title: Asystole during pulmonary artery catheter insertion under general anesthesia.
abstract: In spite of ongoing debate for the past 40 years, pulmonary artery catheters remain in use for invasive hemodynamic monitoring and management of critically ill patients. We describe a case of a sudden onset of asystolic cardiac arrest during the placement of a pulmonary artery catheter, while under general anesthesia. A brief review of the literature highlighting arrhythmic complications associated with pulmonary artery catheterization is also presented.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, USA.
authors.forename: Swapna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chaudhuri
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ortega
authors.forename: Kallol
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chaudhuri