The anaesthetic management of a parturient with polymorphic catecholamine-sensitive ventricular tachycardia.

Polymorphic catecholamine-sensitive ventricular tachycardia is an uncommon but potentially life-threatening condition. There are few reports of this condition in pregnancy. It is one of five types of polymorphic ventricular arrhythmia, the others being long-QT syndrome, short coupled variant of torsade de point malignant disease, idiopathic ventricular fibrillation with normal ECG and Brugada syndrome. Exercise and stress can precipitate ventricular tachyarrhythmias in patients with polymorphic catecholamine-sensitive ventricular tachycardia and it is important to avoid increases in plasma catecholamine levels. We report on the anaesthetic management of a parturient with this condition, for elective caesarean section and discuss the stress response in parturients receiving regional and general anaesthesia.