Paraplegia Due to Spinal Cord Infarction After Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

Perioperative Spinal Cord Ischemia After Cardiac Surgery Not Involving the Aorta: A Review of the Literature

Spinal cord ischemia (SCI) associated with aortic surgery is well-described; however, SCI after cardiac surgery not involving the aorta is an unusual and underappreciated phenomenon. The authors reviewed the literature and found 54 case reports of perioperative spinal cord ischemia in nonaortic surgery. The severity of its implications is evidenced by the fact that 14 patients died, 22 had no recovery, and seven had only partial recovery. Various types of cardiac surgery have reported this complication including coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), off-pump CABG, valve surgeries, combination valve and CABG surgeries, and transcatheter aortic valve procedures. Patient comorbidities, such as high blood pressure, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, and peripheral vascular disease, also may play a role in the development of this adverse outcome. The authors review the literature to define further possible mechanisms, surgical techniques, and patient factors that could contribute to the risk of perioperative SCI after cardiac surgery.

Spinal cord infarction during venoarterial-extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support

Spinal cord infarction (SCI) is a rare disease among central nervous system vascular diseases. Only a little is known about venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO)-related SCI. Retrospective observational study conducted, from 2006 to 2019, in a tertiary referral center on patients who developed VA-ECMO-related neurovascular complications, focusing on SCI. During this period, among the 1893 patients requiring VA-ECMO support, 112 (5.9%) developed an ECMO-related neurovascular injury: 65 (3.4%) ischemic strokes, 40 (2.1%) intracranial bleeding, one cerebral thrombophlebitis (0.05%) and 6 (0.3%) spinal cord infarction. Herein, we report a series of six patients with refractory cardiogenic shock or cardiac arrest receiving circulatory support with VA-ECMO who developed subsequent SCI during ECMO course, confirmed by spine MRI after ECMO withdrawal. All six patients had long-term neurological disabilities. VA-ECMO-related SCI is a rare but catastrophic complication. Its diagnosis is usually delayed due to sedation requirement and/or ICU acquired weakness after sedation withdrawal, leading to difficulties in monitoring their neurological status. Even if no specific treatment exist for SCI, its prompt diagnosis is mandatory, to prevent secondary spine insults of systemic origin. Based on these results, we suggest that daily sedation interruption and neurological exam of the lower limbs should be performed in all VA-ECMO patients. Large registries are mandatory to determine VA-ECMO-related SCI risk factor and potential therapy.

Thoracic Unilateral Spinal Cord Injury After Spinal Anaesthesia for Total Hip Replacement: Fate or Mistake?

Spinal anaesthesia is the most preffered anesthesia technique for total hip replacement, and its complications range from low entity (insignificant) to life threatening. The incidence of neurologic complications after neuraxial anaesthesia is not perfectly clear, although there are several described cases of spinal cord ischaemia. We present a case of unilateral T8-T11 spinal cord ischaemia following L2-L3 spinal anaesthesia for total hip replacement. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a hyperintense T8-T11 signal alteration on the leftside of paramedian spinal cord. A temporal epidemiologic linkage between the damage and the surgery seems to be present. The injury occurred without anatomical proximity between the injury site and the spinal needle entry site. This may be due to multiple contributing factors, each of them is probably not enough to determine the damage by itself; however, acting simultaneously, they could have been responsible for the complication. The result was unpredictable and unavoidable and was caused by unforeseeable circumstances and not by inadequate medical practice.

Neurologic complications of cardiac and vascular surgery

This chapter will provide an overview of the major neurologic complications of common cardiac and vascular surgeries, such as coronary artery bypass grafting and carotid endarterectomy. Neurologic complications after cardiac and vascular surgeries can cause significant morbidity and mortality, which can negate the beneficial effects of the intervention. Some of the complications to be discussed include ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, seizures, delirium, cognitive dysfunction, cerebral hyperperfusion syndrome, cranial nerve injuries, and peripheral neuropathies. The severity of these complications can range from mild to lethal. The etiology of complications can include a variety of mechanisms, which can differ based on the type of cardiac or vascular surgery that is performed. Our knowledge about neuropathology, prevention, and management of surgical complications is growing and will be discussed in this chapter. It is imperative for clinicians to be familiar with these complications in order to narrow the differential diagnosis, start early management, anticipate the natural history, and improve outcomes.