[Therapy of postoperative arrhythmias (author's transl)].

Severe supraventricular and ventricular tachyarrhythmias occurred after surgery in 9 patients. Oxprenolol or pindolol were used as primary drugs in 8 cases. The effect of therapy was documented quantitatively by an arrhythmia computer with trendscription and alarm recording. Beta-receptor blockade was successful in 6 cases. On supraventricular tachycardia with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome was abolished by quinidine. Severe ventricular instability with fibrillation following myocardial infarction was temporarily suppressed by lidocaine. One fatal outcome was caused by severe illness. Although all patients were suffering from coronary artery and/or hypertensive heart disease with diminished cardiac reserve, no serious side effects were directly related to beta-receptor blockade. Therefore beta-receptor blocking drugs are recommended as drugs of first choice in the treatment of postoperative arrhythmias induced by sympathetic overstimulation. Dysrhythmias based on cellular pathology should be treated with conventional antiarrhythmic drugs alone or combined with beta-blockers.