CJA
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit a scholarly reply
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by HANNON, V. M.
Right arrow Articles by McNICHOLAS, W.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by HANNON, V. M.
Right arrow Articles by McNICHOLAS, W.

Canadian Journal of Anesthesia, Vol 33, 803-806, Copyright © 1986 by Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society

Aspiration Pneumonia and Coma - an Unusal Presentation of Dystrophica Myotonia

VINCENT M. HANNON MB BCH FFARCSI1, ANTHONY J. CUNNINGHAM MB BCH FFARCSI DABA FRCPC1, MICHAEL HUTCHINSON BSC MB MRCP1, and WALTER McNICHOLAS MD MRCPI FRCPC1

1 Departments of Anaesthesia, Neurology and Respiratory Medicine, St. Vincent's Hospital, Elm Park, Dublin, Ireland

Address correspondence to: A. J. Cunningham, Professor of Anaesthesia, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin 2, Ireland.

A 30-year-old female patient presented in a comatose state with clinical and radiographic signs of aspiration pneumonia 16 hours following elective surgery. Subsequent clinical assessment and investigations revealed the characteristic facies, proximal muscle weakness, lenticular opacities, pulmonary function defects, arterial desaturation and abnormal breathing during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep often associated with myotonia dystrophica. Although these characteristic features were evident on clinical examination postoperatively they were not noted in the preoperative assessment. The aspiration pneumonia and coma were unusual presenting features of this disease.

Unsuspected myotonia dystrophica should be considered in the differential diagnosis of unexplained respiratory depression, aspiration or comatose state following surgery. Recognition of the disorder during the preoperative assessment is the key to avoiding complications during the perioperative management of such patients.

Key Words: COMPLICATIONS: aspiration pneumonitis • MUSCULOSKELETAL: myotonic dystrophy






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1986 by the Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society.