Superior Vena Cava Syndrome and its Anesthetic Management: A Narrative Review

Superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS) is a disease condition caused by intrinsic occlusion or extrinsic compression of the superior vena cava and can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. This narrative review discusses various perioperative challenges in patients with SVCS, which include airway edema, difficult venous access, hemodynamic instability, risks of cardiovascular collapse, and at-risk extubation; therefore, individualized anesthetic strategies tailored to the severity of obstruction are essential. Anesthetic management of SVCS requires a multidisciplinary, patient-specific approach to optimize outcomes. Proper assessment, structured intraoperative planning, and intensive postoperative monitoring are crucial for providing safe anesthetic care in these high-risk patients.