Intraoperative management of carcinoid syndrome
Published: 19 Feb 2013
© Anaesthesia Cases / 2013-0006 / ISSN 2396-8397
Authors
- [1] Specialist Registrar, Anaesthesia, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- [2] Consultant, Anaesthesia, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Summary
We present a case of a patient with suspected carcinoid syndrome, who underwent laparotomy and ileo-colic resection. He had been commenced on an octreotide infusion pre-operatively to optimise him prior to surgery. However, during surgery, he had periods of cardiovascular instability, which did not respond as predicted to the use of recommended vasopressor agents. We suggest that it is helpful to administer a small test-dose of vasopressor to patients in this situation, as they may not behave predictably to recommended therapy.