Thyroid Storm

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Specializes in Official RN!!!.

Howdy ya'll! Question... How can a person who has had a thyroidectomy, after surgery be at risk for a thyroid storm? I know any surgery, stresses, etc can bring this on, but if the thyroid is now gone at this point, where is the T3 & T4 coming from?? I sure would appreciate any and all help!

Thanks

imn2nursin

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

It's uncommon, but can occur.

Here is a link that will help you:

http://www.emedicine.com/ent/topic649.htm

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Specializes in Advanced Practice, surgery.

You will usually get a thyroid storm intra-operatively rather than post op, in the post op period and the levels start to drop the symptoms will settle. The immediate and urgent management will occur during surgery and in recovery. I will only if the patient's hyperthyroidism has not been adequately managed in the pre-op period and will result from the handling of the thyroid during the operation. It is very rare and in fact I have worked in endocrine surgery for 5 years and never seen it.

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Specializes in ED, ICU, PACU.

For thyroids that have good uptake, many patients will receive Iodine (Lugol's solutions) to take daily prior to the surgery. THis will saturate the thyroid with a form of iodine that cannot be used to make the thyroid hormones, so when the surgery takes place there will be no chance of releasing the thyroid hormones into the bloodstream (cause of post surgery thryroid storm, as already mentioned).

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thyroid is gone, but half-life of T4 is about a week

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