Anaesthesia for cystectomy. A comparison of two anaesthetic techniques.
Sixty-two patients who underwent radical cystectomy for deeply infiltrating cancer of the bladder were reviewed. Twenty-four received an epidural anaesthetic and 38 a conventional muscle relaxant and fentanyl anaesthetic. The epidural technique was found to offer advantages because of its hypotensive effects reducing blood loss intra-operatively and its use to provide analgesia after surgery. A high incidence of complications accompanied the surgery and frail patients (below 50 kg) and those with symptomatic respiratory disease had a high mortality. Greater attention to pre-operative care of such patients is indicated.
D000767:Anesthesia, Epidural; D000768:Anesthesia, General / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000601:surgery*; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery