• Rune B Strandby, Rikard Ambrus, Linea L Ring, Nikolaj Nerup, Niels H Secher, Jens P Goetze, Michael P Achiam, and Lars B Svendsen.
• Department of Surgical Gastroenterology, Rigshospitalet, Institute for Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
• Local Reg Anesth. 2021 Jan 1; 14: 33-42.

ObjectiveA mesenteric traction syndrome (MTS) is elicited by prostacyclin (PGI2)-induced vasodilation and identified by facial flushing, tachycardia, and hypotension during abdominal surgery. We evaluated whether thoracic epidural anesthesia (TEA) influences the incidence of MTS.DesignRandomized, blinded controlled trial.SettingSingle-center university hospital.ParticipantsFifty patients undergoing open esophagectomy.InterventionsPatients were randomized to either early (EA, after induction of general anesthesia) or late activation of TEA (LA, after re-established gastric continuity). Plasma 6-keto-PGF1α, a stable metabolite of PGI2 and interleukine-6 (IL6) were measured in plasma during surgery along with hemodynamic variables and MTS graded according to facial flushing together with plasma C-reactive protein on the third post-operative day.ResultsForty-five patients met the inclusion criteria. Development of MTS tended to be more prevalent with EA (n=13/25 [52%]) than with LA TEA (n=5/20 [25%], p=0.08). For patients who developed MTS, there was a transient increase in plasma 6-keto-PGF1α by 15 min of surgery and plasma IL6 (p<0.001) as C-reactive protein (P<0.009) increased. EA TEA influenced the amount of phenylephrine needed to maintain mean arterial pressure >60 mmHg in patients who developed MTS (0.16 [0.016-0.019] mg/min vs MTS and LA TEA 0.000 [0.000-0.005] mg/min, p<0.001).ConclusionThe incidence of MTS is not prevented by TEA in patients undergoing open esophagectomy. On the contrary, the risk of hypotension is increased in patients exposed to TEA during surgery, and the results suggest that it is advantageous to delay activation of TEA. Also, MTS seems to be associated with a systemic inflammatory response, maybe explaining the aggravated post-operative outcome.© 2021 Strandby et al.

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