Abstract
The incidence of ventricular arrhythmias in critically-ill patients during bedside right-sided heart catheterization with a flow-directed balloon-tipped catheter was determined. Twenty-nine of 60 catheterizations (48 percent) were associated with premature ventricular contractions and 20 (33 percent) were associated with ventricular tachycardia. Two patients required antiarrhythmic therapy or a precordial thump to convert ventricular tachycardia. One patient developed ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation and died. Serious catheter-induced arrhythmias, including sustained ventricular tachycardia, may occur during Swan-Ganz catheterization of the critically ill.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 413-415 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | CHEST |
| Volume | 79 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs |
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| State | Published - Jan 1 1981 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine
- Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine
- Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine