Anesthesia for cardiac transplantation: experience from a single center.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac transplantation has become the established therapeutic modality in patients with end-stage heart failure. This article presents our institution's clinical experience in the anesthetic management of patients who underwent cardiac transplantation between February 1998 and August 2012.

METHODS: In our institution, 175 patients (136 males and 39 females) diagnosed as having end-stage heart failure have undergone cardiac transplantation between February 1998 and August 2012. A retrospective review performed on this series of patients sought to analyze elements of perioperative anesthetic care, including preoperative characteristics, general anesthia, and blood product usage.

RESULTS: The patients were diagnosed as having either nonischemic cardiomyopathy (n = 128; 73%) or ischemic cardiomyopathy (n = 47; 27%). Seventy-three of them had undergone previous cardiac surgery. Invasive arterial, central venous, and pulmonary arterial pressures were monitored as well as intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography. Etomidate was used as the induction agent in 158/175 patients (average dose, 18.67 ± 1.91 mg). The average intraoperative fentanyl dose was 898.85 ± 211.65 μg. Anesthesia was maintained with either end-tidal 2%-4% sevoflurane (n = 132) or 4%-6% desflurane (n = 43). Dopamine, dobutamine, and epinephrine were used after weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass and continued upon exiting the operating room in 168, 159, and 143 patients, respectively. Inhaled nitric oxide (20-40 ppm) was used in 37 patients (21%). The total amount of perioperative blood, fresh frozen plasma, and thrombocyte suspension transfusions were 2.95 ± 2.05 (range, 1-15), 1.29 ± 0.97 (range, 0-6), and 1.23 ± 2.29 (range; 0-12) units, respectively. On average, patients were extubated 16 hours after arrival in the intensive care unit where they remained to day 6. A total of 67 patients (38%) died during the follow-up; infection and right ventricular failure were the most common causes.

CONCLUSION: Anesthesia for cardiac transplantation requires an appreciation of heart failure pathophysiology, invasive monitoring, and skillful anesthetic and postoperative care.