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Case Reports
. 2013 Jan;7(1):90-2.
doi: 10.4103/1658-354X.109836.

Low-dose spinal anesthesia for urgent laparotomy in severe myasthenia gravis

Miguel Angel Palomero Rodríguez  1 , Teresa Pérez Mencía, Felipe Villar Alvarez, Yolanda Laporta Báez, Gloria María Santos Pérez, Andrés López García
Affiliations
Case Reports

Low-dose spinal anesthesia for urgent laparotomy in severe myasthenia gravis

Miguel Angel Palomero Rodríguez et al. Saudi J Anaesth. 2013 Jan.

Abstract

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease with an incidence of 2-10/100,000 cases per year, characterized by muscle weakness secondary to destruction of postsynaptic acetylcholine receptors. In these patients, important perioperative issues remain unresolved, namely, optimal administration of cholinesterase inhibitors, risks of regional anesthesia, and prediction of need of postoperative mechanical ventilation. We describe the use of a low-dose spinal anesthesia in a patient with MG who was submitted for emergence exploratory laparotomy. The utilization of low-dose spinal anesthesia allowed us to perform surgery with no adverse respiratory or cardiovascular events in this patient.

Keywords: Bupivacaine; low dose spinal anesthesia; myasthenia gravis; postoperative mechanical ventilation; respiratory complications; spinal anesthesia.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Foreign body in terminal ileum, with an increased intestinal wall diameter and liquid collection in underlying peritoneal fat
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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