Continuous spinal anesthetic technique for endovascular aortic stent graft surgery.

Endovascular aortic stent grafts were first introduced in clinical trials in 1991. Endovascular aortic stent grafts are now being used to repair thoracic and abdominal aneurysms in patients not eligible for open repair because of severe medical coexisting diseases. Previously described anesthetic techniques in the literature for aortic stent graft placement include general anesthesia, epidural anesthesia, combined single-shot spinal and epidural anesthesia, and direct local anesthesia. We report the use of a continuous spinal anesthetic technique as a viable anesthetic option for patients with severe coexisting medical diseases undergoing abdominal aortic stent graft placement.