Anesthetic management of videolaparoscopic cholecystectomy in a patient proposed for lung transplantation

Abstract

Introduction: videolaparoscopic surgical treatment of gallstone disease reduces hospital stay to a minimum and makes it possible to treat many of the cases on an outpatient basis.
Objective: describe the clinical evolution of a patient with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) proposed for lung transplantation.
Clinical case: 55-year-old male patient diagnosed with gallstone disease, inveterate smoker with severe COPD and Hodgkin lymphoma. The physical examination revealed diminished vesicular murmur, sibilants, tachypnea and active use of accessory neck muscles for breathing. Surgical time was 1 hour 20 minutes. Recovery was satisfactory. Jaundice was observed on the third day of the postoperative period. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed dilatation of the main bile duct, and emergency endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography performed under general intravenous anesthesia showed a lesion on the main bile duct. It was decided to perform an hepaticojejunostomy by conventional surgery under combined anesthesia (continuous epidural-general orotracheal). After transfer to the postoperative care unit, the patient remained intubated with a view to his recovery and eventual follow-up, and was discharged from hospital 21 days after his first surgery exhibiting a satisfactory evolution.
Conclusions: minimally invasive surgery may be used in patients with severe COPD as long as it is closely watched and the following requirements are met: anesthesia with stability of all systems, adequate perioperative surveillance, pain control and recovery in specialized postoperative care units.