title: Postoperative amnesia in a patient undergoing general anesthesia for electro-physiologic (EP) catheter ablation of an irritable atrial focus.
abstract: This case report describes the anesthetic management of a 67-year-old who underwent a catheter based pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) of long-standing, persistent atrial fibrillation. When the patient awoke from the 6.5 hour procedure, he was found to have a transient retrograde and anterograde amnesia that persisted for 18-24 hours postoperatively. This is a unique instance of global amnesia following a cardiac ablation procedure under prolonged general anesthesia. This case study highlights important topics in postoperative cognitive deficits including the differential diagnosis, risk factors, and strategies for optimizing patient outcomes in high risk procedures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Aris
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sophocles
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Penn Heart and Vascular Center, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Renyu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Liu