ABSTRACT
We report management of anesthesia in a patient suffering from glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, a condition that induces acute hemolysis when associated with surgical stress and infection, or following the application of oxidant drugs. A 5 year-old-male patient, suffering from G6PD deficiency was scheduled for laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The patient had exhibited signs of hemolysis during the course of various infections and after ingesting fava beans (favism). Anesthesia was induced with midazolam and vecuronium and maintained with nitrous oxide in oxygen and sevoflurane. There was no hemolytic change during the perioperative period. It was clear that this combination of drugs provided safe anesthesia for the G6PD patient in the present study. The most important considerations for patients with G6PD deficiency is firstly, the avoidance of oxidative stress, which can be caused by a variety of different conditions, and secondly, the use of anti-oxidative anesthetic drugs.
