[Primary cardiac tumors. Left atrial myxoma. Anesthetic management]

Cardiac neoplasms are classified in 2 groups: primary, which are reported with a worldwide incidence of 0.0017% to 0.23%, and secondary, which occur up to 40% more frequently. Myxomas are considered the most frequent primary cardiac neoplasms. They occur most frequently between the third and sixth decade of life. They are located mainly in the left atrium. The clinical manifestations of myxomas are constitutional symptoms and clinical signs of heart failure. Transthoracic echocardiography is the most widely used imaging study for diagnosis; surgical resection with the support of an extracorporeal circulation pump is the treatment of choice. Complications that can occur during surgery are embolisms, arrhythmias, and valve lesions.

A clinical case of a 58-year-old female patient who underwent surgery for resection of left atrial myxoma is presented.

Myxomas are pathologies that have a low incidence worldwide and nationally, for which a specific anesthetic and surgical management must be followed to avoid perioperative complications.