Low-dose Combined Spinal-epidural Anesthesia Research Articles

Management of an Uncorrected Tetralogy of Fallot for Caesarean Section Using Low-Dose Combined Spinal Epidural Anaesthesia Under Advanced Haemodynamic Monitorization

Since management of parturients with uncorrected tetralogy of Fallot reported until now lacks advanced cardiac haemodynamic monitoring, we aimed to present anaesthetic management of a parturient with uncorrected tetralogy of Fallot scheduled for caesarean section by addressing the challenges in the management based on the advanced haemodynamic monitoring due to the expected high-risk maternal morbidity and mortality in this particular case. Hereby, we provided haemodynamic stability with little requirement for vasopressor medication by using low-dose combined spinal epidural anaesthesia in a parturient with uncorrected tetralogy of Fallot scheduled to undergo caesarean delivery.

Low Dose Combined Spinal-Epidural Anesthesia: An Anesthesia Technique for Cesarean Section in a Patient Suffering from Congenitally Corrected Transposition of Great Arteries and Severe Pulmonary Stenosis

A primigravida, aged 22 years, at 39th gestational week was hospitalized with dyspnea since onset of labor. On systemic evaluation and echocardiography, she was diagnosed to have congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (CCTGA) along with severe pulmonic stenosis and bidirectional ventricular and atrial septal defects. A multidisciplinary team provided initial symptomatic management, stratified the risk and planned for a cesarean section. A low-dose combined sequential spinal-epidural anesthesia with invasive monitoring was used which provided excellent surgical condition with stable intraoperative and postoperative hemodynamics.

ANESTHETIC MANAGEMENT OF PREGNANT PATIENT WITH VALVULAR HEART DISEASE

Gebelikle birlikte kan hacmi, kalp debisi, kalp hızı artarken sistemik vasküler direnç azalır. Hemodilüsyon ve fizyolojik anemi görülür. Bu değişiklikler sağlıklı kadınlar tarafından tolere edilebilirken kalp hastalığı olan gebelerde kalp üzerinde ayrı bir yük oluşturmaktadır. Bunun sonucunda peripartum morbidite ve mortalite artmaktadır. Bu hastaların anestezi seçimi kalp hastalığının tipi, kullanılan ilaçlar, cerrahinin aciliyetine göre değişmektedir. 32 yaşında olan hastamızın 4 gebelik, 2 doğum ve 2 abortusu mevcuttu. Hastamıza 39 haftalık gebeliği ne-deniyle sezeryan planlanmıştı. Preoperatif mu-ayenesinde 5 yıl önce perkütan mitral balon valvüloplasti geçirdiği öğrenildi. Ekokardiyog-rafide mitral kapak alanı 1 cm2 olduğu, 30 aort yetmezliği ve pulmoner arter basıncı 35 mm Hg olarak tespit edildi. Hastaya lomber 4-5 verteb-ra aralığından oturur pozisyonda kombine spi-nal–epidural anestezi yapıldı. Epidural katater yoluyla perioperatif ve postoperatif anestezi ve analjezi sağlandı. Sonuç olarak kalp hastalığı olan gebelerde sezaryen uygulamasında düşük doz kombine spinal-epidural anestezi ile hemo-dinaminin daha stabil olacağını ve epidural ka-tater yoluyla da postoperatif analjezi sağlanarak taşikardi, hipertansiyon, ajitasyon gibi olumsuz etkilerin önleneceğini düşünüyoruz.

Anesthesia for pregnant women with pulmonary hypertension.

