A Case of Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation before Induction of General Anesthesia in an Elderly Patient

Park, Sang Cheol; Kim, Tae Yoon; Yoon, Chae Sik; Lee, Jun Hak

Original Article

Journal of the Korean Geriatrics Society 2003;7(4):367-371.
Published online December 31, 2003.

A Case of Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation before Induction of General Anesthesia in an Elderly Patient

Sang Cheol Park, Tae Yoon Kim, Chae Sik Yoon, Jun Hak Lee

노인 환자에서 마취유도 직전에 발생한 발작성 심방세동 1례

Abstract

Atrial fibrillation(AF) diagnosed by fibrillatory waves of atrial activity and an irregular ventricular response on ECG is a common arrhythmia associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mor- tality. The incidence of AF increases markedly with advancing age and the presence of congestive heart failure. Most patients with AF can be attributed to organic heart disease such as rheumatic, atherosclerotic and hypertensive heart disease. But there is an increasing awareness of so-called lone AF which has no underlying cardiac or metabolic abnormality. We report a case of paroxysmal AF developed just before the induction of anesthesia in a 73-year-old patient who had no history of cardiovascular disease.

Key Words: Atrial fibrillation, Cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, Advancing age