Anaesthesiological complications in renal transplantation: a retrospective study of 500 transplantations

This retrospective study consisted of 500 consecutive renal transplantations performed between September 1977 and September 1981. Preoperatively, congestive heart failure was registered in 262 cases (53.0%) and blood pressure disease in 352 cases (71.3%). The total number of patients with ischaemic heart disease was 22 (4.5%). General anaesthesia was given in 493 and regional anaesthesia in seven cases. In general anaesthesias, tubocurarine was the main relaxant and halothane the main inhalation agent used. Major complications during anaesthesia were blood pressure changes with a higher incidence of hypotension (49.6%) than hypertension (26.8%). Severe cardiac arrhythmias were rare and no intraoperative deaths occurred. One patient was successfully resuscitated in the ICU postoperatively, this being possibly related to hypoventilation caused by prolonged muscular relaxation. Other rare complications included one pneumothorax, one haemo- and hydrothorax, and two large haematomas all caused by preoperative central venous cannulation. In 69 cases (14.0%) additional neostigmine doses and in 34 cases (6.9%) naloxone was given at the end of anaesthesia. Pneumonia during the first postoperative week was recorded in 11 cases (2.2%), and occurred only in patients who received general anaesthesia. One of the three patients who died during the first week developed pneumonia postoperatively.