title: Anesthesia for arterial switch operation in simple transposition of the great arteries: experience at Siriraj Hospital.
abstract: Anesthetic management of cardiac patients with complete transposition of the great arteries (TGA) undergoing arterial switch operation (ASO) is challenging. The anesthetic course and perioperative problems were studied. A prospective data collection study of 87 patients was performed between January 1991 and February 2002. The patients were divided into 3 groups: Group 1; 27 neonates with TGA with an intact ventricular septum (IVS), Group 2; 21 with TGA, with IVS who underwent two-stage ASO, and Group 3; 39 with TGA, with a large VSD. The anesthesia consisted of low-dose fentanyl, thiopental, atracurium and isoflurane. Monitoring included ECG, radial or femoral arterial pressure, CVP, LAP, core temperature, SpO2, P(E)CO2, urine output, ABG's, Hct, ACT, serum glucose and potassium. Fortunately the courses of anesthesia were uneventful. Usual vasoactive medication administered following CPB included nitroglycerin, dobutamine and dopamine. Groups I, 2 and 3 contained 18.5 per cent, 14.3 per cent and 33.3 per cent of patients who required adrenaline respectively. And only 7.7 per cent of patients in Group 3 had milrinone as an inotrope. Early tracheal extubation, 2 hours after admission to ICU was performed in 3 patients. Perioperative complications included bleeding, low cardiac output, diaphragmatic paresis, digitalis intoxication, metabolic alkalosis, convulsion, pulmonary hypertensive crisis and death. Two patients who developed a pulmonary hypertensive crisis were successfully managed with inhaled nitric oxide. The overall hospital mortality rate was 19.54 per cent. In conclusion, the anesthetic management for ASO in 87 simple dTGA patients was uneventful at Siriraj Hospital. The major perioperative morbidity and hospital mortality were not directly anesthetic contribution.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand.
authors.forename: Ungkab
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Prakanrattana
authors.forename: Sirilak
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suksompong
authors.forename: Somchai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sriyoschati
authors.forename: Samphant
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pornvilawan
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000758:Anesthesia / Q000379:methods*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006345:Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014188:Transposition of Great Vessels / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome