“You Sleep, You Die”: A Rare Clinical Case of Ondine’s Curse after Posterior Fossa Surgery

Ondine’s curse is a rare condition in which breathing is preserved while awake, but there is absence of autonomic control of ventilation. It is a potentially fatal complication that may result rarely from surgery in posterior fossa in area close to respiratory centers. We describe a patient with pos...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mitesh Karn, Basant Kumar Mahato, Ranjan Sah, Dipendra Kandel, Shabal Sapkota
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2023-01-01
Series:Case Reports in Surgery
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2023/3113428
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Description
Summary:Ondine’s curse is a rare condition in which breathing is preserved while awake, but there is absence of autonomic control of ventilation. It is a potentially fatal complication that may result rarely from surgery in posterior fossa in area close to respiratory centers. We describe a patient with posterior fossa hemangioblastoma who underwent subtotal resection via telovelar approach and developed acquired Ondine’s curse postoperatively. The patient’s presentation and management are described. Besides that, Ondine’s is a great example of how modern medicine is linked to ancient literature, and thus, its anecdotal history is also described.
ISSN:2090-6919