The effect of anesthesia on intraoperative and postoperative bleeding during abdominal prostatectomies: a comparison of neurolept anesthesia, halothane anesthesia and epidural anesthesia.

Intraoperative blood loss was measured during abdominal prostatectomies in 213 patients anesthetized with neurolept anesthesia, halothane anesthesia and epidural anesthesia. In 55 of these patients, postoperative bleeding was also measured. The average intraoperative blood loss with neurolept anesthesia was 8.2 +/- 5 ml/min, with halothane anesthesia 6.6 +/- 6.3 ml/min and with epidural anesthesia 3.8 +/- 2.3 ml/min. The difference of blood loss in the epidural group and in the groups receiving general anesthesia is highly significant. Average systolic and diastolic blood pressures were lower during operation in the epidural group than in the other two groups. Statistical analyses failed, however, to show a significant correlation between blood pressures and blood loss in the individual patient. Thus, the ultimate explanation for the diminished bleeding associated with epidural anesthesia is not definitely ascertained. The average postoperative bleeding was not significantly different among the three anesthetic groups.