Ventricular arrhythmias during pulmonary artery catheterization in the intensive care unit. Prospective study.

The balloon-tipped, flotation pulmonary artery catheter is frequently utilized in the management of intensive care unit patients. Advanced ventricular arrhythmias (three or more consecutive premature ventricular contractions) have been reported in 25 to 68 percent of intensive care unit patients undergoing catheterizations. A group of 56 intensive care unit patients who received a pulmonary artery catheter were prospectively studied to determine the incidence of catheter-induced arrhythmias and the time required for catheterization. The mean age of the patients was 69.8 +/- 11 years. Indications for catheterization included septic shock (n = 10), congestive heart failure (n = 8), hypovolemia (n = 12), respiratory failure (n = 2), preoperative cardiac evaluation (n = 20), and miscellaneous (n = 4). Advanced ventricular arrhythmias were recorded in seven of the 56 patients (12.5 percent), the longest arrhythmia being a run of seven consecutive premature ventricular contractions. No patient required treatment with lidocaine for their arrhythmias and all arrhythmias resolved with catheter movement. The mean time of catheterization for the 56 patients was 175.9 seconds (SD 263.2), and was not significantly different for patients with or without arrhythmias. There was no statistical difference in catheterization times or incidence of arrhythmias between critically ill patients and the preoperative patients. It is concluded that pulmonary artery catheterization can be performed in critically ill patients with a lower incidence of arrhythmias than has previously been reported. The decreased incidence of arrhythmias may be secondary to the decreased catheterization times.