[Sudden cardiac arrest during percutaneous nephrostolithotomy (PNL) under epidural anesthesia]

There have been few major complications of percutaneous nephrostolithotomy (PNL) reported. We recently experienced cardiac arrest during PNL under epidural anesthesia. The patient was a 52 year old man weighing 64 kg who had been suffering from right renal pelvic stone for years. He was scheduled for PLN under epidural anesthesia. Analgesia was obtained to the level of Th6. The operation proceeded uneventfully for about 60 min. By this time, he suddenly complained nausea, and hypotension with bradycardia occurred. Blood pressure and pulse rate returned immediately to the normal level by IV atropine and ephedrine. But after three minutes, blood pressure and pulse rate went down again. This hypotension with bradycardia was unresponsive to epinephrine, calcium chloride and sodium bicarbonate. This was followed by asystole. Resuscitation was successful with the addition of epinephrine, calcium chloride, and sodium bicarbonate about 15 min after cardiac massage had started. The patient was, on the fifth postoperative day, with no evidence of impairment of renal, cardiac and respiratory functions but a slight impairment of neurologic function. Several possible causes for this cardiac arrest and anesthetic management of percutaneous nephrostolithotomy are discussed.