Complications of a posterior fossa post-surgical patient, review of a case

Abstract

The anesthetic and intensive care unit (ICU) management of patients undergoing posterior fossa neurosurgical procedures represents a true challenge due to the particular anatomy of this region, the vital structures adjacent to it and the possible complications derived from both the intervention itself (surgical) as well as the failed extubation, post-obstructive edema (due to pressure differences in the airway), the absence of swallowing and cough reflexes, mean that the (therapeutic) management is carried out in an optimal, with proper monitoring and decision-making in accordance with the situation. Below is a clinical case of a woman operated on for a posterior fossa tumor who presented airway complications and failed extubation.