title: Effects of enflurane on inducibility of ventricular tachycardia.
abstract: The effects of enflurane on cardiac electrophysiologic parameters and on inducibility of ventricular tachycardia (VT) by programmed stimulation were studied in 12 patients (11 men, 1 woman, mean age +/- standard deviation 55 +/- 8 years) with drug refractory sustained monomorphic VT who underwent transcatheter ablation with high-energy direct-current shocks. One catheter ablation procedure was performed in 10 patients, whereas 2 ablation sessions were necessary in 2 patients. Programmed ventricular stimulation was performed on 2 separate days (mean interval 19). There were 2 baseline studies, 1 several days before ("baseline study I") and the second at the beginning of the ablation procedure ("baseline study II") while the patient was awake and nonsedated. The third programmed stimulation study was done 15 to 30 minutes after administration of anesthesia with enflurane, oxygen and nitrous oxide ("enflurane study"). Rate of sinus rhythm, QRS duration, PQ interval and ventricular effective refractory period were unaltered, whereas QTc interval increased significantly after initiation of anesthesia. Before and after induction of general anesthesia, clinical VT was inducible in all patients. However, in 1 patient, induction of VT was only possible by pacing in the left ventricle after enflurane administration. Based on these data, it is concluded that general anesthesia with enflurane, oxygen and nitrous oxide has no marked influence on inducibility of clinical VTs. Therefore, this type of anesthesia may be useful for nonpharmacologic, ablative procedures requiring general anesthesia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology and Angiology, Hospital of the Westfälische Wilhelms-University of Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hief
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Borggrefe
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martinez-Rubio
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hachenberg
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lawin
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Breithardt
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000769:Anesthesia, Inhalation; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D005117:Cardiac Complexes, Premature / Q000503:physiopathology; D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial; D004554:Electric Countershock; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000187:drug effects; D004737:Enflurane / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009609:Nitrous Oxide; D010100:Oxygen; D012008:Recurrence; D013610:Tachycardia / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013997:Time Factors; D016276:Ventricular Function / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D004737:Enflurane; D009609:Nitrous Oxide; D010100:Oxygen