Severe respiratory acidosis-induced involuntary hyper defecation: The role of medullary caudal raphe nuclei.

Abstract

Dear Editor,
We report a case of a 9-year-old male child who presented to us with progressive quadriparesis over the
past 6 months. Clinical examination and imaging studies revealed congenital atlantoaxial dislocation. He
was thus posted for posterior fixation. Early on the morning of the surgery, the child developed sudden
bradypnea (respiratory rate – 10-12 breaths/min), tachycardia (165-170 beats/min), high blood pressure
(systolic 140 mm Hg), oxygen desaturation (SpO2 – 90-92%), and responsive only to painful stimuli
(Glasgow Coma Scale: E1V1M2). This respiratory depression was secondary to the compression of the
cervico-medullary junction and spinal cord edema