BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In the recent past, silent myocardial ischaemia has been found to be associated with increased perioperative cardiac morbidity and mortality. As many as 41 % of patients with either known coronary artery disease or with cardiac risk factors, undergoing a non-cardiac surgery, develop perioperative ischaemia. Various authors have compared regional techniques with general Anaesthesia in selected groups but no one has compared the impact of different techniques of centroneuraxial block on incidence and duration of silent myocardial ischaemia. Thus we compared two different techniques of centroneuraxial block (Spinal versus Epidural block) in aged patients selected randomly undergoing TURP surgery. We took TURP patients as they belong to geriatric age group and often have silent or apparent coexistent coronary artery disease. Secondly, TURP surgery related volume overload and shivering in these patients lead to further oxygen demand supply mismatch. METHODS: Forty patients undergoing transurethral resection of prostate were monitored for perioperative silent myocardial ischaemia with the aid of a Holder device. Holter monitoring was started 1 hour prior to surgery and then continued during and after surgery the for next 24 hours. Holter data was analyzed using DSM model 300. RESULTS: The overall incidence of silent myocardial ischaemia in our study was 30%. No relationship could be established between silent myocardial ischaemia and type of centroneuraxial block. Most of the episodes of myocardial ischaemia occurred in preoperative period and, these had no correlation with hemodynamic fluctuations. However the incidence and load of silent myocardial ischaemia was higher in-patients with high Detsky scoring, hypertension and anaemia. None of the patient had any adverse cardiac outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Type of centroneuraxial block has no effect on incidence of silent myocardial ischaemia.
ANESTHETIC TECHNIQUES; ANESTHETIC TECHNIQUES; ANESTHETIC TECHNIQUES; DISEASES; SURGERY
