Premium
Hypomagnesaemia, cardiac arrhythmias and orthotopic liver transplantation
Author(s) -
RANASINGHE D. N.,
MALLETT S. V.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
anaesthesia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.839
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1365-2044
pISSN - 0003-2409
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2044.1994.tb03472.x
Subject(s) - medicine , liver transplantation , atrial fibrillation , orthotopic liver transplantation , refractory (planetary science) , transplantation , magnesium , anesthesia , cardiology , physics , materials science , astrobiology , metallurgy
Summary Two patients who underwent orthotopic liver transplantation and developed peroperative cardiac arrhythmias are presented. In one, the arrhythmias were refractory to treatment with anti‐arrhythmic drug therapy until serum magnesium levels were restored to normal. The other patient had a low pre‐operative serum magnesium level and developed atrial fibrillation on induction of, and during, anaesthesia. Patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation may be a group especially predisposed to hypomagnesaemia. The importance of monitoring serum magnesium levels in such patients who develop peroperative cardiac arrhythmias is emphasised.