Spinal anaesthesia with intravenous sedation for total hip arthroplasty in two patients with a history of orthotopic heart transplantation

Abstract

Many patients with orthotopic heart transplantation later undergo non-cardiac surgery. Historically, neuraxial anaesthesia has been avoided in these patients because the denervated heart is unable to compensate for hypotension via the baroreceptor reflex. Here, we present the cases of two patients with prior heart transplantation who underwent total hip arthroplasty under spinal anaesthesia with intravenous sedation. In both cases, this technique was well-tolerated haemodynamically. We propose that spinal anaesthesia with intravenous sedation can be a safe and efficacious anaesthetic technique for selected patients with a history of orthotopic heart transplantation, with careful intraoperative fluid and pharmacological management.