Central neuraxial anesthesia for caesarean section in parturients with uncorrected tetralogy of fallot: Two cases

Abstract

Tetralogy of fallot (TOF) is the most commonly encountered congenital cyanotic heart disease in pregnant females and maternal mortality approaches 10% in unrepaired TOF. General anesthesia is classically considered the technique of choice for incidental surgery in TOF and neuraxial anesthesia is considered relatively contraindicated. However, general anesthesia for caesarean section can increase maternal morbidity. We report two cases of caesarean section performed under combined spinal epidural (CSE) anesthesia and epidural anesthesia respectively in patients with uncorrected TOF. Adequate preloading to maintain hydration, continuous invasive monitoring, gradual extension of neuraxial blockade by epidural/CSE technique, and judicious use of phenylephrine infusion enabled us to successfully manage both the cases without any complication.

Keywords

• Caesarean section
• spinal-epidural anesthesia
• uncorrected tetralogy of fallot