Ulnar neuropathy in medical patients.

ANESTHETIZED patients who undergo surgical procedures may develop ulnar neuropathy. 1-6 Although the mechanism of ulnar neuropathy in the perioperative setting is often unclear, improper positioning or padding of the upper extremity during surgery is sometimes implicated’,’; however, there is little direct evidence to implicate improper intraoperative care as a cause of perioperative ulnar neuropathy. Several studies have noted that surgical patients may develop symptoms of this complication in the presence of appropriate care.476 Recently, we reported that 7 of 1,502 prospectively studied surgical patients (0.5%) developed perioperative ulnar neuropathy.9 All seven patients reported an initial onset of symptoms 2-7 days after their procedure, which suggests that one or more factors in the postoperative period may contribute to ulnar neuropathy. Postoperative patients and patients who are admitted with medical conditions may have similar hospital-care characteristics (e.g., bedrest). Do medical patients who are not undergoing surgery also develop ulnar neuropa-