Comparison of intraoperative blood loss during spinal surgery using either remifentanil or fentanyl as an adjuvant to general anesthesia.

BACKGROUND: Remifentanil enhances intraoperative hemodynamic stability, suggesting that it may decrease intraoperative blood loss when included as an adjuvant to general anesthesia. This retrospective study compared intraoperative blood loss during spinal surgery in patients administered either remifentanil or fentanyl as an opioid adjuvant. METHODS: We reviewed clinical and surgical data from 64 consecutive laminoplasty or laminectomy patients treated at National Hospital Organization Zentsuji Hospital between April 2010 and March 2011. Patients received either remifentanil (n = 35) or fentanyl (n = 29) as an opioid analgesic during general anesthesia. In addition to intraoperative blood loss, indices of hemodynamic stability, including heart rate as well as systolic, mean, and diastolic blood pressure (BP), were compared over the entire perioperative period between remifentanil and fentanyl groups. RESULTS: The remifentanil group exhibited significantly lower intraoperative arterial BP than the fentanyl group. Intraoperative blood loss was also significantly lower in the remifentanil group (125 ± 67 mL vs. 165 ± 82 mL, P = 0.035). CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative blood loss during spinal surgery was decreased in patients who received remifentanil as an opioid adjuvant, possibly because of lower intraoperative BP. A larger-scale prospective randomized controlled trial is warranted to confirm our results and to test whether remifentanil can decrease intraoperative blood loss during other surgical procedures.

[Anesthesia for a patient with severe tracheal stenosis due to thoracic aortic aneurysm].

Tracheobronchial compression is a well-recognized complication of thoracic aortic aneurysm. We describe the anesthetic management of a patient with severe tracheal stenosis due to thoracic aortic aneurysm. An 81-year-old woman was scheduled for endovascular aortic stent graft placement. Computed tomographic (CT) scans showed that the narrowest diameter of the trachea was 3 x 18 mm. Awake fiberoptic intubation was selected for anesthesia induction, and percutaneous cardiopulmonary support (PCPS) was ready to be established prior to induction of anesthesia. We successfully inserted ID 6.0 mm spiral tube beyond the tracheal compression using bronchoscope and induced hypotension. The operation was completed successfully without any adverse events. We conclude that, in patients with thoracic aortic aneurysm, careful attention should be paid not only to circulation but to respiration.