Anaesthetic dilemma: spinal anaesthesia in an eclamptic patient with mild thrombocytopenia and an "impossible" airway.
We present our anaesthetic management of a 27-year-old woman with antepartum eclampsia, mild thrombocytopenia, difficult airway and clinical evidence of impending upper airway obstruction. She required urgent delivery by caesarean section, which was conducted uneventfully under spinal anaesthesia. We discuss the management conundrums presented by this case and why we chose spinal anaesthesia over other anaesthetic options.
Department of Anaesthesia, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana. onafiu@med.umich.edu
O O
OO
Nafiu
R A
RA
Salam
E O
EO
Elegbe
D000328:Adult; D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000150:complications*; D000773:Anesthesia, Obstetrical; D000775:Anesthesia, Spinal; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002585:Cesarean Section; D004461:Eclampsia / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy; D011250:Pregnancy Complications, Hematologic / Q000628:therapy*; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000150:complications*; D014059:Tongue / Q000293:injuries
D000927:Anticonvulsants