CARDIAC DYSRHYTHMIA IN TOTAL THORACIC ESOPHAGECTOMY - A PROSPECTIVE-STUDY

A prospective controlled randomized clinical study of 50 patients unde rgoing total thoracic oesophagectomy by one surgical team is described , in which one group of patients was given prophylactic digoxin and th e other was not. The incidence of cardiac dysrhythmia in each group wa s compared. Fourteen (56%) of 25 patients digitalized, compared to 16 (64%) of 25 patients not digitalized, suffered cardiac dysrhythmia, wi th a total incidence of 30 patients (60%). The first onset of dysrhyth mia occurred within 48 h in 89% of the patients who suffered this comp lication. These results indicate a high incidence of cardiac dysrhythm ia in patients undergoing this operative procedure, which is not signi ficantly reduced by prophylactic digitalization and which is likely to occur within 2 days of surgery.