[Anesthesia and intensive care during aorto-coronary bypass surgery. Prospective study of 162 consecutive cases]

The authors studied a series of 162 patients undergoing surgery for aorto-coronary bypass by saphenous graft. In each case, the anesthetic technique was classical neuroleptanalgesia. Per and postoperative care included standard water and electrolyte balance, hpeparinisation from the 12th hour and routine prophylactic antibiotics. In addition, special treatment was given whenever necessary: vasodilators, essentially IV nitroglycerine; catecholamines; anti-arrhytmic agents; intra-aortic counter pulse balloon. The autors evaluate the effects of the use of these different types of treatment, in particular on electrocardiographic abnormalities and haemodynamic complications and analyse peri-operative mortality and morbidity.