Anesthesia and Pulmonary Hypertension

Anesthesia and surgery are associated with significantly increased morbidity and mortality in patients with pulmonary hypertension due mainly to right ventricular failure, arrhythmias, postoperative hypoxemia, and myocardial ischemia. Preoperative risk assessment and successful management of patients with pulmonary hypertension undergoing cardiac surgery involve an understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease, screening of patients at-risk for pulmonary arterial hypertension, analysis of preoperative and operative risk factors, thorough multidisciplinary planning, careful intraoperative management, and early recognition and treatment of postoperative complications. This article will cover each of these aspects with particular focus on the anesthetic approach for non-cardiothoracic surgeries.