Local Anesthetic Switching for Intrathecal Tachyphylaxis in Cancer Patients with Pain

Conversion back to bevacizumab or ranibizumab for recurrent neovascular activity with aflibercept in age-related macular degeneration: a case series

Background

Neovascular age-related macular degeneration often requires chronic therapy with anti-VEGF agents, and patients with recurrent disease are challenging to manage.

Methods

This retrospective case series evaluates patients who were switched from bevacizumab or ranibizumab to aflibercept and then back again because of recurrent fluid on optical coherence tomography (OCT) by reporting changes in OCT measurements over the course of medication changes.

Results

Twenty-one eyes in nineteen patients received an average of 20.7 bevacizumab and/or ranibizumab injections and then an average of 7.2 aflibercept injections before being switched back to bevacizumab or ranibizumab because of recurrent fluid on OCT. Median central macular thickness improved on transition from bevacizumab or ranibizumab (317 μm) to aflibercept (285 μm; p = 0.034), then worsened over the course of aflibercept treatment (296 μm; p = 0.080), but improved again with transition from aflibercept back to bevacizumab or ranibizumab (283 μm; p = 0.016). The total volume of subretinal fluid, intraretinal fluid, and pigment epithelial detachments also decreased on transition from bevacizumab or ranibizumab (2.56 mm³) to aflibercept (2.44 mm³; p = 0.080), then worsened over the course of aflibercept treatment (3.18 mm³; p = 0.019), and improved again on transition back to bevacizumab or ranibizumab (2.11 mm³; p = 0.016).

Conclusions

While aflibercept appears initially effective, some patients develop recurrent fluid with aflibercept that improves with transition back to bevacizumab or ranibizumab. Rotating anti-VEGF agents may be beneficial with recurrent neovascular activity.

Anesthetic management of a labouring parturient with urticaria pigmentosa

PURPOSE

To report the anesthetic management of labour pain and Cesarean section in a patient with urticaria pigmentosa at risk for systemic mastocytosis. CLINICAL: A 37-yr-old patient with a history of urticaria pigmentosa and an allergic reaction to a local anesthetic agent was seen in consultation at 36 weeks gestation. She previously tested negative for an allergy test to lidocaine. Recommendations to avoid systemic mastocytosis included: avoidance of histamine-releasing drugs, using lidocaine for labour epidural, and regional anesthesia in case of a Cesarean section. The patient presented at term in labour. Intravenous fentanyl was used for early labour, followed by a combined spinal-epidural. The spinal contained lidocaine and fentanyl, but because of pruritus, the epidural infusion contained lidocaine only. Most likely because of tachyphylaxis to lidocaine, an epidural bolus of lidocaine with epinephrine failed to provide adequate anesthesia for a Cesarean section. The block was supplemented with nitrous oxide by mask, with fentanyl postdelivery. Postoperative pain control was managed with an epidural infusion of lidocaine and fentanyl for three days. The patient was discharged without complications four days postsurgery.

CONCLUSION

Proper allergy testing prior to pregnancy is important to help the management of labour pain and anesthesia for Cesarean section in a patient at risk for systemic mastocytosis.

Beneficial Effect of Low-Dose Ketamine Addition to Epidural Administration of Morphine–Bupivacaine Mixture for Cancer Pain in Two Cases

Two patients experiencing cancer pain with neuropathic components were treated with epidural administration of a mixture of ketamine (1 mg/mL) + morphine (1 mg/mL) + bupivacaine (1 mg/mL) injected daily by epidural port. No serious adverse effect was observed throughout the therapy. The patients were mostly pain-free and have gotten better quality of life during 110- and 48-day follow-up when the therapy was given by epidural route. Low doses of epidural ketamine added to morphine and bupivacaine increase the mean duration of satisfactory analgesia without severe adverse effects and restore quality of life when traditional therapy fails.