[Intraoperative re-rupture of gastric varix immediately after the start of an operation in a patient with liver cirrhosis].

Gastroesophageal variceal hemorrhage is a rare complication during an operation. We present a case of gastric variceal re-rupture during an emergent operation for devascularization of the gastric veins. The patient was a 72-year old man with liver cirrhosis, who developed gastric variceal hemorrhage on the day of surgery. Sclerotherapy with an endoscope was performed, and the hemorrhage was controlled four hours before entering the operating theater. The induction of anesthesia and tracheal intubation were done with rapid sequence because the patient was regarded as full stomach. Induction was completed successfully. However, gastric varix ruptured immediately after the beginning of the surgery. The hemorrhage into the stomach amounted to 2,165 ml. The patient developed hypotension of 40 mmHg of systolic pressure for 15 minutes. With fluid resuscitation, continuous infusion of dopamine and ligation of varix, the patient recovered from this hypotensive event. No neurological deficit developed postoperatively. Portal hypertension results from increased resistance to portal venous blood flow or increased portal venous blood flow. Therefore, increased intravascular volume may play a significant role in precipitating variceal hemorrhage. In this case, abrupt circulatory change due to inadequate depth of anesthesia may partly cause massive hemorrhage. In conclusion, since potential adverse effects of increased blood volume and hepatic resistance on variceal hemorrhage must be considered during anesthesia, patients with episode of variceal hemorrhage should be treated as full stomach although endoscopic findings before the surgery indicate controlled hemorrhage from varix.