Crisis averted: a patient in cardiopulmonary arrest

  • James Keeton A medical student at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, TX.
  • Saranapoom Klomjit
  • Mamoun Bashir
Keywords: myasthenia gravis, respiratory failure, thymoma

Abstract

Neuromuscular diseases are rare causes of acute hypercapnic respiratory failure due to respiratory muscle weakness and can be life-threatening if not recognized. We report a case of a 35-year-old man with worsening dyspnea, non-productive cough, and fever presenting in cardiopulmonary arrest requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation. After work-up for neuromuscular disease with a positive acetylcholine receptor antibody test, the source of his respiratory failure was discovered to be myasthenia gravis. He improved with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, corticosteroids, and plasmapheresis therapy but had a long complicated hospital course. Computed tomography of the chest with intravenous
contrast revealed an anterior mediastinal mass, which was later resected and confirmed to be a thymoma.

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Author Biographies

James Keeton, A medical student at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, TX.
Saranapoom Klomjit
Mamoun Bashir
Published
2016-04-03
How to Cite
Keeton, J., Klomjit, S., & Bashir, M. (2016). Crisis averted: a patient in cardiopulmonary arrest. The Southwest Respiratory and Critical Care Chronicles, 4(14), 34-36. Retrieved from https://pulmonarychronicles.com/index.php/pulmonarychronicles/article/view/262