• Giselher Pfau, Thomas Schilling, Alf Kozian, Anke Lux, A Götte, Christof Huth, and Thomas Hachenberg.
• Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Otto-von-Guericke University, D-39120 Magdeburg, Germany.
• J. Cardiothorac. Vasc. Anesth. 2010 Feb 1;24(1):30-6.

ObjectiveThe implantation of cardiac resynchronization/defibrillation devices (CRT-Ds) increasingly is used in patients with congestive heart failure and left bundle-branch block. There are no data on the effects of anesthesia and surgery on outcome after implantation.DesignA retrospective, observational study; postoperative survey.SettingUniversity hospital.ParticipantsThree hundred forty-one patients (258 men/83 women, 63 +/- 9 years) with congestive heart failure and left bundle-branch block who underwent CRT-D implantation in 1996 to 2005.Measurements And Main ResultsPerioperative data were retrieved from the patients' records. Cardiologists caring for the patients were contacted to obtain information on current New York Heart Association (NYHA) status and mortality after CRT-D implantation. Preoperatively, 45 patients were classified as NYHA II, 246 as NYHA III, and 50 as NYHA IV. CRT was performed via thoracotomy in 100 and transvenously in 241 cases. General anesthesia (propofol or sevoflurane and remifentanil) was performed in 273 and local anesthesia (lidocaine) in 68 patients. Hypotension occurred mainly during general anesthesia (43% v 4%). The 30-day mortality was 0%. The postoperative survey started in 2006 and was completed by 215 patients. The mean survival time was 77 months; 151 patients survived the study period. Outcome was not influenced by local and general anesthesia. Presence of preoperative NYHA class >II (odds ratio [OR] = 1.6, confidence interval [CI] = 0.5-5.1), mitral regurgitation (OR = 2.5, CI = 1.2-5.5), and serum creatinine >1.1 mg/dL (OR = 3.0, CI = 1.5-6.2) resulted in an inferior prognosis.ConclusionsIn patients with severely impaired cardiac function, general anesthesia for the implantation of a biventricular pacing device can be used with justifiable risk. The method of anesthesia did not influence outcome.Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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