No less than 28 researchers or clinicians (including three French) and two patient representatives from 15 countries participated in the 259th workshop of the European Neuromuscular Center (ENMC). They exchanged between December 2020 and May 2021 around three themes:
- anesthetic management in various neuromuscular diseases (myasthenia gravis, congenital muscular dystrophies, channelopathies, etc.), with a review of current knowledge;
- genetic counseling on the risks of malignant hyperthermia and rhabdomyolysis for patients with congenital myopathies due to RYR1, CACNA1S or STAC3 mutations and unaffected family members;
- the means of improving patient and clinician awareness of anesthetic risks (emergency card, information, training, etc.).
According to the preliminary results of a survey conducted in Canada, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, and presented at the ENMC workshop, only 28% of neurologists and 59% of anesthesiologists believe that anesthesia residents are good or very well trained in these risks. In addition, most files of neuromuscular patients awaiting surgery under general anesthesia would not be the subject of a multidisciplinary consultation meeting.
