Intraoperative hypothermia increased defibrillation energy requirements.
We describe two patients with newly implanted automatic implantable cardioverter-defibrillators that had excessive defibrillation thresholds associated with hypothermia at intraoperative defibrillation threshold testing. Normal defibrillation threshold levels were obtained during postoperative non-invasive electrophysiology testing in an electrophysiology laboratory when the patients were normothermic. We hypothesize that inadvertent intraoperative hypothermia during device implantation may increase the defibrillation threshold.
Kapetanopoulos
Athanasios
A
Henry Low Heart Center, Hartford Hospital, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA. akapeta@harthosp.org
Katsetos
Manny C
MC
Kluger
Jeffrey
J
D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D017147:Defibrillators, Implantable; D004554:Electric Countershock / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006801:Humans; D007035:Hypothermia / Q000150:complications*; D007432:Intraoperative Period; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012684:Sensory Thresholds