AAPC - Chapter 15 Practical Applications

CASE 1 ANESTHESIA: Laryngeal mask anesthesia. PREOPERATIVE DIAGNOSIS: Retinal detachment, right eye. POSTOPERATIVE DIAGNOSIS: Retinal detachment, right eye.(The postoperative diagnosis is used for coding.) PROCEDURE: Scleral buckle, cryoretinopexy, drainage of subretinal fluid, C3F8 gas in the right eye. PROCEDURE: After the patient had received adequate laryngeal mask anesthesia, he was prepped and draped in usual sterile fashion. A wire lid speculum was placed in the right eye. A limbal peritomy was done for 360 degrees using 0.12 forceps and Westcott scissors. Each of the intramuscular quadrants was dissected using Aebli scissors. The muscles were isolated using a Gass muscle hook with an 0 silk suture attached to it. The patient had an inspection of the intramuscular quadrants and there was no evidence of any anomalous vortex veins or thin sclera. The patient had an examination of the retina using an indirect ophthalmoscope and he was noted to have 3 tears in the temporal and inferotemporal quadrant and 2 tears in the superior temporal quadrant. (Exam reveals the location of the tears.) These were treated with cryoretinopexy.(Cryoretinopexy is the use of intense cold to close the tear in the retina.) Most posterior edge of each of the tears was marked with a scleral marker followed by a surgical marking pen. The patient had 5-0 nylon sutures placed in each of the 4 intramuscular quadrants. The 2 temporal sutures were placed with the anterior bite at about the muscle insertion, the posterior bite 9 mm posterior to this. In the nasal quadrants, the anterior bite was 3 mm posterior to the muscle insertion and the posterior bite was 3 mm posterior to this. A 240 band was placed 360 degrees around the eye and a 277 element from approximately the 5-1 o'clock position. The patient had another examination of the retina and was noted to have a moderate amount of subretinal fluid, so a drainage sclerotomy site was created at approximately the 9:30 o'clock position incising the sclera until the choroid was visible.(A sclerotomy is performed to drain subretinal fluid.) The choroid was then punctured with a #30-gauge needle. A moderate amount of subretinal fluid was drained from the subretinal space. The eye became relatively soft and 0.35 ml of C3FS gas was injected into the vitreous cavity 3.5 mm posterior to the limbus. The superior temporal and inferior temporal and superior nasal sutures were tied down over the scleral buckle. The 240 band was tightened up and excessive scleral buckling material was removed from the eye.(Sclera buckling is performed.) The inferior nasal suture was tied down over the scleral buckle and all knots were rotated posteriorly. The eye was reexamined. The optic nerve was noted to be nicely perfused. The tears were supported on the scleral buckle. There was a small amount of residual subretinal fluid. The patient received posterior sub-Tenon Marcaine for postoperative pain control. The 0 silk sutures were removed from the eye. The conjunctiva was closed with #6-0 plain gut suture. The patient received subconjunctival Ancef and dexamethasone. The patient was patched with atropine and Maxitrol ointment.