This site is intended for healthcare professionals

account_circleSign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Arrhythmias (fitness for anaesthesia)

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Anaesthetic agents may sensitise the myocardium to the catecholamines released under stress: life-threatening arrhythmias such as ventricular fibrillation can be precipitated.

Some general guidelines at the preoperative anaesthetic assessment:

  • atrial fibrillation: try to get the apical rate less than 100bpm and the radial rate not more than 20bpm less
  • ventricular ectopics - any more than two of the following criteria may require the patient to be treated beforehand with an antiarrhythmic:
    • runs of three or more
    • ectopics occurring more than once in 4-5 beats
    • multifocal ectopics
    • 'R on T' phenomena
  • heart block:
    • 1st degree is acceptable
    • 2nd degree:
      • type I - no implication for general anaesthesia
      • type II - pace because risk of heart block
    • 3rd degree: pacing required

bundle branch block: caution is required if RBBB and left anterior descending branch is blocked - patient requires pacing

 

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page