Epidural anesthesia in patients undergoing thoracic surgery
B. K. Temeck, P. W. Schafer, W. Y. Park and J. W. Harmon
Department of Surgery, Veterans Adminstration Medical Center, Washington, DC 20422.
Epidural anesthesia has been reported to exert beneficial effects in
surgical procedures. Over the past 3 years at the Veterans Administration
Medical Center in Washington, DC, thoracic surgical procedures have been
done using a combined technique of epidural anesthesia with light general
anesthesia. A retrospective review of this experience from January 1984 to
November 1987 was done in 90 consecutive patients. Postoperative extubation
of patients was accomplished immediately in 32%, within 1 hour in 34%,
within 3 hours in 28%, within 18 hours in 4%, and was prolonged in only 1%
of patients. Mortality was 2% and morbidity was 3%. This analysis indicates
that the technique of epidural anesthesia with light general anesthesia
provided satisfactory anesthesia with low mortality and morbidity in a
high-risk group of patients undergoing surgery.
