Convulsions associated with general anesthesia: 'Ether convulsions'

1. 1. A fatal case of convulsions associated with general anesthesia is reported. One hundred sixty-eight cases have previously been published. 2. 2. The etiology of convulsions under general anesthesia is not established and the treatment is not standardized. The recommendations made by Lundy in 1937 are of interest. They are: “1. Convulsions can probably be controlled by the use of barbiturates intravenously. 2. The most dangerous cases are those in which there is profound toxemia and therefore in selecting the anesthetic for such cases it might be better to use spinal, infiltration, or block anesthesia or avertin to produce basal anesthesia, than to use an inhalation anesthetic only.”