Ventricular Asystole and Arrhythmia during Surgery Provoked by Profound Hypothermia / 대한내과학회지

A 55-year-old man underwent a posterior decompression and fusion under general anesthesia. Near the end of the operation, the pressure waveform from the radial artery became flat, and his oxygen level could not be measured using pulse oximetry. Palpation of the carotid artery revealed no heart rate, and ventricular asystole was diagnosed. The patient was given cardiovascular drugs, but his hemodynamic status deteriorated, leading to severe hypotension, with sinus bradycardia, sinus tachycardia, sinus arrest, and paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia. The patient had hypothermia based on an axillary temperature of 31.9degrees C. After active warming, his cardiovascular status stabilized.