Supraventricular tachyarrhythmias and their management in the perioperative period

This review will provide an overview of supraventricular tachycardias (SVTs), their classification, diagnostic features, and management in the perioperative period of adult non-cardiac surgery. The term ‘SVT’ refers to paroxysmal tachyarrythmias that require atrial or atrioventricular (AV) nodal tissue, or both, for their initiation and maintenance. The incidence of persistent SVT is 2% before operation and 6% in the postoperative period. In non-cardiac surgery, perioperative arrhythmias are more likely to be supraventricular than ventricular in origin. Atrial arrhythmias occur most frequently 2–3 days post-surgery similar to perioperative acute coronary syndromes and are likely related to sympathetic stimulation associated with an inflammatory response. Other precipitants of SVT often associated with high sympathetic tone are summarized in Table 1. Such arrhythmias are important for the anaesthetist; in particular, atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with haemodynamic derangement, postoperative stroke, perioperative myocardial infarction, ventricular arrhythmia, heart failure, and longer hospital stay.