Dear colleagues

In the third issue of the Greek e-journal of Perioperative Medicine for 2023, there is a wide coverage of interest in scientific articles. Five interesting cases are reported, concerning perioperative medicine.

First, the article of Walker C et al demonstrated the anesthetic technique of erector spinae plane blockade, as an alternative analgesic technique for aortic aneurysms endovascular repair. The authors noted that this blockade provides the same quality of pain control, with less risk, comparing other anesthetic techniques and that should be considered, as part of the multimodal analgesia strategies, concerning endovascular repair of aortic aneurysms.

Next, Vlahov A et al presented the case of a woman, with a history of regular recreative use of nitrous oxide, who was admitted in the hospital with signs of thrombosis of left femoral artery. They showed that recreational use of nitrous oxide can lead to an increased risk of thromboembolic complications, in previously healthy patients, confirming the relation of regular and heavy recreational use of nitrous oxide with thrombus formation.

The case report of Antonogiannakis A et al, describes the successful anesthetic management of a post liver-transplant parturient, requiring an urgent C-section, due to pre-eclampsia with severe features. The authors emphasized that a holistic approach of a multi-disciplinary team is considered the best-suited guide for the anesthetic management of these patients. The authors also noted that a thorough assessment of the preoperative status, a dilligent preparation, the ensurance of splachnic perfusion and the proper disposition to a higher level of care, if required, are the main cornerstones of anesthetic management in these patients.

The article of Papadopoulou A et al described the anesthetic management of a pediatric patient, with chronic graft-versus-host bronchiolitis obliterans, who underwent minor surgery, with the use of ketamine and dexmedetomidine drug combination. The authors showed that despite the lack of approved pediatric labelling, dexmedetomidine when used with ketamine can alleviate ketamine’s induced tachycardia, hypertension and hypersalivation, whereas ketamine can reverse dexmedetomidine’s bradycardia and hypotension, providing a safe combination of drugs for monitor anesthesia care in pediatric patients.

Final article of Pertsas E et al presented a case of exertional heatstroke, in a young man that was hospitalized in intensive care unit. It is considered as emergency life-threatening condition with complex pathophysiology, that may involve different organs and systems. The editorial board of the Greek e-journal of Perioperative Medicine would like to emphasize that our goal is ensure free-access, high quality, published medical articles\ and we would like to thank you again for this continuous support.

With regards

Editors in chief

Mouloudi Eleni
Papagiannopoulou Pinelopi