Remimazolam for a patient with myotonic dystrophy type 1 who underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography under general anesthesia: a case report

BACKGROUND: Remimazolam is a benzodiazepine receptor agonist with an ultra-short-acting anesthetic effect. We used remimazolam for anesthesia in a patient with myotonic dystrophy type 1 who underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). CASE PRESENTATION: A 58-year-old woman received ERCP under general anesthesia. She had impaired respiratory function due to myotonic dystrophy type I and was at a risk of respiratory complications after anesthesia. General anesthesia was induced with remimazolam 12 mg/kg/h, remifentanil 0.1 μg/kg/min and rocuronium 15 mg, followed by tracheal intubation and maintained with remimazolam 0.8−1.0 mg/kg/h. At the end of anesthesia, we injected sugammadex 150 mg and flumazenil 0.2 mg, allowing smooth and clear emergence from anesthesia. She was discharged from the hospital without any respiratory problems on postoperative day 5. CONCLUSIONS: Remimazolam was safe to use for general anesthesia in a patient with myotonic dystrophy type 1 undergoing ERCP.