Anaesthesia for extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy at the Victorian Lithotripsy Service--the first 300 patients.
A prospective survey was undertaken of the anaesthesia for the first 300 patients at the Victorian Lithotripsy Service. The majority (71.7%) were not hospitalised on site, including four quadriplegics and two ASA grade IV patients. Two hundred and eighty-three (94.3%) patients received continuous lumbar epidural anaesthesia, sixteen (5.3%) received general anaesthesia and one received a spinal anaesthetic. Eighty-two patients (27.3%) underwent ancillary procedures at the time of extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy. The most common intraoperative complications were hypotension (72 patients, 25.4%) and shivering (39 patients, 13.8%). Arrhythmias occurred in nine (3%) patients. There was a 90% patient follow-up rate and the most common postoperative complication was backache (101 patients, 37.4%). The problems of anaesthesia for extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy are discussed. Epidural anaesthesia offers a number of advantages for this procedure and proved very suitable for the majority of patients.
Silbert
B S
BS
Department of Anaesthesia, St. Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria.
Kluger
R
R
Dixon
G C
GC
Berg
J
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000767:Anesthesia, Epidural; D000768:Anesthesia, General; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications; D007669:Kidney Calculi / Q000628:therapy; D008012:Lidocaine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008096:Lithotripsy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014739:Victoria
D008012:Lidocaine