BACKGROUND: The incidence of perioperative bradyarrhythmias in patients with bifascicular or left bundle branch block (LBBB) and the influence of an additional first-degree atrioventricular (A-V) block has not been evaluated with 24-h Holter electrocardiographic monitoring. Therefore the authors assessed the rate of block progression and bradyarrhythmia in these patients. METHODS: Patients (n = 106) with asymptomatic bifascicular block or LBBB with or without an additional first-degree A-V block scheduled for surgery under general or regional anesthesia were enrolled prospectively. Three patients were excluded. Of the 103 remaining, 56 had a normal P-R interval and 47 had a prolonged one. Holter monitoring (CM2, CM5) was applied to each patient just before induction of anesthesia and was performed for 24 h. The primary endpoint of the study was the occurrence of block progression. As secondary endpoints, bradycardias < 40 beats/min with hemodynamic compromise (systolic blood pressure < 90 mmHg) or asystoles > 5 s were defined. RESULTS: Block progression to second-degree A-V block and consecutive cardiac arrest occurred in one case of LBBB without a prolonged P-R interval Severe bradyarrhythmias with hypotension developed in another eight patients: asystoles > 5 s occurred in two cases and six patients had bradycardias < 40/min. Pharmacotherapy was successful in these eight patients. There was no significant difference for severe bradyarrhythmias associated with hemodynamic compromise between patients with and without P-R prolongation (P = 1.00). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with chronic bifascicular block or LBBB, perioperative progression to complete heart block is rare. However, the rate of bradyarrhythmias with hemodynamic compromise proved to be relevant. Because an additional first-degree A-V block did not increase the incidence of severe bradyarrhythmias and pharmacotherapy by itself was successful in nearly all cases, routine prophylactic insertion of a temporary pacemaker in such patients should be questioned.
BACKGROUND: The incidence of perioperative bradyarrhythmias in patients with bifascicular or left bundle branch block (LBBB) and the influence of an additional first-degree atrioventricular (A-V) block has not been evaluated with 24-h Holter electrocardiographic monitoring. Therefore the authors assessed the rate of block progression and bradyarrhythmia in these patients. METHODS:Patients (n = 106) with asymptomatic bifascicular block or LBBB with or without an additional first-degree A-V block scheduled for surgery under general or regional anesthesia were enrolled prospectively. Three patients were excluded. Of the 103 remaining, 56 had a normal P-R interval and 47 had a prolonged one. Holter monitoring (CM2, CM5) was applied to each patient just before induction of anesthesia and was performed for 24 h. The primary endpoint of the study was the occurrence of block progression. As secondary endpoints, bradycardias < 40 beats/min with hemodynamic compromise (systolic blood pressure < 90 mmHg) or asystoles > 5 s were defined. RESULTS: Block progression to second-degree A-V block and consecutive cardiac arrest occurred in one case of LBBB without a prolonged P-R interval Severe bradyarrhythmias with hypotension developed in another eight patients: asystoles > 5 s occurred in two cases and six patients had bradycardias < 40/min. Pharmacotherapy was successful in these eight patients. There was no significant difference for severe bradyarrhythmias associated with hemodynamic compromise between patients with and without P-R prolongation (P = 1.00). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with chronic bifascicular block or LBBB, perioperative progression to complete heart block is rare. However, the rate of bradyarrhythmias with hemodynamic compromise proved to be relevant. Because an additional first-degree A-V block did not increase the incidence of severe bradyarrhythmias and pharmacotherapy by itself was successful in nearly all cases, routine prophylactic insertion of a temporary pacemaker in such patients should be questioned.
Authors: Danielle Menosi Gualandro; Pai Ching Yu; Bruno Caramelli; André Coelho Marques; Daniela Calderaro; Luciana Savoy Fornari; Claudio Pinho; Alina Coutinho Rodrigues Feitosa; Carisi Anne Polanczyk; Carlos Eduardo Rochitte; Carlos Jardim; Carolina L Z Vieira; Debora Y M Nakamura; Denise Iezzi; Dirk Schreen; Eduardo Leal Adam; Elbio Antonio D'Amico; Emerson Q de Lima; Emmanuel de Almeida Burdmann; Enrique Indalecio Pachón Mateo; Fabiana Goulart Marcondes Braga; Fabio S Machado; Flavio J de Paula; Gabriel Assis Lopes do Carmo; Gilson Soares Feitosa-Filho; Gustavo Faibischew Prado; Heno Ferreira Lopes; João R C Fernandes; José J G de Lima; Luciana Sacilotto; Luciano Ferreira Drager; Luciano Janussi Vacanti; Luis Eduardo Paim Rohde; Luis F L Prada; Luis Henrique Wolff Gowdak; Marcelo Luiz Campos Vieira; Maristela Camargo Monachini; Milena Frota Macatrão-Costa; Milena Ribeiro Paixão; Mucio Tavares de Oliveira; Patricia Cury; Paula R Villaça; Pedro Silvio Farsky; Rinaldo F Siciliano; Roberto Henrique Heinisch; Rogerio Souza; Sandra F M Gualandro; Tarso Augusto Duenhas Accorsi; Wilson Mathias Journal: Arq Bras Cardiol Date: 2017 Jan-Feb Impact factor: 2.000
Authors: André Arpad Faludi; Maria Cristina de Oliveira Izar; José Francisco Kerr Saraiva; Ana Paula Marte Chacra; Henrique Tria Bianco; Abrahão Afiune; Adriana Bertolami; Alexandre C Pereira; Ana Maria Lottenberg; Andrei C Sposito; Antonio Carlos Palandri Chagas; Antonio Casella; Antônio Felipe Simão; Aristóteles Comte de Alencar; Bruno Caramelli; Carlos Costa Magalhães; Carlos Eduardo Negrão; Carlos Eduardo Dos Santos Ferreira; Carlos Scherr; Claudine Maria Alves Feio; Cristiane Kovacs; Daniel Branco de Araújo; Daniel Magnoni; Daniela Calderaro; Danielle Menosi Gualandro; Edgard Pessoa de Mello; Elizabeth Regina Giunco Alexandre; Emília Inoue Sato; Emilio Hideyuki Moriguchi; Fabiana Hanna Rached; Fábio César Dos Santos; Fernando Henpin Yue Cesena; Francisco Antonio Helfenstein Fonseca; Henrique Andrade Rodrigues da Fonseca; Hermes Toros Xavier; Isabela Cardoso Pimentel Mota; Isabela de Carlos Back Giuliano; Jaqueline Scholz Issa; Jayme Diament; João Bosco Pesquero; José Ernesto Dos Santos; José Rocha Faria; José Xavier de Melo; Juliana Tieko Kato; Kerginaldo Paulo Torres; Marcelo Chiara Bertolami; Marcelo Heitor Vieira Assad; Márcio Hiroshi Miname; Marileia Scartezini; Neusa Assumpta Forti; Otávio Rizzi Coelho; Raul Cavalcante Maranhão; Raul Dias Dos Santos; Renato Jorge Alves; Roberta Lara Cassani; Roberto Tadeu Barcellos Betti; Tales de Carvalho; Tânia Leme da Rocha Martinez; Viviane Zorzanelli Rocha Giraldez; Wilson Salgado Journal: Arq Bras Cardiol Date: 2017-07 Impact factor: 2.000