Language

English

Publication Date

1-1-2025

Journal

Orthopedic Reviews

DOI

10.52965/001c.143086

PMID

40969402

PMCID

PMC12442890

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

9-20-2025

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Post-print

Abstract

Myxedema coma is a rare, life-threatening complication of severe, long-standing hypothyroidism, often precipitated by physiological stress such as infection, trauma, or surgery. Perioperative presentations of myxedema coma are especially uncommon. This case report describes a 71-year-old male with a history of poorly controlled hypothyroidism who underwent emergent surgical fixation of a traumatic left intertrochanteric femur fracture who developed intraoperative myxedema coma. Timely diagnosis and intervention—including intravenous thyroid hormone replacement, corticosteroids, hemodynamic support, and close anesthetic management were crucial to optimizing the patient’s outcome. This report highlights the critical role of anesthetic management in myxedema coma cases, emphasizing the importance of endocrine and hemodynamic support. Furthermore, it promotes multidisciplinary coordination when managing endocrinological emergencies in high-risk surgical patients.

Keywords

Myxedema Coma, Perioperative Endocrine Emergencies, Perioperative Medicine, Orthopedics, Critical Care

Published Open-Access

yes

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