Laparoscopic Abdominal Surgery Under Thoracic Epidural Anesthesia in Patients with Interstitial Lung Disease:...

Patients with interstitial lung disease who present with abdominal disease carry a perioperative risk of morbidity and mortality, including the risks of general anesthesia and postoperative pulmonary complications. We investigated the efficacy of laparoscopic surgery in such patients under epidural anesthesia.

All patients with interstitial lung disease who underwent laparoscopic abdominal surgery were retrospectively studied. At 30 days, our primary end point was acute exacerbation of pulmonary complications. The second end point was nonpulmonary complications and 30-day hospital mortality.

Eighteen patients were enrolled in this study after reviewing their medical and surgical records. Our study revealed that none of the patients suffered from acute pulmonary exacerbations, and only 1 patient experienced a nonpulmonary event. There was no reported mortality. The conversion rate was low, with 1 patient necessitating conversion from laparoscopic to open surgery, which was conducted under epidural anesthesia. No conversions from epidural to general anesthesia were performed.

Epidural anesthesia is safe in a patient with interstitial lung disease, and laparoscopic surgery can be completed with low rate of conversion and, with minor complications.