Valvular heart disease and anaesthesia ppt
Valvular heart disease and anaesthesia ppt Valvular heart disease (VHD) encompasses a range of disorders affecting the heart’s valves—primarily the mitral, aortic, tricuspid, and pulmonary valves. These conditions can lead to significant hemodynamic changes, including volume overload, pressure overload, or both, which can ultimately compromise cardiac function. When considering anesthesia management for patients with valvular heart disease, understanding the pathophysiology of various valvular lesions is crucial to ensure patient safety and optimize perioperative outcomes.
Valvular stenosis, characterized by the narrowing of a valve, increases the resistance to blood flow, leading to compensatory hypertrophy of the chamber proximal to the stenotic valve. For example, aortic stenosis results in left ventricular hypertrophy and increased left ventricular systolic pressure. In contrast, valvular regurgitation involves incomplete valve closure, allowing blood to flow backward, which causes volume overload and chamber dilation over time. Mitral regurgitation, for instance, leads to left atrial dilation and increased pulmonary pressures.
Valvular heart disease and anaesthesia ppt Anesthetic management must be tailored to the specific valvular lesion. In patients with aortic stenosis, maintaining a relatively stable hemodynamic state is paramount. These patients are dependent on adequate preload, maintaining systemic vascular resistance (SVR), and avoiding hypotension. Excessive vasodilation or significant decreases in SVR can precipitate myocardial ischemia due to the fixed outflow obstruction. Conversely, in mitral regurgitation, the goal is to reduce afterload to decrease regurgitant volume, thereby improving forward stroke volume and reducing pulmonary congestion.
Preoperative assessment involves detailed history-taking, physical examination, and imaging studies like echocardiography to evaluate the severity of the lesion, ventricular function, and presence of pulmonary hypertension. Echocardiography is indispensable in providing real-time hemodynamic data and guiding intraoperative management.
Valvular heart disease and anaesthesia ppt Intraoperatively, anesthetic agents should be chosen carefully. Agents that cause significant vasodilation or negative inotropic effects should be used judiciously. For instance, etomidate may be preferred for induction due to its card

iovascular stability, while opioids can be employed to blunt sympathetic responses to surgical stimuli. Intraoperative monitoring with invasive lines, including arterial and central venous pressures, is essential to titrate therapy effectively.
Valvular heart disease and anaesthesia ppt Maintaining adequate preload is critical across all types of valvular lesions, but the target hemodynamics differ. In aortic stenosis, conservative fluid management with vasopressors like phenylephrine can support blood pressure without increasing the workload of the heart. In regurgitant lesions, decreasing systemic vascular resistance can help reduce volume overload, but excessive vasodilation must be avoided to prevent hypotension.
Postoperative care involves vigilant monitoring for arrhythmias, heart failure, and pulmonary edema. Patients with significant valvular lesions are at increased risk of hemodynamic instability, especially during the transition from anesthesia to full recovery. Valvular heart disease and anaesthesia ppt
Valvular heart disease and anaesthesia ppt In conclusion, anesthesia management in valvular heart disease requires a deep understanding of each lesion’s pathophysiology, careful preoperative planning, meticulous intraoperative monitoring, and tailored pharmacologic strategies. This comprehensive approach helps minimize perioperative complications and enhances patient outcomes.








