title: Alfentanil for urgent caesarean section in a patient with severe mitral stenosis and pulmonary hypertension.
abstract: We present the case of a parturient with severe mitral stenosis and pulmonary hypertension who received general anaesthesia using alfentanil for urgent Caesarean section. Alfentanil promoted haemodynamic stability and allowed immediate postoperative extubation. Epidural morphine provided postoperative analgesia. This combination permitted early ambulation and prevention of thromboembolism. A disadvantage of this technique, neonatal respiratory depression, was promptly reversed with a single dose of naloxone. The anaesthetic management of mitral stenosis in pregnancy is discussed and the neonatal pharmacokinetics of maternally administered alfentanil are presented.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Batson
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Longmire
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Csontos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015760:Alfentanil / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D000771:Anesthesia, Intravenous; D000773:Anesthesia, Obstetrical; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000097:blood; D002585:Cesarean Section; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000150:complications*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008946:Mitral Valve Stenosis / Q000150:complications*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D011247:Pregnancy; D011249:Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000139:chemically induced
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D015760:Alfentanil; D010100:Oxygen