PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Sivak, Edward D.
AU  - Mehta, Atul
AU  - Hanson, Maurice
AU  - Cosgrove, Delos M.
TI  - Postoperative ventilatory dependency following thymectomy for myasthenia gravis
DP  - 1984 Dec 21
TA  - Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine
PG  - 585--589
VI  - 51
IP  - 4
4099  - http://www.ccjm.org/content/51/4/585.short
4100  - http://www.ccjm.org/content/51/4/585.full
SO  - Cleve Clin J Med1984 Dec 21; 51
AB  - Thymectomy for the treatment of selected patients with myasthenia gravis results in postoperative prolongation of ventilatory support. A retrospective review of 24 patients undergoing the procedure via midline sternotomy revealed that 17 (71%) were weaned from mechanical ventilation within 48 hours. In the remaining patients, chest wall pain and respiratory muscle weakness prolonged ventilatory support to four days while complications of pneumonia in 2 patients and hydropneumothorax in another patient prolonged support beyond four days. Additional observations suggested that choline-esterase inhibitor therapy is necessary to assist in weaning from mechanical ventilation even if this therapy is reduced from preoperative dosages.