[State of the sympathoadrenal system and hemodynamics in children during congenital heart defect surgery with high thoracic epidural anesthesia using lidocaine-clofelin].

Effects of high thoracic epidural anesthesia (HTEA) on the hemodynamics and sympathoadrenal system were studied in patients during cardiopulmonary bypass surgery. In 55 patients aged 1-14 years, HTEA was used in combination with oxygen-air-halothane anesthesia. In one group lidocaine and fentanyl were used for HTEA and in another clonidine and lidocaine. In the control, standard intravenous fentanyl-diazepam anesthesia was combined with oxygen-air-halothane anesthesia. In the clonidine-lidocaine group the endocrine stress response was decreased in comparison with other groups even without narcotics; hemodynamics was stable even in patients with NYHA class III-IV.