A randomized study comparing combined spinal epidural or general anesthesia for renal transplant surgery.
BACKGROUND
The appropriate anesthesia for renal transplantation requires minimal toxicity for patients and for the transplanted organ, as well as sufficient pain relief and maintenance of vital functions. The aim of this study was to determine how the anesthetic technique influences the outcome in patients after renal transplantation in terms of preoperative and intraoperative hemodynamic changes and blood gas changes.


METHODS
Fifty adult patients undergoing renal transplantation were randomly divided into two groups receiving standardized general anesthesia or combined spinal and epidural anesthesia.


RESULTS
Demographically both groups were similar. Total anesthesia time (202 +/- 53 vs 186 +/- 37 minutes) and surgical time (191 +/- 52 vs 162 +/- 31 minutes) did not differ between the groups. The heart rate and systolic blood pressure values of the groups as measured before induction and 5, 15, 20, 30, as well as 60 minutes thereafter did not differ between the groups. Neither the frequency of bradycardia (four vs two) nor of hypotension (six vs four) during anesthesia differed between regional versus general anesthesia groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Regional is an important alternative to general anesthesia during renal transplantation surgery in adult patients.
Hadimioglu
N
N
Department of Anesthesiology, Akdeniz University, Dumlupinar Bulvari, Antalya 07050, Turkey.
Ertug
Z
Z
Bigat
Z
Z
Yilmaz
M
M
Yegin
A
A
D000328:Adult; D000767:Anesthesia, Epidural; D000768:Anesthesia, General; D005260:Female; D006085:Graft Survival; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000601:surgery; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000379:methods* / Q000502:physiology; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome