A 43-year-old woman faced a difficult situation. She was pregnant and had inclusion body myositis, a condition that weakens muscles. Doctors needed to perform a cesarean section safely. This is a rare scenario because managing anesthesia for this specific muscle disease is not well described in medical records.
The medical team took special precautions. They used a reduced dose of rocuronium, a muscle relaxant, and prepared for malignant hyperthermia, a rare reaction to certain anesthetics. They also used sugammadex to reverse the muscle relaxant quickly. The goal was to ensure the mother could breathe on her own again fast after surgery.
The outcome was positive. The patient was able to breathe without a tube within 30 minutes after the operation. Her baby received a perfect score of 10 out of 10 on Apgar tests at one and five minutes. There were no reported complications or adverse events for the mother or the newborn. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 4.
This single case report suggests that general anesthesia can be a safe option for cesarean delivery in patients with inclusion body myositis. However, this is based on one person. The team noted that such management is rarely described. More data is needed to confirm these results for other patients.