Anesthésie obstétricale et porphyries

Acute hepatic porphyrias are genetic diseases, characterized by acute neurological symptoms, sometimes fatal, triggered by different factors, in particular by many anaesthetic drugs, and also by pregnancy. We report here the experience of three porphyric patients'deliveries, allowing us to consider a proposition of management in this context. After discussion between anaesthesiologist, obstetrician and porphyria specialist, two types of management of such patients can be foresee. Asymptomatic patients, or in long remission, can benefit from locoregional anesthesia techniques with bupivacaine for both labour analgesia and Caesarean section. Spinal anaesthesia is then the technique of choice, allowing using smaller quantity of local anaesthetic than epidural anaesthesia. For symptomatic patients, or in crisis, we have rather choose intravenous narcotics for labour analgesia, and general anaesthesia for Caesarean section. The hypnotic agent of choice for both induction and maintenance of such anaesthesia is then propofol.