[Anesthetic management of a patient with pheochromocytoma using autotransfusion].

Autotransfusion was employed for a 51 year-old male patient with intravesical pheochromocytoma and paroxysmal hypertension in an attempt to avoid side-effects of conventional blood transfusion and to minimize the change in intravascular volume after removal of the tumor. Blood was withdrawn twice (980g in all) before surgery. Anesthesia was maintained with N2O-O2-sevoflurane and epidural anesthesia. Sodium nitroprusside was administered when necessary to control blood pressure. Hypotension associated with removal of the tumor could be successfully prevented by autotransfusion. This case demonstrates usefulness of autotransfusion to control hypotension following removal of pheochromocytoma.