The Hemodynamic Effects of Pneumoperitoneum During Laparoscopic Surgery in Healthy Infants

UNLABELLED: Cardiovascular changes due to pneumoperitoneum during laparoscopic surgery are established in adult patients, but not known in infants. We investigated the hemodynamic effects of laparoscopy during general anesthesia in 12 ASA physical status I infants by using noninvasive continuous esophageal aortic blood flow (ABF) echo-Doppler monitoring. During the laparoscopic procedure, intraabdominal pressure was maintained automatically at 10 mm Hg by a CO2 insufflator, and minute ventilation was adjusted to avoid hypercapnia. Hemodynamic changes were continuously recorded on soft magnetic support and assessed at three time intervals: t0 (after the initiation of anesthesia), t1 (5 min after peritoneal insufflation), and t2 (5 min after exsufflation). The induction of pneumoperitoneum resulted in a significant decrease in ABF and stroke volume, and in a significant increase in systemic vascular resistance, compared with control values: 67% +/- 9% (P < 0.001), 68% +/- 10% (P < 0.001), and 162% +/- 34% (P < 0.001), respectively. These changes were completely reversed after peritoneal exsufflation. Pneumoperitoneum caused no significant changes in mean arterial pressure or in end-tidal CO2 pressure. These findings demonstrate that laparoscopy is associated with hemodynamic changes without clinically deleterious consequences in healthy infants during a short duration of pneumoperitoneum. IMPLICATIONS: The peritoneal insufflation achieved during laparoscopic surgery is associated with cardiovascular impairments (decrease in cardiac performance and increase in vascular resistance). We found that these changes had no clinically deleterious effects in healthy infants.