Anesth Pain Med.  2014 Jul;9(3):193-200.

General anesthesia versus sedation with dexmedetomidine for thoracic endovascular aortic repair in 38 patients in multicenter experiences: A retrospective study

• Choi HR
• Lee DW
• Kim KW
• Bang SR
• Min SK
• Oh MK
• Kim JY
• Ro YJ
• Choi YJ

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Endovascular stent graft placement is a useful treatment option in lesions of the thoracic aorta. The aim of this study was to assess the possibility of sedation with dexmedetomidine compared with general anesthesia in patients undergoing thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) in a multi-center clinical trial.
METHODS
Data from 38 patients with thoracic aorta lesions treated by TEVAR between April 2010 and November 2013 were retrospectively collected at two hospitals. General anesthesia or sedation with dexmedetomidine was determined according to the hospital. Demographics, anesthetic recordings, and complications were reviewed.
RESULTS
Stent graft placement was technically successful in all patients. There were no events during the anesthetic period. A total of 38 patients underwent TEVAR; 29 patients received general anesthesia, and 9 received sedation. Dexmedetomidine sedation (loading dose: 0.5-1.0 microg/kg for 10 min, maintenance: 0.2-0.8 microg/kg/h) was successfully performed without anesthesia-related complications or mortality. During the procedure, mean arterial pressure, heart rate, and saturation of peripheral oxygen were not statistically different between general anesthesia and dexmedetomidine sedation.
CONCLUSIONS
In our study, TEVAR under sedation with dexmedetomidine was shown to be a feasible procedure that was well tolerated without specific complications.

Keyword

General anesthesia; Morbidity; Mortality; Sedation; Thoracic endovascular aortic repair

MeSH Terms

Anesthesia, General*
Aorta, Thoracic
Arterial Pressure
Blood Vessel Prosthesis
Demography
Dexmedetomidine*
Heart Rate
Humans
Mortality
Oxygen
Retrospective Studies*
Dexmedetomidine
Oxygen