D., M.P.H., A. Collier, M.D., et al.
Effectiveness of Oxymorphone for Acute Postoperative Pain Pediatric Subjects
S.Bhananker, M.D.
Identifying Virtual Reality Analgesia Mechanisms by Pharmacologic Manipulation
S. R. Sharar, M. D., D.A. Patterson, Ph.D, H.Hunter, Ph.D., et al.
Influence of Dexmedetomidine on the Evoked Potentials During Spine Surgery
Rozet, M.D.
Innovations In Pediatric Pain Research
T. Palermo, Ph.D.
Ketorolac in Surgical Infants: Pharmacokinetics/Analgesia
A.M. Lynn, M.D.
Mechanism Of Action Of Volatile Anesthetics
P.G. Morgan, M.D.
Memantine for Post-Operative Pain Control in the Opiate-Tolerant Patient
G. Terman, M.D., Ph.D.
Modulation of Pruritus by Spinal Cannabinoids
G. W. Terman, M.D.,Ph.D.
Molecular Mechanisms of Sleep Responses to Viral Infection
James Krueger, PhD (WSU: PI); Mark R. Opp, PhD (co-investigator/subcontract PI)
Neonatal Pain, Depression and Pain Susceptibility at Maturity in Rats
Gayle Page, DNSc, RN (Johns Hopkins: PI); Mark R. Opp, PhD (co-investigator/subcontract PI)
Neurologic Injury after Non-Supine Surgery Registry
L. A. Lee, M.D., L. Stephens, Ph.D., K. B. Domino, M.D., M.P.H., K. L. Posner, Ph.D.
Neuron-glial communication and brain aging
Paula Bickford, PhD (University of South Florida: PI); Carmelina Gemma, PhD (co-investigator/subcontract PI)
Neuronal-Glial Dialogue and Cognition
Carmelina Gemma, PhD (PI)
Neurotoxic Effects of Volatile Anesthetics in C. Elegans
P.G. Morgan, M.D.
Open Label Study of the Safety and Efficacy of Conivaptan (Vaprisol) to raise serum sodium levels in patients with severe traumatic brain injury
M. M. Treggiari, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., S. A. Deem, M.D., N.D. Yanez III, Ph.D.
Optimizing the Control of Pain from Severe Burns
D. Patterson, Ph.D.; S R. Sharar, MD; D. Heimbach, MD., J Doctor, Ph.D.
Patient Perceptions of the Benefits of Long-Term Opioid Therapy (PLOT) Initiative-Beliefs and Behaviors
D. C. Turk, Ph.D., J. P. Robinson., M.D., R. Landau, M.D.
Sepsis Outcomes and Aging: Role of Sleep Disruption and the Blood Brain Barrier
Mark R. Opp, PhD (PI); William A. Banks, MD (co-investigator); Richard M. Raymond, PhD (co-investigator)
Shared Decision Making in Orthopaedic Spine Surgery to Improve Patient Safety
K. B. Domino,M.D, M.P.H.; K. L. Posner, Ph.D. et al.
Sleep-Wake Disturbances in Adolescents with Chronic Pain Research
T. Palermo, Ph.D.
Subgroups of FMS: Symptoms, Beliefs & Tailored Treatments
D.C. Turk, Ph.D., J. Robinson, M.D., Ph.D.
Subjective and Neuroimaging Assessment of Combined Opioid and Virtual Reality Analgesia
S. R. Sharar, M.D., T. Richards, Ph.D.
Ultrasound Guided Rectus Sheath Block for Post-Operative Pain Control Following Umbilical Hernia Repair
S. Flack, M.D.
University of Washington Urologic Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndromes Discovery Center
D. S. Buchwald, M.D., N. Jimenez, M. D., et al.
Web-based CBT for Opioid-treated Chronic Pain Patients With Aberrant Behavior
Rosenblum, Ph.D., D.C. Turk, Ph.D.