[Anesthesia for congenital diaphragmatic hernia]

Hypoplasia of the lungs is the cause of the high mortality of newborns with diaphragmatic hernia. Survival depends mainly on the development of the contralateral lung. Eighty percent of diaphragmatic hernias are postolateral hernias of the left side. The most serious postoperative complication is a relapse into fetal circulation with increased pulmonary vascular resistance and right-to-left shunting (Fig. 2). The clinical signs of diaphragmatic hernia are cyanosis and tachypnea. Intermittent suction via a nasogastric tube and early intubation without mask ventilation should be performed. The inspiratory pressure should not exceed 25 cm H2O to minimize the risk of pneumothorax. Survival of the baby is unlikely if the initial blood gas analysis shows pH less than 7.10, pO2 less than 50 mmHg, and pCO2 greater than 65 mmHg. Hypothermia should be strictly avoided because it leads to increased oxygen consumption. Intraoperative monitoring should include a precordial stethoscope, ECG, blood pressure, and rectal temperature. Anesthesia is maintained with fentanyl 0.02-0.03 mg/kg body wt. and pancuronium 0.08-0.1 mg/kg. One dose of atropine (0.02 mg/kg) is administered before fentanyl. Intraoperative ventilation is performed by hand or by use of a Siemens Servo ventilator. Thirty newborns were anesthetized for repair of a congenital diaphragmatic hernia with no intraoperative complication and an overall mortality of 27%.