[Management of anesthesia for surgery of the abdominal aorta]

Anesthesia and post operative care of patients requiring abdominal aorta surgery are frequently complicated because of associated ischemic cardiopathy or respiratory insufficiency. Pre operative evaluation indicates the optimal peri-operative strategy and the need to appropriate peri-operative monitoring. This applies to patients with a previous history of myocardial infarction or with a poorly or not controlled cardiac insufficiency. The use of Swan-Ganz catheters allows monitoring of the hemo-dynamic parameters during operation, especially at the moment of clamping or unclamping of the aorta. Vasodilators and optimal volume loading allow myocardial adaptation and reduce the incidence of myocardial infarction, the main cause of peri-operative death. To perform these operations in the best conditions requires a close medicosurgical cooperation in specialized teams.