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Case Reports
. 2021 Jun 24;15(7):e01491.
doi: 10.1213/XAA.0000000000001491.

Rocuronium-Induced Dilated Nonreactive Pupils in a Patient With Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Case Report

Elba da Paixão Rodrigues  1   2 , Gustavo Caniné da Costa  1   3 , Douglas Quintanilha Braga  1   4 , Jorge Eduardo da Silva Soares Pinto  1   5 , Marcos Adriano Lessa  6
Affiliations
Case Reports

Rocuronium-Induced Dilated Nonreactive Pupils in a Patient With Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Case Report

Elba da Paixão Rodrigues et al. A A Pract. .

Abstract

We report the clinical case of a patient with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who had recently undergone neurosurgery and presented with dilated nonreactive pupils during continuous rocuronium infusion, which was reversible with the suspension of the drug. Both the neurosurgical procedure and possible disruption of the blood-brain barrier due to COVID-19 infection may have led to the action of rocuronium in the central nervous system (CNS). Thus, clinicians must remember that neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) can cause dilated nonreactive pupils in patients with COVID-19.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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