Anästhesiologisches Management bei neuroendovaskulären Eingriffen

[Management of anesthesia in endovascular interventions]

Cardiovascular diseases are one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in Germany. In these patients, the high-risk profile necessitates an interdisciplinary and multimodal approach to treatment. Endovascular interventions and vascular surgery have become established as an important element of this strategy in the past; however, the different anatomical localizations of pathological vascular alterations make it necessary to use a wide spectrum of procedural options and methods; therefore, the requirements for management of anesthesia are variable and necessitate a differentiated approach. Endovascular procedures can be carried out with the patient under general or regional anesthesia (RA); however, in the currently available literature there is no evidence for an advantage of RA over general anesthesia regarding morbidity and mortality, although a reduction in pulmonary complications could be found for some endovascular interventions. Epidural and spinal RA procedures should be carefully considered with respect to the risk-benefit ratio and consideration of the recent guidelines on anesthesia against the background of the current study situation and the regular use of therapy with anticoagulants. The following article elucidates the specific characteristics of anesthesia management as exemplified by some selected endovascular interventions.

Anästhesie außerhalb des Zentral-OP

The number of diagnostic and surgical procedures being performed outside the core operating area is growing disproportionately. Due to the higher perioperative risk for such patients, anesthesia should only be provided by a very experienced anesthesiologist, even for supposedly small interventions. At these locations, timely and direct access to the anesthesia machine and/or the patient is often limited and if additional personnel or supplies are required, substantial time delays usually occur and should be allowed for. Standard operating procedures that are optimized to local requirements and providing a specially equipped anesthesia trolley for diagnostic and surgical procedures outside of the core operating area, may decrease the likelihood of complications induced by poorly equipped anesthesia workplaces. For electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), the standard drugs are methohexital in combination with short-acting opioids, such as remifentanil and succinylcholine. Significant variations in arterial blood pressure and heart rate are possible. Anesthesia induction in children with a known difficult airway or difficult intravascular access should initially be performed in a location with optimal infrastructure with subsequent transfer to the diagnostic or surgical suite outside the core operating area. Before entering the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) suite, personal ferromagnetic items (e.g. pens, credit cards, stethoscopes, keys, telephones, USB sticks) should be removed to prevent injury and data loss; a MRI-compatible anesthesia machine and equipment is compulsory. Patients with cardiac pacemakers, cochlea implants, aneurysm or other clips, metallic-based tattoos or make-up are not normally compatible with MRI. General anesthesia should be preferred over conscious sedation for magnetic resonance imaging and ear protection is necessary for anesthetized patients. Gastroscopy in children should be performed under general anesthesia; and when concluding the procedure, air insufflated into the gastrointestinal tract should be suctioned in all patients. For angiography, maximum monitoring needs to be available to provide hemodynamically unstable patients with adequate anesthesia care; comprehensive radiation protection for patients and staff as well as temperature monitoring for prolonged diagnostic procedures is also necessary. Monitoring oxygen saturation and end-tidal carbon dioxide as well as employing visual and audible alarms is an essential requirement even during conscious sedation. In summary, the number of diagnostic and surgical procedures performed outside the core operating area should be reduced to a minimum and, whenever possible, diagnostic or surgical procedures should be performed within the core operating area.