[Combination of nitroglycerin and vascular loading in abdominal aorta surgery]

Haemodynamic investigations were performed in nine patients during aortic surgery for Leriche's syndrome. Most of these patients had ischaemic heart disease without cardiac failure. Fluid loading was carried out before and during aortic clamping. It was controlled according to the optimal wedge pulmonary pressure determined the day before surgery. Only six of the nine patients receive nitroglycerin (NTG : 0.2 micrograms X kg-1 X min-1) throughout the operation. Before clamping, cardiac index was improved in patients treated with NTG. During clamping, the patients not treated with NTG showed a drop in cardiac index, an increase in peripheral resistance and in left cardiac work. After declamping, there were no haemodynamic differences between the two groups. Two patients not treated with NTG developed azotaemia postoperatively; one patient developed cardiac failure requiring a dopamine perfusion during surgery. In this series, the association of optimal volume loading with a peroperative perfusion of 0.2 micrograms X kg-1 X min-1 NTG gave a good haemodynamic stability.