[High epidural anesthesia in the correction of congenital heart defects with artificial circulation in children]

Effects of high thoracic epidural anesthesia (TEA) on hemodynamics were studied in patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) surgery. In 7 patients aged 3-7 years, TEA was used as an adjunct to standard oxygen-air-isoflurane anesthesia. We prefer using a combination of lidocaine with fentanyl for epidural anesthesia. Usually we take a loading dose of 4.5 mg/kg of lidocaine and 1 microgram/kg of fentanyl, which is followed after 40-50 min by 3.5 mg/kg lidocaine and 1 microgram/kg fentanyl. TEA ensures good pain relief and hemodynamic stability and can be accepted as a safe and effective anesthetic technique in combination with inhalation anesthesia in children subjected to CPB.