Conscious cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass using thoracic epidural anesthesia without endotracheal general anesthesia

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of thoracic epidural anesthesia as an alternative technique to general anesthesia in patients undergoing cardiac surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass. DESIGN: A prospective study. SETTING: Tertiary referral heart hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Eleven patients underwent cardiac surgical procedures requiring cardiopulmonary bypass under thoracic epidural anesthesia from February to April 2004. INTERVENTIONS: An epidural catheter was inserted at C7 to T2 intervertebral space on the day before the operation. Subsequently, cardiac surgery was performed using cardiopulmonary bypass. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: The midsternotomy approach was used in all the patients. Anticoagulation was achieved with 300 units/kg of heparin. Under normothermic cardiopulmonary bypass, 6 patients underwent closure of atrial septal defect, 3 underwent valve replacements, and 2 underwent coronary artery bypass surgery combined with valve replacements. Soon after establishing cardiopulmonary bypass, all but 1 patient developed apnea, which was reversed after termination of cardiopulmonary bypass. The mean cardiopulmonary bypass time was 102 +/- 28 minutes, the aortic cross-clamp time was 58 +/- 28 minutes, and the total duration of surgery was 229 +/- 64 minutes. There was no mortality or morbidity in this series. CONCLUSION: Cardiac surgical procedures requiring cardiopulmonary bypass may be performed under thoracic epidural anesthesia, without endotracheal general anesthesia.     

General versus epidural anesthesia for femoral-popliteal bypass surgery

This study examines whether epidural anesthesia is more effective than general anesthesia using an inhalation agent in controlling cardiovascular responses during femoral-popliteal bypass surgery. Nineteen patients were randomized into two groups: general anesthesia (n = 10) and epidural anesthesia (n = 9). The patients who underwent general anesthesia received sodium pentothal and succinylcholine for induction of anesthesia and 60% N2O, 40% O2, and 1% to 1.5% isoflurane for maintenance. Fifteen minutes before extubation, the patients received morphine sulfate 0.05 mg/kg intravenously (IV). The group that underwent epidural anesthesia received anesthesia to T-10 (through a catheter placed in the L4-5 interspace using 3% 2-chloroprocaine). Thirty minutes after the last dose, 0.05 mg/kg IV was administered. Hemodynamic variables were recorded at selected intervals during the operation and for 60 minutes in the recovery room. In the general anesthesia group, mean arterial pressure (MAP) and rate pressure product (RPP) significantly decreased (p less than 0.05) during the operation as compared with preoperative values. Following intubation and skin incision, 5 minutes after extubation, and after 60 minutes in the recovery room, MAP, heart rate (HR), and RPP were significantly greater (p less than 0.05) as compared with intraoperative periods. In the epidural anesthesia group, there were clinically important decreases in MAP and RPP after reaching T-10 and skin incision. The general anesthesia patients showed higher MAP, HR, and RPP 5 minutes after extubation and after 60 minutes in the recovery room. Epidural anesthesia patients showed stable hemodynamic patterns throughout the study.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

High thoracic epidural anesthesia for off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery

OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility of high thoracic epidural anesthesia combined with sevoflurane for off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery and to evaluate the postoperative pain control, side effects, and perioperative hemodynamics. DESIGN: Retrospective review of prospectively collected data. SETTING: A university teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred six consecutive patients receiving thoracic epidural combined with sevoflurane. INTERVENTION: From November 1999, the patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting were offered the epidural-inhalation anesthetic approach. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Insertion of the epidural catheter was successful in all but 2 patients; 1 bloody tap occurred and the dura was never punctured, although 1 patient presented with postoperative paraplegia. An emergency spinal cord nuclear magnetic resonance excluded signs of medullary compression caused by epidural or spinal hematoma. Visual analog scale scores for pain during the first 24-hour period were < 2 in all patients. Mean time to extubation was 4.6 +/- 2.9 hours. The average intensive care unit stay was 1.5 +/- 0.8 days. Incidences of perioperative myocardial infarction, myocardial ischemia, and atrial fibrillation were 2.8%, 7.5%, and 10.6%, respectively. Two patients died: 1 from multiorgan failure and the other from myocardial infarction. Heart rate, mean arterial pressure, cardiac index, and systemic vascular resistance were not affected by thoracic epidural alone. Mean arterial pressure and cardiac index decreased (p < 0.05) when general anesthesia was induced and remained stable thereafter. Neither heart rate nor systemic vascular resistance changed from baseline during operation. CONCLUSIONS: Thoracic epidural as an adjunct to general anesthesia is a feasible technique in off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery. It induces intense postoperative analgesia and does not compromise central hemodynamics.     

