ABSTRACT
Fifteen cases of corrective operation for the ascending aortic aneurysm performed under general anesthesia from 1979 to 1985 in Severance Hospital were studied retrospectively. There were ten male patients and 5 female and their average age were 36.6 years(range 25~50 years). Most of the patients showed aortic regurgitation. Thus the anesthetic management involved consideration for patients with aortic dissection combined with aortic incompetence(annuloaortic ectasia). Patients were premedicated with atropine or glycopyrrolate in 14 cases and a combination of triflupromazine, hydroxyzine, diazepam and pethidine in 13 cases or a combination of hydroxyzine and morphine in 2 cases. Anesthesia was induced with thiopental sodium and/or diazepam and/or midazolam and/or morphine IV. Morphine and a mixture of 50% nitrous oxide and oxygen was administered for maintenance of anesthesia. Supplementary volatile anesthetics were inhaled as needed. Vasodilating therapy and avoidance of bradycardia during anesthesia are the most importance considerations for the reduction of left ventricular wall tension and to maximize the myocardial oxygen supply while maintaining cardiac output. Operative complications were reoperation due to bleeding in four cases, myocardial infarction in two cases, pericardial tamponade and urethral track infection in one case each. One patient died of sepsis. Fourteen patients improved in their heart size and function.