Use of high-thoracic epidural analgesia in pulmonary endarterectomy: a randomized feasibility study.
BACKGROUND
The suitability of combined high-thoracic epidural anesthesia for pulmonary endarterectomy was studied.


METHODS
A prospective randomized clinical study was conducted in a university medical center from November 2005 to December 2006. The primary endpoint of this study was to evaluate perioperative hemodynamic data; secondary endpoints were to evaluate the duration of artificial ventilation, length of stay in the intensive care unit, and the impact on postoperative morbidity and mortality.


RESULTS
The 16 patients in the study group received high-thoracic epidural anesthesia plus general anesthesia; the 16 control patients received total intravenous anesthesia alone. Hemodynamic parameters and drug use, as well as the time to extubation, rate of complications, postoperative pain, the length of intensive care unit stay, and mortality, were recorded. The 2 groups were comparable with respect to hemodynamic stability during induction of anesthesia. The study group patients had significantly lower sufentanil consumption (mean +/- SD, 2.1 +/- 0.7 microg/kg versus 9.1 +/- 3.1 microg/kg; P <.001), a shorter period of artificial ventilation (34 +/- 35 hours versus 52 +/- 49 hours; P = .0318), and lower postoperative pain scores at 3 hours (0.10 +/- 0.26 versus 0.93 +/- 1.38; P = .015), 12 hours (0.14 +/- 0.53 versus 0.93 +/- 0.79; P = .002), and 24 hours (0.35 +/- 0.49 versus 1.33 +/- 1.04; P = .007).


CONCLUSIONS
This study has shown that combined epidural and general anesthesia is a suitable anesthetic option in patients who are selected for pulmonary endarterectomy. It provides hemodynamic stability and reduces the duration of tracheal intubation postoperatively and improves postoperative pain relief, although this option has not been shown to decrease either the length of the intensive care unit stay or mortality.
Kunstyr
Jan
J
Department of Anaesthesia Resuscitation and Intensive Medicine, General University Hospital, 1st Medical Faculty of the Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic. jan.kunstyr@post.cz
Klein
Andrew
A
Lindner
Jaroslav
J
Rubes
David
D
Blaha
Jan
J
Jansa
Pavel
P
Lips
Michal
M
Ambroz
David
D
Stritesky
Martin
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015360:Analgesia, Epidural / Q000379:methods*; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000768:Anesthesia, General; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004691:Endarterectomy / Q000379:methods / Q000401:mortality; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000601:surgery*; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D017409:Sufentanil / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013909:Thorax; D013997:Time Factors
D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D017409:Sufentanil