Episodes of atrial ectopics after general anaesthetic.

[David1964]

Dear all. Yesterday I had nasal surgery under general anaesthetic. The surgery sought to correct a deviated septum and remove swollen turbinates. My idea is that if I can breathe easier, I can sleep better, and this would be good for my heart. The surgery appears to have gone well, though I am now suffering frequent episodes of atrial ectopics (AE), including missing every third beat. This is the worst AE that I have had in months. I wonder if it is a coincidence to get the AE now, or whether the trauma of the surgery or an after-effect of the anaesthetic might be causing the ectopy?

[meadfoot]

Morning David, I am not a medic or have any medical training whatsoever but I suspect the shock to your system going through surgery is the culprit. It makes sense that your body is thrown into chaos with GA and surgical intervention.

I do hope it settles down soon, please rest and recuperate slowly and listen to your body, give it chance to recover quietly without pushing it.

If it does not settle give your AF team a call for reassurance.

Take care.

Dee

[DBoy in reply to meadfoot]

In the last five years I have had to undergo two operations, the first five years ago a blockage in an artery in my neck the second two years ago a hip replacement

After both operations my heart rate shot up and I was kept in hospital a couple of days longer for observation. I was told I hadn't had a heart attack (no pain, no blackouts, etc.) but that my heart had suffered stress and it had reacted

Before the first of the two operations I had been successfully on medication for high blood pressure.

[David1964 in reply to DBoy]

Thank you DBoy. I hope your hip and your arteries are all well now.

[David1964 in reply to meadfoot]

Thank you Meadfoot. Good advice.

[David1964]

well I am now taking Flecainide 100mg at 8 hourly intervals (prescribed by an EP). Seems to quieten down the ectopics for a while. Funny lot these ectopics - seem to quieten down if I stay still, activate on slight exertion, and disappear again on steady exertion.

[David1964]

The ectopics persevered, so I took myself off to the hospital to get a trace of them for the benefit of the cardiologist. It seemed that the Flecainide wasn't helping much at all. I was very surprised when the ECG came back recording the ectopics as ventricular. Oh dear. I hadn't anticipated that. They advised me to cease the Flecainide immediately and to get back to the cardiologist for further advice. They suggested that he might prescribe beta blockers. I think that I will get a holter monitor done too - to see what their prevalence is over a 24 hour period. I still hope that they will subside as the effects of the GA and the surgery wear off. I realise that this is a group for atrial issues, and I do have a 20 year history of them, but does anyone have any experience of ventricular arrhythmias?