Anesthesia for major noncardiac surgery in a patient with a transplanted heart

As the number of patients undergoing cardiac transplantation increases, and as the survival figures improve, there is a growing possibility that the anesthetist may handle such a patient for other surgery unrelated to the heart. The authors describes their experiences with a patient, four years postcardiac transplantation, who underwent two neurogurgical procedures. The peroperative assessment and anesthetic management are discussed.