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A case of reduced consciousness and hypoventilation

Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor LL57 2PW, UK

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr Thorpe;
chris.thorpe@nww-tr.wales.nhs.uk

Submitted 12 July 2002
Accepted 8 October 2002

Keywords: metabolic acidosis; reduced consciousness; hypoventilation

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

A 45 year old housewife was admitted to hospital after a fall at home, after which she had had three fits. Although her eyes were open, she was not responding to questions and her husband gave the history. A month previously she had been admitted with haematemesis and had undergone emergency surgery, which entailed partial gastrectomy along with vagotomy and pyeloroplasty for a duodenal ulcer. For a week before this admission she had complained of abdominal discomfort, severe vomiting, and progressive weakness.

On examination she was drowsy, maintaining her airway but with slow breathing. She had generalised rigidity along with coarse twitches of facial and hand muscles. Her pupils were equal and reactive to light and her tendon reflexes were brisk. She had no neck stiffness and was apyrexial. Clinically she was dehydrated with a pulse rate of 104 beats/min and a blood pressure of 110/80 . . . [Full text of this article]

Relevant Article

A case of reduced consciousness and hypoventilation
Postgrad. Med. J. 2003 79: 245. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]