Emergency Surgery in a Patient with Scleroderma - Anaesthetic Challenges: A Case Report

Scleroderma (progressive systemic sclerosis) is a multisystem disease involving the skin, airway, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, pulmonary, renal and cardiac systems that can pose a significant challenge for the anaesthetist. The multisystem involvement of scleroderma can impact on every aspect of anaesthetic care especially airway management. There are no specific contraindications to the use of any type of anaesthesia, although the selection must be guided by identification of organ dysfunction. The anaesthetist must be aware of the organs involved, the severity of the disease and the associated anaesthetic considerations and potential risks in order to safely & skilfully manage the patient with scleroderma. We hereby present a case report of a patient with scleroderma for emergency orbital decompression because of orbital cellulitis.