2015 Volume 19 Issue 1 Pages 33-36
A 32-year-old pregnant woman was diagnosed with ventricular tachycardia at 9 weeks gestation. She was administered a β-blocker, but the frequency of ventricular tachycardia increased in late pregnancy. She experienced labor pains at 37 weeks gestation, whereupon she underwent cesarean section.
In the operating room, a defibrillator pad was placed on her chest for external defibrillation, and an epidural catheter was inserted at the T12~L1. Spinal anesthesia was performed with 1.8 ml of 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine and 10 μg of fentanyl at L3~4, and analgesia was achieved from T3 to S5. We administered ephedrine intravenously for hypotension from spinal anesthesia. Ventricular tachycardia did not occur during the surgery, and the operation completed without any complication in the mother or the child.
We conclude that combined spinal-epidural anesthesia is effective and safe for cesarean section in patients with ventricular tachycardia.
