Epidural anesthesia for coronary artery bypass surgery compared with general anesthesia alone does not reduce biochemical markers of myocardial damage

Abstract

High thoracic epidural anesthesia/analgesia (HTEA) for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery may have myocardial protective effects. In this prospective randomixed controlled study, we investigated the effect of HTEA for elective CABG surgery on the release of troponin I, time to tracheal extubation, and analgesia. One-hundred-twenty patients were randomixed to a general anesthesia (GA) group or a GA plus HTEA group. The GA group received fentanyl (7-15 μg/kg) and a morphine infusion. The HTEA group received fentanyl (5-7 μg/kg) and an epidural infusion of ropivacaine 0.2% and fentanyl 2 μg/mL until postoperative Day 3. There were no differences in troponin I levels between study gr..