title: Epidural anesthesia in patients undergoing thoracic surgery.
abstract: Epidural anesthesia has been reported to exert beneficial effects in surgical procedures. Over the past 3 years at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Washington, DC, thoracic surgical procedures have been done using a combined technique of epidural anesthesia with light general anesthesia. A retrospective review of this experience from January 1984 to November 1987 was done in 90 consecutive patients. Postoperative extubation of patients was accomplished immediately in 32%, within 1 hour in 34%, within 3 hours in 28%, within 18 hours in 4%, and was prolonged in only 1% of patients. Mortality was 2% and morbidity was 3%. This analysis indicates that the technique of epidural anesthesia with light general anesthesia provided satisfactory anesthesia with low mortality and morbidity in a high-risk group of patients undergoing surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Veterans Adminstration Medical Center, Washington, DC 20422.
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Temeck
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Schafer
authors.forename: W Y
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Harmon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000698:Analgesia; D000767:Anesthesia, Epidural / Q000379:methods; D000768:Anesthesia, General / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D014797:Vital Capacity