The Anesthetic Complexity of Eisenmenger Syndrome: A Clinical Case

Cureus. 2024 Feb 16;16(2):e54285. doi: 10.7759/cureus.54285. eCollection 2024 Feb.

Abstract

Eisenmenger syndrome (ES) is a complex, multisystemic, and rare clinical entity, given that currently, most congenital heart diseases can be corrected in childhood. The high anesthetic risk in these patients poses a challenge for anesthesiology. There are few cases described in the literature of anesthetic approaches using ketamine and dexmedetomidine in ES cases, particularly under Monitored Anesthesia Care (MAC). We describe the clinical case of a 40-year-old patient with trisomy 21, intellectual disability, and ES secondary to a single atrioventricular (AV) valve, scheduled for cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) under sedation due to a suspected space-occupying lesion. Sedation was performed under MAC with dexmedetomidine and ketamine. The procedure proceeded without complications. The anesthetic approach in ES patients, given the clinical complexity, requires planning by a multidisciplinary team and should be tailored to the procedure and its duration.

Keywords: dexmedetomidine; down syndrome; eisenmenger syndrome; ketamine; monitored anesthetic care.

Publication types

  • Case Reports