[A life-threatening arrhythmia (ventricular tachycardia) triggered by a Swan-Ganz catheter in a patient with the WPW syndrome].
The induction of dysrhythmias during or after pulmonary artery catheterization is a serious complication in critically ill patients. The following case presentation reports the incidence of life-threatening ventricular tachycardia after catheterisation in a patient known to have Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW)-Syndrome. The dysrhythmia began during repositioning of the patient 10 h after placement of the catheter. Attempted inversion by administration of Ajmalin was unsuccessful. Removal of the catheter resulted in prompt cessation of the dysrhythmia.
Bein
T
T
Institut für Anaesthesiologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.
Briegel
J
J
Haller
M
M
Forst
H
H
Peter
K
K
D000328:Adult; D002407:Catheterization, Swan-Ganz / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013610:Tachycardia / Q000209:etiology*; D014927:Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*