[Anesthesia in a case of hyperkalemic familial periodic paralysis]

Periodic familial hyperpotassemic paralysis is a dominant autosomic disease of brief periods of acute flaccid paralysis with complete posterior recovery. During surgical-anesthesia a number of factors concur which may trigger a paralytic episode. To this effect anesthetic drugs such as barbiturates and muscle relaxants have been involved. The case of a 12 year old patient with familial hyperpotassemic paralysis who received general anesthesia with propofol and atracurium besylate for emergency appendectomy is presented. During surgery the plasma levels of potassium were monitored and prophylaxis of the factors which potentially trigger a paralytic picture was performed. Both, the perioperative and the postoperative period, were without complications.