The Anesthetic Implications of Aqueous Drainage Devices and Glaucoma: A Report of a Patient Undergoing Urgent Prone Cervical Decompression and Fusion.
The pathophysiology of glaucoma and perioperative visual loss is similar. A patient with glaucoma may be at increased risk of perioperative visual loss. For both, goals of management include optimizing ocular perfusion pressure and oxygen delivery. One treatment for refractory glaucoma is an aqueous drainage device; however, there is no published literature on the anesthetic management of patients with these devices. We present the case of a patient with recalcitrant glaucoma treated with an Ahmed Glaucoma Valve who underwent urgent prone surgery. Anesthetic implications of aqueous drainage devices and glaucoma are discussed, and recommendations are made.
From the *Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, California; †The Eye Institute of Utah and the University of Utah John A. Moran Eye Center, Salt Lake City, Utah; and ‡Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
Kevin A
KA
Blackney
Zachary J
ZJ
Zavodni
Daniel
D
Saddawi-Konefka
D000368:Aged; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery*; D019299:Decompression, Surgical / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D020327:Glaucoma Drainage Implants / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D056888:Patient Positioning / Q000379:methods*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D013130:Spinal Stenosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery