Lesson 271: PreAnesthetic Assessment of the Patient with Central Anticholinergic Sydrome

Course Authors:

Amir Baluch, MD, Anesthesia resident, Jackson Memorial Hospital/University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida

Brad Bawcom, Medical student, Tulane University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana

Alan Kaye, MD, PhD, DABPM, Professor and chairman, Department of Anesthesiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana

Registration Fee: $15.00
2.0 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM
available until
February 28, 2009

Please be sure to read registration information below.

 

Registration links are at the bottom of the page.

Reviewed by:

Ira Padnos, MD, Assistant professor, Department of Anesthesiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana

Review Date: October, 2007 

NEEDS STATEMENT

Central anticholinergic syndrome can be caused by various chemical compounds, including over-the-counter medications. The clinical presentation is highly variable. Physicians—especially anesthesiologists—should be aware of patients at risk. Medications recently ingested by the patient and medications required during general anesthesia must be accurately reported and the potential for anticholinergic blockade established, so that prompt and efficacious therapy may be applied.

     
CASE HISTORY

A 19-year-old man stationed as a soldier in central Europe, who was 5 ft 7 in tall, weighed 72 kg, and was otherwise healthy, was transferred to a hospital emergency room for repair of a severe leg wound sustained in an accident. The man had attended a local religious ritual (of the German revival religion Odinism) and consumed a large amount of mandrake (genus Mandragora), a plant of the nightshade family. He had assumed it was a species of tomato, and after ingesting enough to become anxious, hallucinated, and confused, he had fallen on a sharp gardening blade. A review of his signs and symptoms revealed blurred vision, ataxia, mydriasis, tachycardia at 114 beats per minute, and a dry throat. The patient was scheduled to undergo incision, exploration, and either repair or possible amputation of his left leg.

   

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  1. Cite plants and pharmaceuticals that are common causes of anticholinergic syndrome.

  2. Summarize the clinical symptoms and signs of anticholinergic syndrome.

  3. Describe the treatment for anticholinergic syndrome.

  4. Provide details of the pathophysiology of the disorder.

  5. Review a differential diagnosis of affected patients.

  6. Present an appropriate anesthetic plan for patients.

  7. List common anesthetics associated with anticholinergic syndrome.

  8. Describe how the use of antimuscarinics can induce anticholinergic syndrome.

  9. Identify the role of physostigmine in the treatment of patients with anticholinergic syndrome.

  10. Discuss the role of insecticides and other classes of biocides (including potential agents for bioterrorism) in inducing anticholinergic syndrome.

TARGET AUDIENCE:  Anesthesiologists

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING THIS COURSE

The estimated time to complete this activity is 2 hours. There are two options for completing this CME activity.

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The registration fee for this course is $15.00

Physicians are provided with two opportunities to complete the course presented here. 

Accreditation Statement

Mount Sinai School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit Designation: The Mount Sinai School of Medicine designates each educational activity for a maximum of 2 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

It is the policy of Mount Sinai School of Medicine to ensure objectivity, balance, independence, and scientific rigor in all CME-sponsored educational activities. All faculty participating in the planning or implementation of a sponsored activity are expected to disclose to the audience any relevant financial relationships and to assist in resolving any conflict of interest that may arise from the relationship. Presenters must also make a meaningful disclosure to the audience of their discussions of unlabeled or unapproved drugs or devices.

Disclosures

Dr. Kaye has disclosed that he is a member of the speakers’ bureau of Baxter. The other authors, reviewer, and editor have no relationships with pharmaceutical companies or manufacturers of products to disclose. This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents for the treatment of disease. Some uses of these agents have not been approved by the FDA. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Questions regarding course content may be directed to Dr. Elizabeth Frost: ElzFrost@aol.com.

If you require technical assistance with completing this course, please contact Continuing Education Online Customer Service at 718-648-8080 or send e-mail to CEO.support6@proceo.com.

All other requests for administrative assistance should be directed to Josephine Greene in the CME office at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine : 212-241-4441 or send email to Josephine.Greene@msnyuhealth.org

CALL FOR WRITERS

If you would like to write a CME lesson in Anesthesiology News, please send an e-mail to Elizabeth A.M. Frost, MD, at ElzFrost@aol.com

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