Anaesthesia for cardioversion

Cardioversion is a minor procedure requiring sedation and analgesia. However, it is often performed out-of-hours in remote sites by inexperienced anaesthetists. An understanding is required both of the pathophysiology underlying cardiac arrhythmias and of the technical side of defibrillation equipment, including electrical safety. Patients should have their coagulation status and electrolyte balance checked prior to the procedure to reduce the likelihood of complications. Almost all the available anaesthetic agents have been used for cardioversion in the past, with varying degrees of success. The anaesthetic agent chosen for patients undergoing cardioversion must provide analgesia and sedation, cause the least cardiovascular compromise possible and still enable rapid recovery. Propofol may be the closest anaesthetic agent to this ideal currently available, although careful titration of any agent chosen is also important. Cardioversion may be performed as an emergency, including in the pregnant patient, providing safe anaesthetic practice is followed.