Combined Epidural v/s General Anaesthesia (CEGA) alone in Vascular Surgery

The role of regional techniques, primarily epidural anaesthesia, in the anaesthetic management of aortic surgery patients is still a subject of discussion. As opposed to general anaesthesia alone, many clinicians use an epidural catheter for intraoperative anaesthesia and postoperative pain management in combination with a general anaesthetic, sufficient to produce unconsciousness, amnesia, and tolerance of the endotracheal tube. Epidural anaesthesia has been used as the sole anesthetic for infrarenal surgery performed through the retroperitoneal approach, and CSEA in open abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery in patients with severe chronic pulmonary obstructive disease (1).