Transient ventricular bigeminy during emergence from general anesthesia in a pediatric patient with catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia

Abstract

Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) is a rare genetic disease that is characterized by ventricular arrhythmias and sudden death, induced by exogenous and endogenous catecholamine. We performed general anesthesia for dental treatment of multiple teeth in a 7-year-old boy with CPVT. To avoid sympathetic tone, anesthesia was maintained by total intravenous anesthesia, but ventricular bigeminy was induced by stimulation on emergence form general anesthesia. Although bigeminy in the present case might have been less likely to induce a fatal arrhythmia, we should keep in mind that a small amount of sympathetic tone may induce arrhythmias in a patient with CPVT.