title: Dental anesthetic management of a patient with ventricular arrhythmias.
abstract: During routine deep sedation for endodontic therapy, a dentist-anesthesiologist observed premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) on a 62-yr-old woman's electrocardiogram (EKG) tracing. The dentist was able to complete the root canal procedure under intravenous (i.v.) sedation without any problems. The dentist-anesthesiologist referred the patient for medical evaluation. She was found to be free from ischemic cardiac disease with normal ventricular function. The patient was cleared to continue her dental treatment with deep sedation. She subsequently continued to undergo dental treatment with deep intravenous sedation without incident, although her EKG exhibited frequent PVCs, up to 20 per minute, including couplets and episodes of trigeminy. This article will review indications for medical intervention, antiarrhythmic medications, and anesthetic interventions for perioperative PVCs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, New York, USA.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: L I
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Siegelman
mesh_terms: D000766:Anesthesia, Dental; D000779:Anesthetics, Local; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D000075202:Contraindications; D016854:Dental Anxiety; D017742:Dental Care for Chronically Ill; D004155:Diphenhydramine; D004338:Drug Combinations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D008619:Mepivacaine; D008875:Middle Aged; D012390:Root Canal Therapy; D014229:Triazolam; D018879:Ventricular Premature Complexes / Q000175:diagnosis
chemical_list: D000779:Anesthetics, Local; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D004338:Drug Combinations; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D014229:Triazolam; D004155:Diphenhydramine; D008619:Mepivacaine