Coronary Spasm during General Anesthesia in a Patient with Previously Undiagnosed Variant Angina

Abstract

Variant angina, which is associated with coronary artery spam, is difficult to recognize on routine preoperative evaluation. Coronary spasm results in myocardial ischemia and even lethal arrhythmia in severe cases. Since patients are unconscious and cannot complain of symptoms during general anesthesia, early detection of such an event is difficult, and it could lead to severe bradycardia or cardiac arrest. We report a case of a patient with previously undiagnosed variant angina who experienced severe hypotension and ventricular fibrillation during general anesthesia.

Keywords

• coronary vasospasm
• anesthesia, general
• hypotension
• angina pectoris, variant
• ventricular fibrillation