6533b82afe1ef96bd128caf5

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Combined Epidural and General Anesthesia Prevents Excessive Oxygen Consumption Postoperatively

Norbert WeilerWolfgang Heinrichs

subject

medicine.medical_specialtychemistrybusiness.industryAnesthesiaEpidural blockOxygen transportmedicineTissue hypoxiachemistry.chemical_elementCarbon dioxide productionbusinessOxygenSurgery

description

In the postoperative period patients are at risk of excessive oxygen consumption (VO2). However, patients suffering from cardiovascular disease may be unable to increase their oxygen transport capacity sufficiently and may be especially vulnerable to tissue hypoxia as part of the reaction to intraoperative stress. During the last 10 years contradictory results concerning the benefits of a combined epidural and light general anesthesia have been published. Some of the results indicate that postoperative catabolism maybe depressed and that the neuroendocrine response to stress may be inhibited by such a combined technique1,2. We studied the effect of a combined epidural and light general anesthesia on VO2 in the early postoperative period.

yearjournalcountryeditionlanguage
1994-01-01
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-2468-7_101