Femoral and sciatic nerve block for knee arthroscopy in a patient with acute intermittent porphyria

Acute intermittent porphyria is an autosomal dominant disorder that results from a partial deficiency of porphobilinogen deaminase and that causes very severe symptoms. Attacks may be triggered by a series of drugs and by other factors that the anesthesiologist should be aware of in order to reduce morbidity and mortality. Our objective is to review anesthetic considerations in acute intermittent porphyria. We present the case of a patient diagnosed with acute intermittent porphyria who was scheduled for knee arthroscopy. The anesthetic technique used was a femoral and sciatic nerve block under sedation with an infusion of remifentanil. The surgery proceeded without incident and the patient was discharged home after 24h. We consider the use of a peripheral plexus block of the lower limb to have been the safest anesthetic technique for this patient.