![Abstract
CC-BY-NC 4.0 International license
.
Background: Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a chronic multisystem
disease characterized by profound fatigue, post-exertional malaise, cognitive impairment, and
autonomic dysfunction. Its pathophysiology is incompletely understood and likely involves complex
interactions between immune, autonomic, and metabolic dysregulation. Despite features with potential
relevance for anesthesia and perioperative care, evidence to guide anesthetic management in
individuals with ME/CFS remains limited. We therefore performed a retrospective matched-pair
analysis to generate clinical data on perioperative responses and identify areas for future research.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective matched-pair analysis at a single tertiary center. All patients
with ME/CFS undergoing general anesthesia from 2015 to 2026 were identified using ICD-10-GM
codes (G93.3 and U09.9) with additional manual verification and matched 1:1 to controls for
comparison. Patients with confounding diagnoses or American Society of Anesthesiologists physical
status above III were excluded. The analysis focused on intraoperative hemodynamic parameters,
including baseline, post-induction, median, and lowest recorded systolic blood pressure and heart rate,
as well as early postoperative outcomes in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), including maximum
pain scores and requirement for rescue analgesia.
Results: Out of 189 individuals identified through ICD-10 codes, 15 matched pairs were included after
application of exclusion criteria. ME/CFS patients exhibited lower lowest recorded intraoperative
systolic blood pressure (90.0 [82.5-95.0] mmHg in ME/CFS vs 100.0 [90.0-110.0] mmHg in controls, p
= 0.044) as well as lower lowest heart rate (50 [40.0-57.5] bpm in ME/CFS vs 60 [50.0-65.0] bpm in
controls, p = 0.012). Vasopressor use and fluid administration did not differ, and no episodes of severe
hypotension or peri…](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:43rudsv62fuwsmnk7oppgtdy/bafkreiarcjjd562zvxehhgqhrgri66nsmnrl5sfqb6ab4inumipmqjmtky)
Abstract CC-BY-NC 4.0 International license . Background: Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a chronic multisystem disease characterized by profound fatigue, post-exertional malaise, cognitive impairment, and autonomic dysfunction. Its pathophysiology is incompletely understood and likely involves complex interactions between immune, autonomic, and metabolic dysregulation. Despite features with potential relevance for anesthesia and perioperative care, evidence to guide anesthetic management in individuals with ME/CFS remains limited. We therefore performed a retrospective matched-pair analysis to generate clinical data on perioperative responses and identify areas for future research. Methods: We conducted a retrospective matched-pair analysis at a single tertiary center. All patients with ME/CFS undergoing general anesthesia from 2015 to 2026 were identified using ICD-10-GM codes (G93.3 and U09.9) with additional manual verification and matched 1:1 to controls for comparison. Patients with confounding diagnoses or American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status above III were excluded. The analysis focused on intraoperative hemodynamic parameters, including baseline, post-induction, median, and lowest recorded systolic blood pressure and heart rate, as well as early postoperative outcomes in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), including maximum pain scores and requirement for rescue analgesia. Results: Out of 189 individuals identified through ICD-10 codes, 15 matched pairs were included after application of exclusion criteria. ME/CFS patients exhibited lower lowest recorded intraoperative systolic blood pressure (90.0 [82.5-95.0] mmHg in ME/CFS vs 100.0 [90.0-110.0] mmHg in controls, p = 0.044) as well as lower lowest heart rate (50 [40.0-57.5] bpm in ME/CFS vs 60 [50.0-65.0] bpm in controls, p = 0.012). Vasopressor use and fluid administration did not differ, and no episodes of severe hypotension or peri…
Good to see some empirical research in this area
Perioperative outcomes in patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue
syndrome undergoing general anesthesia: a retrospective matched-pair study
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6...
#MEcfs #PwME
