Total Intravenous Anaesthesia for Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy in a Patient With Congenital Long QT Syndrome: A Case Report

• Published in: Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 15; no. 7
• Main Authors: Zhang, Xinyan, Tan, Chun Lei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Palo Alto (CA) Cureus 30.07.2023
• Subjects: Anesthesiology
• ISSN: 2168-8184; 2168-8184
• DOI: 10.7759/cureus.42707

Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is characterised by QT interval prolongation and ventricular arrhythmia, leading to sudden cardiac death. Patients with acquired or congenital LQTS pose special challenges to anaesthetists perioperatively due to the risk of developing life-threatening arrhythmia. A variety of medications, including commonly used volatile anaesthetic agents are known to prolong QT interval and there has been growing evidence of using total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) instead of volatile agents for such patients.  This is a case report of a 30-year-old patient with congenital LQTS and subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator (SICD) in situ who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) under TIVA safely within two months. There were no arrhythmic events observed perioperatively.  This case highlights the importance of comprehensive planning and meticulous preparation to avoid all possible QT-prolonging conditions during the perioperative period, especially in patients with acquired or congenital LQTS.