Anesthesia management in a patient with very long-chain acyl-Coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency

Anesthetic Management and Neuromonitoring in a Patient with Very Long-Chain Acyl-Coenzyme A Dehydrogenase Deficiency Undergoing Scoliosis Surgery: A Case Report and Review of Literature

Patients with very long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (VLCADD) are prone to hypoglycemia and clinical decompensation when metabolic demands of the body are not met. We present a pediatric patient with VLCADD who underwent a posterior spinal fusion for scoliosis requiring intraoperative neurophysiology monitoring. Challenges included minimization of perioperative metabolic stressors and careful selection of anesthetic agents since propofol-based total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) was contraindicated due to its high fatty acid content. This case is unique due to the sequential use of inhaled anesthetics after TIVA to allow for a rapid wakeup and immediate postoperative physical exam. Additionally, intraoperative neuromonitoring in the setting of VLCADD has not been reported in the literature. With communication among anesthesia, surgery, and neuromonitoring teams before and during the operation, the patient successfully underwent a major surgery without complications. This trial is registered with NCT03808077.

Perioperative anesthetic management of very long-chain acyl-coenzyme a dehydrogenase deficiency

Very long-chain acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency is a rare disorder of β-oxidation fatty acid metabolism that results in susceptibility to hypoglycemia, liver failure, cardiomyopathy and rhabdomyolysis during catabolic situations. We report the case of a 10-year-old male undergoing a totally implanted central venous catheter placement during hospitalisation for rhabdomyolysis, who was successfully managed with general anesthesia with nitrous oxide, sevoflurane and remifentanil. No hypoglycemia occurred and creatine kinase levels did not increase in the perioperative period. We describe the challenges encountered and the strategies used to avoid further decompensation of the disease due to surgical stress.

Anesthetic management of patients with carnitine deficiency or a defect of the fatty acid β-oxidation pathway: A narrative review

Carnitine is essential for the transport of long-chain fatty acids from the cytoplasm to the mitochondrial matrix. The carnitine shuttle transports long-chain fatty acylcarnitine to the mitochondrial matrix. Subsequently, long-chain fatty acyl CoA, which is split from long-chain fatty acylcarnitine by carnitine palmitoyltransferase II, undergoes fatty acid β-oxidation. Acetyl CoA is produced from long-chain fatty acyl CoA via fatty acid β-oxidation and aids in the synthesis of adenosine triphosphate via the tricarboxylic acid cycle and electron transport chain. In addition, in the fasting state, it leads to ketone body production in the liver and glucose production via gluconeogenesis. However, patients with compromised fatty acid β-oxidation, owing to carnitine deficiency as well as defects in carnitine transport and the fatty acid β-oxidation pathway, develop hypoglycemia, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmia, and hypotonia. These conditions are attributed to the accumulation of released fatty acids and acylcarnitine. This review aimed to shed light on the anesthetic management of patients with compromised fatty acid β-oxidation undergoing various surgeries by assessing relevant case reports associated with fatty acid β-oxidation disorder in PubMed. Pre-anesthetic and intraoperative evaluation should include monitoring of glucose and carnitine levels and specific cardiac tests, such as echocardiography. Considering that propofol is dissolved in 10% long-chain fatty acids, propofol infusion should be avoided because of increased long-chain fatty acid loading in patients with compromised fatty acid β-oxidation. Thus, anesthesia using opioids (remifentanil and fentanyl), midazolam, dexmedetomidine, etomidate, and non-depolarizing neuromuscular blocking agents would be appropriate in such patients.