Copper and anesthesia − a surprising connection

Abstract

A 28-year-old female presented with complaints of fever with chills and dizziness on and off for the last 3 months. On admission, she was investigated and found to have anemia and thrombocytopenia. On examination, the patient was pale and had a palpable huge spleen. Past history revealed a diagnosis of Wilson’s disease 15 years ago. This disease, due to altered copper metabolism, may influence the conduct and outcome of anesthesia secondary to abnormalities in hemopoietic, cardiovascular, connective tissue, immune, and nervous systems. In this study, we present a patient, a diagnosed case of Wilson’s disease, with massive splenomegaly posted for splenectomy under general anesthesia and the concerns involved therein.