Living With Polio

Millions of individuals who had polio are living in all areas of the world. Survivors range in age from a few months to nonagenarians (in their nineties). Aftereffects vary greatly depending on the number and location of the nerve cells destroyed by the poliovirus. The challenge or ease of living with polio varies for each survivor, depending on the availability of medical care and rehabilitation opportunities, and their family and social support.

Advice, hints, explanations, etc., are categorized by topic and are searchable. The source of the material is identified.

Reminder: PHI’s post-polio.org and IVUN’s ventusers.org or ventnews.org features numerous articles to assist in living with polio.

Anesthesia Update: Separating Fact from Fear (2009)

Selma Harrison Calmes MD, Retired Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology, UCLA School of Medicine

INTRODUCTION:
This talk * will briefly review the process of anesthesia care, current anesthesia practice, and how these might relate to post-polio syndrome (PPS) patients having surgery. The goal is to make clear that proper preop planning allows post-polio patients to have surgery and anesthesia with a minimum of risk. Indeed, the risk of anesthesia is much, much less than the risk of death from an error while hospitalized.

Linking with an Anesthesiologist

Why is it so hard to link up ahead of time with the anesthesiologist who will do my case?

Daily anesthesia staffing is a complex equation! It is extremely difficult to know ahead of time who will be doing which case on a particular day. There is a constant flux of anesthesia staff (people get sick), other needed staff such as techs, incoming emergency cases, obstetric anesthesia cases, cases may move from one OR to another and so on. And, anesthesia group size is increasing; it is not unusual to have groups of over 100 anesthesiologists.

What is New (2014)?

What’s new in anesthesia that I need to know?

This is a brief listing. Answers will be expanded as time allows in the session.

a. Better measurement of quality of care in anesthesia and better recognition of where problems are and how they could be improved.

b. Increasingly sophisticated knowledge of ventilation problems and better management of respiratory problems postop.

c. Recognition that many patients are left with residual neuromuscular block and the possible complications.

Anesthesia and Weight Loss Surgery

What are the issues in bariatric (intestinal surgery that can facilitate weight loss) surgery for post-polio patients?

This sounds like a “quick fix” for obesity but is an area full of possible problems. There are no reports of post-polio patients having bariatric surgery.