E. Reissell et al., SUDDEN CARDIORESPIRATORY ARREST AFTER RENAL-TRANSPLANTATION IN A PATIENT WITH DIABETIC AUTONOMIC NEUROPATHY AND PROLONGED QT INTERVAL, Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica, 38(4), 1994, pp. 406-408
A 31-yr male with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus for 20 years und
erwent general anaesthesia for renal transplantation. During transfer
from operating theatre to ICU he developed bradycardia advancing to ve
ntricular fibrillation and had to be resuscitated. Bradycardia did not
respond to atropine. Postoperative autonomic nervous function tests s
howed advanced autonomic neuropathy. He was found to have constantly p
rolonged QTc interval in his pre- and postoperative ECGs (462-503 ms).
prolongation of QTc interval could be used as a valuable predictor of
postoperative cardiac complications in diabetic patients with autonom
ic neuropathy.