Resuscitation
 
se/b07/11: A cereal case?
 
Woman on bed
Back to St Emlyn's Reception

1. What further non-anaesthetic management can you give?

You could and should give IV magnesium (8mmol over 10-20 minutes).
You could and should give IV Salbutamol
You could but shouldn't give IV Aminophylline. Controversial, but she is at high risk of toxicity and/or side effects, plus you are going to anaesthetise her anyway.


2. How would you anaethetise her?

She obviously needs an RSI to secure her airway and establish adequate ventilation.

There are many ways in which you could do this, but you might consider Ketamine (2mg/Kg) as an induction agent, with Suxamethonium as a short acting paralytic.

Once intubated you should avoid atracurium (it can cause histamine release), and use vecuronium or rocuronium instead.

This case is also a good reason to keep an anaesthetic machine in resus as volatile agents can release the bronchospasm and you need a decent ventilator.