Differential effects of lumbar and thoracic epidural anaesthesia on the haemodynamic response to acute right ventricular pressure overload.

Background: The safety of epidural anaesthesia in patients at risk for right ventricular pressure overload remains controversial. We compared the haemodynamic effects of vascular and cardiac autonomic nerve block, induced by selective lumbar (LEA) and high thoracic epidural anaesthesia (TEA), respectively, in an animal model subjected to controlled acute right ventricular pressure overload.

Methods: Eighteen pigs were instrumented with epidural catheters at the thoracic (T) and lumbar (L) level and received separate injections at T2 (1 ml) and L3 (4 ml) with saline (s) or bupivacaine 0.5% (b). Three groups of six animals were studied: (i) a control group (Ls+Ts), (ii) LEA group (Lb+Ts), and (iii) TEA group (Ls+Tb). Haemodynamic measurements including biventricular pressure-volumetry were performed. Right ventricular afterload was then increased by inflating a pulmonary artery (PA) balloon. Measurements were repeated after 30 min of sustained right ventricular afterload increase.

Results: LEA decreased systemic vascular resistance (SVR) and did not affect ventricular function. TEA had minor effects on SVR but decreased left ventricular contractility while baseline right ventricular function was not affected. Control and LEA-treated animals responded similarly to a PA balloon occlusion with an increase in right ventricular contractility and heart rate. Animals pretreated with a TEA did not show this positive inotropic response and developed low cardiac output in the presence of right ventricular pressure overload.

Conclusions: In contrast to LEA, TEA reduced the haemodynamic tolerance to PA balloon occlusion by inhibiting the right ventricular positive inotropic response to acute pressure overload.