High thoracic epidural anesthesia in coronary artery bypass surgery: a propensity-matched study

OBJECTIVES: To assess if 2 different anesthesia strategies, high-thoracic epidural anesthesia (HTEA) plus inhalation anesthesia and total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) with sufentanil/propofol had different influence on outcomes of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery patients. DESIGN: Retrospective comparison of outcomes between HTEA and TIVA patients using propensity score pair-wise matching of patients. SETTING: A university teaching hospital. Participants: A study of 1,473 consecutive patients undergoing elective CABG surgery; of these, 476 (32%) received HTEA combined with inhalation anesthesia, whereas 997 (68%) underwent TIVA alone. INTERVENTIONS: The patients undergoing CABG surgery were offered the epidural-inhalation anesthetic approach. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Propensity matching yielded 389 pairs of patients. Patients were well matched in preoperative and operative features. Postoperative mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, acute renal failure rates, and intensive care unit (ICU) stay were not statistically different in HTEA and TIVA groups. On the other hand, patients treated with HTEA had shorter ventilation times (5.8 +/- 3.11 v 6.9 +/- 5.0 hours, HTEA and TIVA, respectively, p < 0.001); in addition, vasoconstrictors were more frequently used in cases of HTEA, whereas vasodilators were mainly used with TIVA both intra- and postoperatively. No neurologic complications related to the use of HTEA were observed. CONCLUSIONS: HTEA and TIVA provided similar early outcomes after CABG surgery, and there were no major differences between these 2 strategies in the average risk CABG patient populations. Although HTEA did not cause neurologic problems and yielded a significant reduction in time to extubation, a consistent benefit over standard techniques could not be shown.     

Blood conservation in thoracic aortic surgery with total cardiopulmonary bypass

BACKGROUND: In thoracic aortic surgery, a large number of homologous transfusions sometimes cause systemic inflammatory response, which may lead to pulmonary dysfunction, renal dysfunction and brain edema. To predict the need for homologous blood transfusion in aortic surgery, we use blood transfusion index (preoperative Ht x body weight) to predict the magnitude of homologous transfusion. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From Dec 1997 to May 2000, 59 consecutive patients were underwent thoracic aortic graft replacement with total cardiopulmonary bypass. These patients were divided in 2 groups, who were underwent graft replacement without blood transfusions, and who needed blood transfusions. Each group was compared in age, sex, emergency, Ht, CPB time, blood transfusion index and operative mortality. RESULTS: Forty patients (67.7%) did not required blood transfusion. In elective cases (32 cases), 84.3% were underwent operation without blood transfusion. There was no significant difference between 2 groups in terms of age and mean bypass duration. Blood transfusion index was significantly higher in transfusion group (2,320 +/- 784) compared with that in not transfusion group (1,445 +/- 706). CONCLUSION: Blood transfusion index was useful preoperative parameter to predict the need for homologous transfusion.     

Modulation of the inflammatory response to cardiopulmonary bypass by dopexamine and epidural anesthesia

BACKGROUND: Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) induces a systemic inflammatory reaction. Microcirculation-dependent alteration of the gut mucosal barrier with subsequent translocation of endotoxins is a postulated mechanism for this inflammatory response. This study was designed to elucidate whether two different approaches to modulate splanchnic perfusion may influence systemic inflammation to CPB. METHODS: We examined 40 patients scheduled for elective coronary bypass surgery in a prospective, randomized study. One group (DPX) received dopexamine (1 micro g. kg-1. min-1) continuously after induction of anesthesia until 18 h after CPB. The control group (CON) received equal volumes of NaCl 0.9% in a time-matched fashion. In a third group (EPI) a continuous epidural infusion of bupivacaine 0.25% [(body height (cm) - 100). 10-1=ml.h-1] was administered for the whole study period. Procalcitonin (PCT), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha), soluble TNF receptor, human soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1, C-reactive protein (CRP) and leukocyte count were measured as parameters of inflammation. RESULTS: All parameters significantly increased following CPB. Increases of PCT, TNF-alpha and leukocyte count were significantly attenuated in the DPX and EPI groups at different time points. However, neither splanchnic blood flow nor oxygen delivery and consumption were different when compared with the CON-group. CONCLUSION: These results do suggest that mechanisms other than an improved splanchnic blood flow by DPX and EPI treatment have to be considered for the anti-inflammatory effects.     

胸段硬膜外复合静脉全麻与全凭静脉麻醉在开胸手术中的比较

目的 比较胸段硬膜外复合静脉全麻与全凭静脉麻醉对开胸手术患者血流动力学、麻醉药维持剂量、术后苏醒、躁动及疼痛的影响.方法 64例择期行剖胸手术患者,ASA Ⅱ级～Ⅲ级,采用完全随机设计的方法分为2组.A组:胸段硬膜外复合静脉全麻组,患者预先用10 ml 0.25%布比卡因和0.1 mg芬太尼硬膜外给药.术中硬膜外0.25%布比卡因和芬太尼10μg/ml,5 ml/h复合丙泊酚维持.B组:全凭静脉麻醉组,丙泊酚-端芬太尼全凭静脉麻醉.观察并记录不同时间点2组心率(HR)、平均动脉压(MAP)、中心静脉压(CVP)、所需麻醉维持药量、术毕清醒及出现疼痛时间.结果 2组患者各观察点血流动力学变化比较,差异无统计学意义;胸段硬膜外复合静脉全麻组麻醉维持不需要静脉镇痛药瑞芬太尼和肌松药阿曲库铵,只需复合充分的丙泊酚镇静,就能满足手术需求;术后苏醒早;拔管时间(11±4)min,相对于全凭静脉麻醉组(23±16)min明显缩短(P<0.05):躁动例数显著减少;术后出现疼痛时间(7.4±2.6)min相对于全凭静脉麻醉组(0.5士0.3)min明显延长(P<0.01).结论 胸段硬膜外复合静脉全麻用于开胸手术快通道麻醉是一种安全、经济、有效并有利于患者术后恢复的麻醉方法.     