Purpose of review is to summarize and highlight recent advances in the management of pregnant patients with pulmonary hypertension. Despite recent advances in the therapy of pulmonary hypertension, prognosis for pregnant patients with pulmonary hypertension remains poor with high maternal mortality. Pregnancy is still considered contraindicated in these patients. If pregnancy occurs, referral to a tertiary hospital and a multidisciplinary approach ensure the best possible outcome. All pregnant patients with pulmonary hypertension should be counseled for a termination of pregnancy. If the patient wants to continue the pregnancy despite strong recommendations for therapeutic interruption, specific pulmonary hypertension therapy has to be initiated, adjusted, and/or augmented. A close clinical follow-up of the mother throughout the entire pregnancy is of utmost importance. Elective caesarean section in week 34-36 is recommended as preferred mode of delivery, preferentially under epidural or low-dose combined spinal-epidural anesthesia. Because of an acute increase in pulmonary vascular resistance and delivery-associated acute volume overload, the immediate postpartum period carries the highest risk for acute right ventricular failure necessitating close monitoring and treatment on an ICU. Anesthesiologists involved in the management of pregnant patients with pulmonary hypertension must have detailed knowledge of pathophysiological alterations in pregnancy and during birth, cardiac (patho)physiology, cardiovascular and obstetric pharmacology, hemodynamic monitoring, and echocardiography. Both regional and general anesthesia have typical adverse effects that can severely jeopardize the cardiovascular system in patients with pulmonary hypertension, and should therefore be anticipated/prevented/rapidly treated by the attending anesthesiologist.

Low-dose combined spinal-epidural anaesthesia for caesarean section in a patient with Eisenmenger’s syndrome

A 34-year-old woman (G3,P0) with Eisenmenger’s syndrome and positive HIV serology presented to hospital at 16 weeks of pregnancy. She was hospitalised at 20 weeks under the care of a multidisciplinary team. At 33 weeks caesarean section was performed under low-dose combined spinal-epidural anaesthesia using a needle-through-needle technique. Over a period of 10 min, spinal anaesthesia produced a sensory block to T4 which did not alter oxygenation or blood pressure. Epidural supplementation was not required. The caesarean section proceeded uneventfully without pain or discomfort. The post-partum period was without major incident. Low-dose combined spinal-epidural techniques combine the advantages of spinal and epidural blockade; the versatility allows its use in a wide range of clinical conditions, combining effective anaesthesia with cardiovascular stability.

The effect of colloid co-hydration on the use of phenylephrine and hemodynamics during low-dose combined spinal-epidural anesthesia for cesarean delivery

Background: Ephedrine has been recommended as the best vasopressor in obstetrics. But, recent clinical evidences show the possibility that phenylephrine has become more pertinent as a primary vasopressor. We think a phenylephrine infusion with colloid co-hydration will be more useful in maintaining baseline blood pressure in combined spinal-epidural anesthesia (CSEA) for cesarean section. Methods: CSEA was performed using 6 mg bupivacaine and 20 μg fentanyl as a spinal and 10 ml of 0.25% levobupivacaine as an epidural in randomized, colloid co-hydration (hydroxyethl starch, HES 500 ml) (group C, n = 34) or no colloid co-hydration (group N, n=34) parturients scheduled to undergo cesarean delivery. After an infusion of 100 μg phenylephrine following the spinal injection, phenylephrine was intermittently infused using a PCA-pump to maintain the baseline blood pressure (BP). Systolic BP and heart rate (HR) were checked and total phenylephrine amount was measured. Nausea and vomiting and fetal umbilical pH/base excess (BE) were also investigated. Results: There was a lower incidence of bradycardia in the C group compared with the N group (5.9% vs. 32.4%, p = 0.014), and total phenylephrine consumption was less in the C group (400 μg vs. 500 μg, p = 0.019). The incidence of reactive hypertension (11.8% vs. 55.9%, p ＜ 0.001), and the hypotension (0% vs. 11.8%, p = 0.114) were lower in the C group, too. The others were comparable in both groups. Conclusions: Colloid co-hydration was effective in reducing the phenylephrine use and the incidences of abnormal hemodynamics such as hypotension, bradycardia and hypertension in low-dose CSEA for cesarean delivery. (Korean J Anesthesiol 2008; 55: 685~90)

A Randomized Trial of Crystalloid versus Colloid Solution for Prevention of Hypotension During Spinal or Low-Dose Combined Spinal-Epidural Anesthesia for Elective Cesarean Delivery

A Randomized Trial of Crystalloid versus Colloid Solution for Prevention of Hypotension During Spinal or Low-Dose Combined Spinal-Epidural Anesthesia for Elective Cesarean Delivery

