Korean J Anesthesiol.  2007 Apr;52(4):403-408. 10.4097/kjae.2007.52.4.403.

The Cardiovascular Effects of Thoracic Epidural Injection of Ropivacaine during Sevoflurane General Anesthesia

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Kimpo Korea Hospital, Gimpo, Korea.
  • 2Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. syok2377@naver.com

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Thoracic epidural anesthesia (TEA) combined with general anesthesia is commonly used in major upper abdominal surgery. The advantages of this method is the suppression of the perioperative stress response, the improvement in endocardial perfusion, and the reduction of myocardial oxygen consumption, postoperative morbidity and mortality. In particular, this method reduces the level of postoperative ileus and intestinal anastomosis leakage during gastrointestinal surgery. However, there is the possibility of severe cardiovascular depression using this combination method. This study evaluates the cardiovascular effects of extensive TEA combined with sevoflurane general anesthesia.
METHODS
Fifty patients scheduled subtotal gastrectomy were enrolled in this study. After administering a bolus injection of 20 ml of 0.375% ropivacaine through an epidural catheter during sevoflurane general anesthesia, mean arterial pressure, heart rate, stroke volume, cardiac output, and systemic vascular resistance measured by Hemosonic (HemoSonic(TM) 100, Arrow, USA) every 5 minutes over a 30-minute period after the injection.
RESULTS
All the data showed a significant decrease from 5 minutes after the epidural bolus injection except for the stroke volume, but that was not important clinically.
CONCLUSIONS
A thoracic epidural injection of 20 ml of 0.375% ropivacaine can be used safely during sevoflurane anesthesia without severe cardiovascular complications during upper abdominal surgery.

Keyword

ropivacaine; sevoflurane; thoracic epidural anesthesia

MeSH Terms

Anesthesia
Anesthesia, Epidural
Anesthesia, General*
Arterial Pressure
Cardiac Output
Catheters
Depression
Gastrectomy
Heart Rate
Humans
Ileus
Injections, Epidural*
Mortality
Oxygen Consumption
Perfusion
Stroke Volume
Tea
Vascular Resistance
Tea
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