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Postoperative rhabdomyolysis following pars-plana vitrectomy under general anesthesia

Authors Campbell JP, Soelberg C, Lauer AK

Received 15 May 2013

Accepted for publication 14 June 2013

Published 1 August 2013 Volume 2013:7 Pages 1557—1558

DOI https://doi.org/10.2147/OPTH.S48353

Checked for plagiarism Yes

Review by Single anonymous peer review

Peer reviewer comments 4



John P Campbell,1 Cobin Soelberg,2 Andreas K Lauer1

1Retina Division, Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA; 2Division of Anesthesiology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA

Importance: Rhabdomyolysis is a known, but rare, complication of general anesthesia. To the authors' knowledge, it has never before been reported following an ocular surgery, and we could find no similar cases in the surgical literature following any brief surgical procedure. We believe this case to be unique in those regards and aim to raise awareness among ophthalmologists of this postoperative complication, as timely intervention can prevent renal failure and death.
Observations: We report the case of a 58-year-old male who developed rhabdomyolysis following vitrectomy for retinal detachment repair under general anesthesia. The patient had several risk factors for this complication including morbid obesity, type II diabetes mellitus, and American Society of Anesthesia class III risk profile. His postoperative course was notable for significant myalgias in the postoperative recovery area, followed several hours later by oliguria, "root beer" colored urine, and a markedly elevated creatinine kinase level. He was hospitalized for two days for intravenous hydration and monitoring of his renal function and has fully recovered.
Relevance: As the prevalence of obesity and type II diabetes mellitus increase worldwide, ophthalmologists need to be aware of the signs and symptoms of postoperative rhabdomyolysis. Treatment often requires inpatient hospitalization to prevent the associated morbidity and mortality.

Keywords: rhabdomyolysis, general anesthesia, vitrectomy, retinal detachment, obesity, diabetes

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