ABSTRACT
Cardiac arrhythmias commonly occur in anesthetized patients during the perioperative period. Electrocardiography (ECG) provides a quick diagnosis of cardiac arrhythmias and should be part of the routine monitoring of the anesthetized patient. Unrecognized cardiac arrhythmias may develop into more serious types of arrhythmia, leading to hemodynamic instability, including a reduction in cardiac output and blood pressure, and eventually resulting in cardiac arrest. It is therefore important to detect cardiac arrhythmias early and take appropriate treatment actions before a serious cardiac event occurs. This chapter is not intended to be a comprehensive discussion of all cardiac arrhythmias. It describes briefly ECG formation, conduction pathways, types of cardiac arrhythmia, and commonly seen cardiac arrhythmias perioperatively, and discusses the treatment of arrhythmias while the patient is under general anesthesia.
