Asterixis

A motor disorder with brief, arrhythmic lapses of sustained voluntary muscle contraction, producing coarse, jerky or “flapping” movements of the outstretched hands.

Causes

• Metabolic encephalopathy: hepatic, uremic

• Toxic encephalopathy: antiepileptic, sedative

• Hypokalemia

• Hypomagnesemia

• Hypoglycemia

• Stroke

• Brain hemorrhage

• Heart failure

• Respiratory failure