Influence of the thoracic epidural anesthesia on the left ventricular function: an echocardiographic study.

Background: Thoracic epidural anesthesia (TEA) is widely used for major surgery, but studies assessing its impact on left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic function are limited, and such studies have assessed patients already under general anesthesia and/or receiving volume expansion between examinations.

Methods: Observational study at a secondary university hospital including consecutive awake patients undergoing major abdominal surgery without significant pre-existing cardiac disease. Patients received a pre-emptive intravenous volume loading before epidural catheter placement with puncture between T6-T7 and T8-T9.