High thoracic epidural analgesia reduces the risk of long-term depression in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery.

BACKGROUND: High thoracic epidural analgesia (HTEA) has been shown to reduce psychological morbidity in the early period following coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). Our aim was to identify whether the effect persists in the longer term. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients from a previous randomised study of HTEA for CABG were followed up 6 months to 3 years following surgery. The cardiac depression scale (CDS) was used to identify severity of depression. RESULTS: Sixty-one of the original 78 patients were able to participate in the study. Eight point three percent of patients had CDS scores >100, consistent with severe depression (1 epidural patient, 4 control patients, P=0.353). After adjustment for time of follow-up, the CDS scores in patients who received HTEA were significantly lower (66+/-3.5) than patients who received intravenous morphine analgesia (79+/-3.5) P<0.05 CONCLUSION: The use of HTEA results in a lower risk of depression 6 months or more following CABG.     

High-dose cimetidine reduces proinflammatory reaction after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass

Background. Cimetidine, which is usually used for gastric ulcer, enhances cellular immunity. The effect of cimetidine on perioperative proinflammatory response after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass was investigated.

Methods. Elective coronary artery bypass graft cases in which CPB was performed were placed randomly in a cimetidine (C) group (n = 20) or a no-treatment (N) group (n = 20). The time course of plasma levels of neutrophil elastase, interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8, leukocyte counts, lymphocyte recovery ratio, C-reactive protein, creatine-kinase-MB, and oxygenation index were analyzed.

Results. The plasma levels of neutrophil elastase and IL-8 were inhibited in the C groups at 2 hours after CPB termination. In a comparison of the two groups, the C group demonstrated higher lymphocyte recovery ratio and lower C-reactive protein on postoperative day 5 and shorter intubation time. No intergroup differences were observed in IL-6, leukocyte counts, creatine-kinase-MB levels, or oxygenation index.

Conclusions. Cimetidine may reduce surgical stress and augment the immune system after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass.     

Stress and inflammatory response after beating heart surgery versus conventional bypass surgery: the role of thoracic epidural anesthesia

Cardiac surgery elicits a cascade of stress responses mediated by the release of various cytokines and stress hormones [Roth-Isigkeit 1998]. Apart from the stress induced by the surgical process, cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) has been documented to play a major role in the perioperative stress response seen following cardiac surgery [Butler 1993, McBride 1995, Hall 1997]. The imbalance in pro- and anti-inflammatory responses may affect outcome in cardiac surgery patients [Casey 1993, McBride 1995, Menasch 1995]. Contact of blood with the CPB circuit, along with hypoperfusion of various organs prior to and during CPB, may aggravate this stress response and contribute to adverse outcomes in the perioperative period [Casey 1993, Menasch 1995, Tonnesen 1996]. Splanchnic hypoperfusion that occurs in cardiac surgery patients [Landow 1991] can result in increased permeability of the gut mucosal barrier, resulting in endotoxemia and release of proinflammatory cytokines. Lungs and kidneys play a role in sequestrating the proinflammatory cytokines and, in the presence of hypoperfusion, may be damaged by these cytokines [Gilliland 1999, Liebold 1999, Gormley 2000]. Avoiding CPB may reduce this stress response. Anesthetic techniques such as thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) that improve splanchnic perfusion [Moore 1995, Kapral 1999, Ai 2001] may have a role in improving patient outcome. It is further known that ischemic myocardium can be a major source of proinflammatory cytokines [Wan 1999a]. The cardiac sympathetic block resulting from TEA has been shown to reduce ischemia reperfusion injury [Blomberg 1989, Blomberg 1990, Liem 1992a, Liem 1992b, Liem 1992c, Kirno 1994, Stenseth 1994]. Beating heart surgery done without the aid of CPB significantly attenuates cytokine and stress response [Brasil 1998, Fransen 1998, Gu 1998, Wan 1999b, Ganapathy 1999a, Ganapathy 2000a]. There is reduced renal dysfunction following beating heart surgery [Ascione 1999], which may be related to reduced proinflammatory cytokine surge. Thoracic epidural analgesia inhibits intraoperative cortisol as well as catecholamine surge but does not add further to the reduction in cytokine response [Ganapathy 1999b].