[Cardiac arrhythmia after lung cancer surgery--an analysis of 140 pneumonectomy cases]

Among 808 surgically resected lung cancer cases at Shanghai Chest Hospital during the period of January 1991 to December 1992, 140 of them (17.3%) underwent pneumonectomy (47 right, 93 left). In the 140 cases: 124 male, 16 female; aged 27-74 yrs, pre-operative abnormal EKG was found in 38 cases. Postoperatively, arrhythmia occurred in 76 cases, with an incidence of 54.3%. Of the 76 arrhythmias, atrial fibrillation was seen in 7 patients, atrial premature beats in 2, supraventricular tachycardia in 1 and sinus tachycardia in 66. The results indicate that cardiac arrhythmia is a common complication after pneumonectomy for lung cancer surgery. The major causes of arrhythmia were incisional pain, hypovolemia due to blood loss and respiratory insufficiency due to anoxia. The perioperative measures to prevent arrhythmia were discussed.