Low-dose combined spinal-epidural anaesthesia vs. conventional epidural anaesthesia for caesarean section in preeclampsia patients

Low-dose combined spinal-epidural anaesthesia vs. conventional epidural anaesthesia for caesarean section in preeclampsia patients

A randomized trial of crystalloid versus colloid solution for prevention of hypotension during spinal or low-dose combined spinal-epidural anesthesia for elective cesarean delivery

Spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery is commonly associated with hypotension and nausea and vomiting, and preload with crystalloid or colloid solution is widely recommended. Low-dose spinal via the combined spinal-epidural technique appears to cause less hypotension and nausea and vomiting. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the combined use of colloid preload and combined spinal-epidural technique might further reduce the rates of these symptoms. Women undergoing elective cesarean delivery were randomly allocated to one of four groups (50 in each) to receive crystalloid preload before spinal anesthesia, colloid preload before spinal anesthesia, crystalloid preload before combined spinal-epidural anesthesia, and colloid preload before combined spinal-epidural anesthesia. The incidences of hypotension and nausea and vomiting were compared. Spinal anesthesia was performed with 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine 9 mg and fentanyl 20 microg, and combined spinal-epidural anesthesia with 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine 6 mg + fentanyl 20 microg followed by epidural injection of 0.25% bupivacaine 10 mL. The frequencies of hypotension were 44%, 18%, 24%, and 20% in crystalloid preload-spinal anesthesia, colloid preload-spinal anesthesia, crystalloid preload-combined spinal epidural anesthesia, and colloid preload-combined spinal epidural anesthesia groups, respectively. The frequencies of nausea and vomiting were 20%, 2%, 8%, and 4% in respective groups. Colloid preload and low-dose spinal anesthesia alone or in combination lowered the incidences of hypotension and nausea. However, the combination of two methods failed to demonstrate further decreases in the incidence of the symptoms compared to the colloid-spinal anesthesia or crystalloid-combined spinal-epidural anesthesia groups.

Prevention of hypotension with crystalloid versus colloid during spinal or low-dose combined spinal-epidural anesthesia for Cesarean delivery

Prevention of hypotension with crystalloid versus colloid during spinal or low-dose combined spinal-epidural anesthesia for Cesarean delivery

Severe Pulmonary Hypertension during Pregnancy

Available literature on pregnant women with severe pulmonary hypertension (PH) relies mainly on anecdotal case reports and two series only. The authors reviewed the charts of all pregnant women with severe PH who were followed up at their institution during the past 10 yr, to assess the multidisciplinary treatment and outcome of these patients. Fifteen pregnancies in 14 women with severe PH were managed during this period: There were 4 cases of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), 6 cases of congenital heart disease-associated PAH, 1 case of fenfluramine-associated PAH, 1 case of mixed connective tissue-associated PAH, 1 case of human immunodeficiency virus-associated PAH, and 2 cases of chronic thromboembolic PH. PH presented during pregnancy in 3 patients. Two patients died before delivery at 12 and 23 weeks' gestation. Four patients had vaginal deliveries with regional anesthesia: One died 3 months postpartum, one worsened, and two remained stable. Four had cesarean deliveries during general anesthesia: One died 3 weeks postpartum, one worsened, and two remained stable. Five had cesarean deliveries during low-dose combined spinal-epidural anesthesia: One died 1 week postpartum, and four remained stable. There were two fetal deaths: one related to therapeutic abortion at 21 weeks' gestation and one stillbirth at 36 weeks' gestation followed by the death of the mother 1 week later. Despite the most modern treatment efforts, the maternal mortality was 36%. Scheduled cesarean delivery during combined spinal-epidural anesthesia seemed to be an attractive approach, but there was no evidence of actual benefit. Therefore, pregnancy must still be discouraged in patients with severe PH.

Low-dose combined spinal-epidural anaesthesia vs. conventional epidural anaesthesia for Caesarean section in pre-eclampsia: a retrospective analysis

Low-dose combined spinal-epidural anaesthesia vs. conventional epidural anaesthesia for Caesarean section in pre-eclampsia: a retrospective analysis