Cardiac rhythm disturbances during fiberoptic bronchoscopy: a prospective study.

Twenty-six patients undergoing transnasal fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FOB) were electrocardiographically monitored for 12 hours before, during, and 12 hours after bronchoscopy. We measured arterial lidocaine concentrations during the procedure as well as arterial blood gases before and after the procedure. The incidence of total arrhythmias, including sinus tachycardia, during the control period was 69 percent; minor arrhythmias, 69 percent; and major arrhythmias, 8 percent. During FOB, the incidence of total and minor arrhythmias increased to 77 and 73 percent, respectively; however, the incidence of major arrhythmias decreased to 4 percent. Arterial lidocaine concentrations ranged widely, from 0.1 to 8.7 microgram per milliliter with a mean peak level of 5.0 +/- 0.6 microgram per milliliter, which was reached between 5 and 30 minutes after the insertion of the bronchoscope. We conclude that the incidence of cardiac arrhythmias, excluding sinus tachycardia, during FOB is low and that lidocaine anesthesia probably exerts a protective effect against the development of major arrhythmias during the procedure.