• P M Gramling-Babb, M R Zile, and S T Reeves.
• Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston 29425, USA.
• J. Cardiothorac. Vasc. Anesth. 2000 Dec 1; 14 (6): 657-61.

ObjectivesTo extend the duration of high thoracic epidural analgesia (HTEA) treatment compared with the authors' previous studies, to test the hypothesis that the mechanism by which HTEA reduces angina during long-term treatment includes an improvement in myocardial blood flow distribution and a reduction in stress-induced ischemia, and to show that new myocardial infarctions are not masked or missed in patients receiving HTEA.DesignProspective consecutive study.SettingDepartment of Veteran's Affairs medical center and university-affiliated hospital.ParticipantsSix consenting adult patients.InterventionsPatients were evaluated before HTEA catheter insertion and >2 months after HTEA catheter insertion with stress thallium tests.Measurements And Main ResultsTwo of 6 patients had improvement but not resolution of stress-induced ischemia at 8 and 12 months. The remaining 4 patients had no change in stress-induced ischemia. None of the 6 patients had any new areas of ischemia or infarction as determined by stress thallium tests.ConclusionsThe authors previously showed that HTEA is safe and effective in relieving refractory angina pectoris. The current study shows that this therapeutic effect persists and does not appear to be related to a change in myocardial blood flow; rather the improvement in symptoms probably results, in part, from an anesthetic effect. HTEA does not mask the development of new myocardial infarctions.

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