Anaesthesia for a patient with beta thalassaemia major

Abstract

While beta thalassaemia is not a common disorder with an estimated 100 000 severely affected individuals worldwide, improved survival rates and increased global migration means an increased frequency of such  patients being seen for various surgeries. The different aspects of this disorder have wide-ranging implications  for anaesthesia. Thus, for safe anaesthetic care, the anaesthetist needs to have a good understanding of beta  thalassaemia. Presented here is a case report of a 32-year-old gentleman with beta thalassaemia major  presenting for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy and splenectomy, followed by a discussion of the literature.

Keywords: anaemia, anaesthesia, beta thalassaemia, iron overload, laparoscopic cholecystectomy,  splenectomy