Myasthenic crisis Myasthenic crisis refers to a rapid worsening of neuromuscular function with respiratory compromise. It occurs in approximately 15% of patients with this disease and can be triggered by infection (≈ 30% of cases), change in medications, metabolic derangement, or physical stress; a third of the time no cause is found.6 A crisis can be precipitated by a recent change in the dose of the patient’s anticholinesterase inhibitor, recent initiation or tapering of corticosteroids, and recent initiation of several commonly used medications (aminoglycoside and quinolone antibiotics, beta-blockers, and antiarrhythmic agents). Myasthenic crisis is associated with prolonged hospitalization and intubation periods of 1 to 3 weeks
Posted on: Fri, 24 Jan 2014 05:34:52 +0000
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