Anesthetic management of a patient with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (Rendu-Osler-Weber syndrome). Case report.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT), also known as Rendu-Osler-Weber syndrome, is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by mucocutaneous and visceral vascular dysplasia associated with frequent episodes of epistaxis and gastrointestinal bleeding. The objective of this report was to describe the anesthesia of a patient with this syndrome. CASE REPORT: A 25 years old male patient underwent surgical correction of an orbital fracture. He had the triad of recurrent epistaxis, family history and telangiectasia, and had been diagnosed with HHT. Pulmonary, brain, or gastrointestinal tract vascular malformations were not detected in the preoperative investigation. The patient underwent total venous anesthesia one hour after the administration of an antifibrinolytic drug. Bleeding was considered normal for this type of surgery, and hemodynamic instability or the need of perioperative blood transfusion was not detected. The patient was extubated in the operating room; he was transferred to the room after 60 minutes and discharged from the hospital after 24 hours.
CONCLUSIONS: Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia is an autosomal dominant disorder that leads to mucocutaneous and visceral vascular dysplasia. Perioperative blood loss can be greater than expected in patients with this syndrome. Since bleeding does not result from a defect in the coagulation cascade but from the surgical exposure of malformed vascular structures, perioperative conduct includes the use of antifibrinolytics, adequate homeostasis, and induced hypotension in the absence of contraindications. Preanesthetic evaluation should include the search for brain, lung, and gastrointestinal vascular malformation.