SUPRAVENTRICULAR ARRHYTHMIAS AFTER PNEUMO NECTOMY - REPORT OF 100 CASES AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Supraventricular arrhythmias are frequently observed in pneumonectomy surgery. We retrospectively studied a series of 100 consecutive patien ts undergoing pneumonectomy for cancer between 1994 and 1996. We found 24 % of significant supraventricular arrhythmias, corresponding to at rial fibrillation in 75 % of cases, occurring in 80 % of cases until t he third postoperative day. The only risk factor significantly associa ted with these arrhythmias was the patient's age. These arrhythmias ar e easily reduced, spontaneously in 25 % of cases, and usually by amiod arone, alone or associated with digitalis alkaloids. While the mortali ty of the overall group was 12 %, 8 % of patients with arrythmia died. These deaths concerned patients whose arrythmias occurred after the f ourth postoperative day in a context of a pulmonary infection.