Anesthetic management of a parturient with Wernicke's encephalopathy secondary to hyperemesis gravidarum for cesarean section

Abstract

Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) secondary to hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is a rare but a known complication. A delay in diagnosis and treatment often results in long-term neurological sequelae. Critical care management of these patients is reported in the literature, but their anesthetic management for cesarean section is lacking. We report the case of a 28-year-old parturient who presented with HG in the first trimester of pregnancy and was managed conservatively. She later developed nystagmus, weakness, and cognitive dysfunction, and a diagnosis of WE secondary to HG was established. The patient was later posted for cesarean section in view of persistent quadriparesis and cognitive impairment at term gestation. General anesthesia was the preferred anesthesia technique of choice. Obstetric patients with preexisting neurological disease for cesarean section become a special subpopulation for anesthesiologists with their unique anesthetic challenges.