Neuromuscular disorders: relevance to anaesthesia and intensive care

Although relatively rare, neuromuscular disease is important to both anaesthetists and intensivists as it may complicate general anaesthesia and result in neurogenic respiratory failure. The most common diseases that will be encountered in a general anaesthetic practice include motor neurone disease, Guillain–Barré syndrome, botulism, myasthenia gravis and the muscular dystrophies. The clinical features and anaesthetic implications for these conditions are discussed.