Anaesthesia for an adolescent with mitochondrial encephalomyopathy-lactic acidosis-stroke-like episodes syndrome.
Anaesthesia for patients with mitochondrial disorders occurs with regularity, either for a diagnostic or therapeutic procedure associated with the syndrome or for unassociated surgery. We report the case of a 17-year-old boy with mitochondrial encephalomyopathy-lactic acidosis-stroke-like episodes (MELAS) syndrome who underwent a laparotomy for fundoplication. The potential hazards of anaesthesia for this patient, and the steps taken to avoid them, are discussed.
Bolton
P
P
Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Glasgow, UK. philbolton2000@yahoo.co.uk
Peutrell
J
J
Zuberi
S
S
Robinson
P
P
D000293:Adolescent; D000758:Anesthesia; D001784:Blood Gas Analysis; D018662:Fundoplication; D006801:Humans; D007441:Intubation, Gastrointestinal; D007813:Laparotomy; D017241:MELAS Syndrome / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D016343:Monitoring, Intraoperative