Unilateral Spinal Anesthesia in Hip Fracture Surgery for Geriatric Patients With High Cardiovascular Risk due to Aortic Stenosis is Safe and Effective.

Introduction: Aortic stenosis is a cause of mortality or morbidity. It complicates the selection and management of anesthetic procedures. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy, hemodynamic effects and postoperative outcome of unilateral spinal anesthesia in geriatric patients with hip fractures with moderate or severe aortic stenosis.

Material and method: A retrospective observational study was conducted on geriatric high-risk patients with cardiac conditions who underwent surgery for hip fractures under unilateral spinal anesthesia with low-dose hyperbaric bupivacaine. The study period spanned from January 2018 to December 2021. The inclusion criteria were individuals with moderate to severe aortic stenosis, as defined by the American Heart Association Criteria. Data on demographic information, cardiac pathologies, hemodynamic data, data on motor and sensory block, perioperative complications, and mortality rates at 30th and 180th days were collected.

Results: Mortality rates at the 30th day and 180th day were 8.9% (n:4) and 24.4% (n:11), respectively. T6 level was predominantly obtained level of anesthesia (44.4%). Motor and sensory block formation times averaged 7.6 and 4.8 minutes, respectively. Surgical procedures were performed mostly within 1 hour (66.7%), and complications were rare (11.1% hypotension). Initial analgesic effect showed a rapid resolution, with 64.4% of patients requiring analgesic within the first hour postoperatively.

Conclusion: In elderly patients with moderate to severe aortic stenosis scheduled for hip fracture surgery, we posit that unilateral spinal anesthesia with ultra-low dose is safe and effective option.