Neuraxial Anesthesia for an Open Low Anterior Rectal Resection: Tip the Scales in Patient's Favor

Francesco Marrone; Pierfrancesco Fusco; Luca Lepre; Michela Giulii Capponi; Alessandra Villani; Saverio Paventi; Marco Tomei; Roberto Starnari; Carmine Pullano

doi:10.7759/cureus.57094

Neuraxial Anesthesia for an Open Low Anterior Rectal Resection: Tip the Scales in Patient's Favor

Cureus. 2024 Mar 27;16(3):e57094. doi: 10.7759/cureus.57094. eCollection 2024 Mar.

Authors

Francesco Marrone^{1

2}, Pierfrancesco Fusco³, Luca Lepre⁴, Michela Giulii Capponi⁴, Alessandra Villani⁵, Saverio Paventi¹, Marco Tomei⁶, Roberto Starnari⁷, Carmine Pullano⁸

Affiliations

¹ Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Santo Spirito Hospital, Rome, ITA.
² Department of Anesthesia, Santo Spirito Hospital, Rome, ITA.
³ Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care Unit, San Filippo e Nicola Hospital, Avezzano, ITA.
⁴ Department of Surgery, Santo Spirito Hospital, Rome, ITA.
⁵ Department of Anesthesiology, Santo Spirito Hospital, Rome, ITA.
⁶ Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Azienda Sanitaria Locale Roma 1, Rome, ITA.
⁷ Department of Anesthesiology, Istituto Nazionale di Ricovero e Cura per Anziani (INRCA), Ancona, ITA.
⁸ Department of Anesthesia, Villa Pia Clinic, Rome, ITA.

Abstract

We present the case of a successful application of combined spinal-epidural anesthesia for a geriatric patient undergoing open cancer surgery. The patient, affected by multiple comorbidities, was proposed for an open anterior rectal resection. The implementation of a tailored protocol, incorporating neuraxial techniques such as epidural and spinal anesthesia, facilitated optimal pain management and expedited postoperative recovery improving perioperative outcomes, and highlighting the potential benefits of such strategies in selected cases.

Keywords: colo-rectal cancer; combined spinal epidural; hypobaric spinal technique; neuraxial anaesthesia; post-operative pain management.

Publication types

Case Reports