Abstract
Postoperative arrhythmias and conduction abnormalities are commonly encountered in the surgical intensive care unit (SICU). Nearly 10% of surgical patients experience supraventricular tachycardias postoperatively (1), and almost half have ventricular arrhythmias (2). While preoperative arrhythmias often predict cardiac morbidity during and after surgery (3,4), postoperative arrhythmias usually arise in the setting of other systemic problems including pain, hypoxia, electrolyte imbalance, infection, bleeding, hypotension, and myocardial ischemia (1,2,5,6). Hence, a working knowledge of cardiac arrhythmias and the ability to recognize and manage these associated maladies are crucial in order to maintain overall morbidity at an absolute minimum.
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Torosoff, M., Venditti, F.J. (2001). Postoperative Arrhythmias. In: O’Donnell, J.M., Nácul, F.E. (eds) Surgical Intensive Care Medicine. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-6645-5_18
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-6645-5_18
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