The Development of Acute Radial Nerve Palsy Following General Anaesthesia: A Case Report of a Manual Worker - Abstract
Acute radial nerve paralysis developed following general anaesthesia for tympanoplasty surgery in a 22-year old male with a 4-year history of manual work. Standard pads were used under the extremities and the patient position was changed at intervals. Preoperatively and postoperatively, no intervention such as intravenous
or intramuscular injection was made to the right arm. Only the automatic blood pressure device cuff was attached.In this patient was considered to be a case of radial paralysis caused by hypertrophy as a result of excessive use of the arm muscles, and the radial nerve, having been previously relatively compressed was under increased compression between the muscles as the cuff of the automatic blood pressure device
regularly inflated affecting the vasa nervorum and therefore the nerve remained in hypoxia resulting in the development of paralysis. Especially in patients who have to use the arm muscles excessively in work or sport, to overcome the risk of partial nerve compression because of muscle hypertrophy, the use of an FDA approved automatic blood presssure device without a cuff is recommended during general anaesthesia.