Successful use of regional anesthesia in an elderly with Parkinson's disease

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a relatively common neurological disorder which an anesthesiologist often encounters, especially with an increasing elderly surgical population. PD is associated with certain physiological aberrancies in the cardiovascular, respiratory, autonomic, and neurological systems that can have profound anesthetic implications. Drugs used in anesthesia may also interact with antiparkinsonian medications. There is controversy about the optimal anesthetic management of patients with PD. However, both general and regional anesthesia have been successfully used and described in these patients. We describe a case of a 65-year-old male with recently diagnosed PD posted for rectopexy. The patient underwent regional anesthesia successfully, and the perioperative period was uneventful. Hence, anesthetic management of patients with PD involves comprehensive evaluation, careful consideration, and meticulous planning to prevent and manage the complications that arise perioperatively.

Keywords

• Autonomic system
• Parkinson's disease
• postural hypotension
• saddle anesthesia