Efficacy of Pilsicainide for Tachyarrhythmias during Anesthesia：Report of Two Cases

Abstract

Hypotension is a common complication of anesthesia due to its inhibitory effects on cardiac function and vasodilatory action. Meanwhile, surgical patients occasionally develop tachyarrhythmias during anesthesia even if they have no history of arrythmia.

If tachyarrhythmia occurs during anesthesia, it is important to carefully select antiarrhythmic drugs as the use of those drugs can result in further decreases in the blood pressure.

Among various types of antiarrhythmic drugs, pilsicainide, a selective Na channel inhibitor, is considered to be a relatively safe and effective drug for intraoperative tachyarrhythmias due to its high selectivity to Na channels and minimal inhibitory effects on cardiac function.

Here we report two cases in which pilsicainide effectively treated tachyarrhythmia that suddenly occurred during anesthesia.