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. 2009 Sep;33(9):1809-14.
doi: 10.1007/s00268-009-0134-z.

Combined lumbar spinal and thoracic high-epidural regional anesthesia as an alternative to general anesthesia for high-risk patients undergoing gastrointestinal and colorectal surgery

James Skipworth  1 , Attavar Srilekha, Dimitri Raptis, David O'Callaghan, Siri Siriwardhana, Romi Navaratnam
Affiliations

Combined lumbar spinal and thoracic high-epidural regional anesthesia as an alternative to general anesthesia for high-risk patients undergoing gastrointestinal and colorectal surgery

James Skipworth et al. World J Surg. 2009 Sep.

Abstract

Objective: A prospective study was undertaken to review the use of combined lumbar spinal and thoracic high-epidural regional anesthesia in high-risk patients who underwent gastrointestinal/colorectal surgery from 2004 to 2006.

Methods: Twelve high-risk patients underwent 13 gastrointestinal/colorectal surgical procedures, using a regional anesthetic technique, which consisted of a thoracic epidural and lumbar subarachnoid block. All patients were classified as high risk based on anesthetic assessment (American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score 3 or 4).

Results: Six (46.2%) of the patients were men, and the overall median age was 86 years. Ten (76.9%) patients presented as emergencies, whereas only three (23.1%) patients underwent elective procedures. All patients subjectively rated their postoperative pain relief as effective. The 30-day mortality was 2 (15.4%); however, both of these patients refused initial treatment. Only one (7.7%) patient required delayed ITU admission for respiratory support (CPAP). None of the patients required intubation at any stage. There were two (15.4%) minor and two (15.4%) major early complications and only one (7.7%) delayed complication to date. Median length of stay was 7 days. Two (15.4%) patients had delayed discharge dates, for social reasons.

Discussion: These patients demonstrated early postoperative recovery, with effective analgesia, no requirements for intubation, and lower morbidity and mortality rates than similar studies of high-risk patients who underwent procedures using general anesthesia. Using this technique, patients were managed appropriately in HDU and the surgical ward, without affecting their overall length of hospital stay.

Conclusions: This study supports the role of regional anesthetic techniques, combined with targeted, minimally invasive surgery--particularly for the management of high-risk patients presenting in the emergency setting.

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