Recurrent asystole as an electrocardiographic artifact during microdebrider use in functional endoscopic sinus...

Electrocardiographic (EKG) artifacts can lead to unnecessary treatment and costly diagnostic workup. Two previous studies reported a ventricular tachycardia artifact as a result of microdebrider malfunction. In this study, we report the first case of EKG artifacts that mimick asystole from microdebrider use during functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS).

A healthy 19-year-old woman presented with chronic rhinosinusitis, nasal polyposis, and a deviated nasal septum. She was scheduled for a bilateral FESS and septoplasty. During surgery, the microdebrider was changed after 1 hour. While using the second microdebrider, the EKG monitor showed three distinct asystolic events, all lasted approximately 3 seconds. The EKG tracing returned to normal sinus rhythm every time the microdebrider was stopped. The patient's oxygen saturation remained at 100%, and blood pressure remained stable during the episodes. The procedure was aborted, and an extensive cardiology workup was performed, which returned negative results. Biomedical engineering investigated the microdebrider and found a far greater than expected chassis leak, which likely caused electrical interference. Six months later, the patient underwent a right-sided FESS and revision left frontal FESS. There were no EKG abnormalities during the second surgery.

Although other EKG artifacts have been reported in the literature, this is the first case report of an artifact that mimicked asystole that stemmed from microdebrider use. Improved awareness of this potential EKG artifact for both the surgeon and the anesthesiologist may prevent an unnecessary costly workup.