[Perioperative management of abdominal operation in three patients with pulmonary emphysema associated with pulmonary hypertension].

Anesthesia for abdominal operation in patients with emphysema is accompanied with a high risk of respiratory insufficiency requiring postoperative artificial ventilation. Furthermore, in patients whose pulmonary emphysema progresses and leads to pulmonary hypertension, there is the risk of developing right heart failure with postoperative respiratory insufficiency. Because perioperative circulatory drifting is massive in abdominal operation, they develop right heart failure easily during the postoperative refilling phase. Therefore, it is important to avoid right heart failure during the postoperative period in these patients. We estimate pulmonary artery pressure using echocardiography at bedside and give dopamine for diuresis during the postoperative period. We succeeded in perioperative management of abdominal operation in three patients with pulmonary emphysema associated with pulmonary hypertension.