Abstract

Objective: Anesthetic management of elderly patients undergoing major orthopaedic operations is still a common problem. The aim of this study is to evaluate hemodynamic effects of unilateral spinal anesthesia in elderly patients undergoing total hip replacement.
Material And Methods: After local ethics committee approval and written informed consent, unilateral spinal anesthesia with hyperbaric bupivacaine 0.5% was applied to 20 patients, over the age of 65, undergoing total hip replacement. Hemodynamic measurements were recorded by arterial line with Vigileo-FloTrac™ system; baseline values, during the operation and after operation for 2 hours. Stroke volume, cardiac output, blood pressure and heart rate values were measured during perioperative and postoperative periods and compared by the baseline values.
Results: 60% of patients (12 people) were female, 40% (8 people) were male. Mean age was 77.6±1.75 years, mean hemoglobin value was 11.5±0.25 g/dl, mean ejection fraction was 60±1.76%. Cardiac output values decreased at 60th minute compared to baseline (p

Key words: Unilateral spinal anesthesia, elderly patients, hemodynamics