Author(s)

Junette Arlette Metogo Mbengono^1,2,3, Ferdinand Ndom Ntock^1,3, Joel Noutakdie Tochie^1*, Cassandra Tocko³, Gaspary Fodjeu⁴, Mathieu Motah^2,5, Gérard Beyiha^1,2,3, Jacqueline Ze Minkande^1,6

¹Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
²Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon.
³Department of Emergency Medicine, Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Douala General Hospital, Douala, Cameroon.
⁴Departement of Surgery and Specialties, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
⁵Departement of Surgery, Douala General Hospital, Douala, Cameroon.
⁶Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Gynaeco-Obstetrics and Paediatric Hospital, Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Penetrating traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are frequent neurosurgical emergencies, associated with a high mortality rate and we almost no previous report on a penetrating pickaxe TBI. Herein, we report and discuss the anesthetic challenges encountered in the surgical extraction of a pickaxe from a patient with TBI. We present the case of a 34-year-old man who presented with a penetrating pickaxe TBI at his left temporal region, signs of raised intracranial pressure and normal vital signs. Anesthetic management began within 3 hours of admission and consisted of general anesthesia and rapid sequence intubation. Surgical extraction of a 14 cm long wing of the pickaxe was achieved with good hemostatic control. His postoperative course was marked by complete blindness of the right eye till one year of follow-up. The authors highlight the need of a prompt multidisciplinary management with close perioperative monitoring of haemostatic control and signs of raised intracranial pressure as key factors for a favourable postoperative outcome.

Traumatic Brain Injury, Penetrating, Pickaxe, Anesthesia

Mbengono, J. , Ntock, F. , Tochie, J. , Tocko, C. , Fodjeu, G. , Motah, M. , Beyiha, G. and Minkande, J. (2019) Anesthetic Management of a Rare Penetrating Traumatic Brain Injury Caused by a Pickaxe: A Case Report. Open Journal of Anesthesiology, 9, 155-165. doi: 10.4236/ojanes.2019.98015.