Anaesthesia and Postoperative Analgesia in Older Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and older age are known to be independent risk factors for severe perioperative adverse outcomes after surgery. A basic understanding of the disease, careful preoperative evaluation and preparation of the patient, as well as a tailored anaesthetic management plan might help to decrease complications in this patient population.

Aging affects the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of almost all drugs and therefore the dosage must be adapted in older patients. The type of anaesthesia (general versus regional anaesthesia) has no substantial effect on perioperative morbidity and mortality. Most patients, even with severe COPD, tolerate general anaesthesia without major problems. One important goal of the anaesthetic management is to prevent reflex-induced bronchoconstriction, which can be accomplished by the use of volatile anaesthetics. Early recovery can be facilitated by the use of short-acting drugs, such as propofol and the new opioid remifentanil. Judicious use of neuromuscular blocking agents is necessary because of the risk of residual paralysis, and those agents associated with histamine liberation should be avoided. Ventilation requires long expiration times to avoid air trapping, and hyperinflation to avoid the possible threat of pneumothorax and a decrease in cardiac output.

For postoperative analgesia, a balanced regimen consisting of regional analgesia with local anaesthetics and NSAIDs should be preferred. This will enhance analgesia and reduce opioid toxicity, which is important in patients with COPD, where respiratory depression is especially dangerous.