[Current aspects of anesthetic management in urological patients]

Patients with coronary stents should take clopidogrel and acetylsalicylic acid for 4 weeks or 12 months after stenting. Stopping this medication early, e.g., for surgery, results in a 90-fold increase in the patient's risk for myocardial infarction from stent thrombosis. The mortality due to perioperative acute coronary syndrome clearly exceeds that due to perioperative bleeding complications. If oral medication resulting in platelet inhibition has to be paused "bridging" with short-acting, intravenous GPIIb/IIIa antagonists is possible. In recent years perioperative beta-blockade has been recommended for patients with high coronary vascular risk, and recently also for those with medium or low risk. Current studies, however, indicate that patients on beta-blockers have increased perioperative mortality because of bradycardia, hypotension, and anemia. Therefore, anemia and hypotension should be rigorously avoided.Anesthetic management may have an influence on the postoperative course of cancer. Combined epidural-general anesthesia provides a benefit by minimizing the use of systemic opioids and volatile anesthetics. Presumably, this and a decreased response to surgical stress increase the ability of the patient's immune system to deal with cancer dissemination and micrometastasis.