Hirabayashi Y, Fukuda H, Saitoh K, Shimizu R
Department of Anesthesiology, Jichi Medical School, Tochigi.
Masui. 1994 Mar;43(3):329-33.
We have compared the responses to thoracic epidural anesthesia in 14 controlled hypertensive patients with those in 36 normotensive patients. Arterial pressure and heart rate were measured on the day before surgery, before and after the establishment of the epidural anesthesia, during light general anesthesia combined with epidural anesthesia, and after extubation. No significant difference in systolic, diastolic and mean arterial pressures were found between hypertensive and normotensive patients on the day before surgery. Changes in systolic and mean arterial pressures were greater in hypertensive patients than in normotensive ones, but absolute values of systolic, diastolic and mean arterial pressures after the establishment of the epidural anesthesia were similar between hypertensive patients and normotensive ones. Although no significant difference was found between the groups with respect to the highest and lowest systolic arterial pressure during operation, systolic arterial pressure after extubation was significantly higher in hypertensive patients than in normotensive ones. These suggest that the combination of epidural and general anesthesia is a safe technique for patients with medically controlled hypertension.
