[Postoperative cardiac arrhythmias (author's transl)]

13 male patients suffering from arteriosclerotic heart disease and/or arterial hypertension were monitored continuously before and after vascular surgical procedures using an arrhythmia computer. Heart rate, paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardias, ventricular extrasystoles, ventricular tachycardias, ventricular fibrillation and prematurity index (QnQe/QTn) were recorded numerically. Ventricular arrhythmias were detected as follows preoperatively in 12 patients, after operation in all patients, paired ventricular extrasystoles or episodes of ventricular tachycardia were found in 5 cases before and in 7 after operation, ventricular fibrillation in one case. The incidence of ventricular dysrhythmias increased significantly (p less than 0.05) early after operation, as did the heart rate during the observed postoperative period (p less than 0.001). The prematurity index dropped below 1.0 during the two days following operation. This differed significantly from the preoperative value (p less than 0.05). The incidence of ventricular extrasystoles was related to postoperative myocardial infarction and heart failure (p less than 0.01), which occurred in 6 cases, with a lethal outcome in three. Only occasionally controlled by trained staff in a normal surgical ward the "Servomed Dysrhythmiemonitor" yielded reliable numerical results during the main part of the monitored period. In two cases it led to immediate detection and rapid institution of treatment of severe tachyar rhythmias.