Anesthetic Considerations for Electrophysiologic Procedures

Anesthesiologist involvement with procedures in the electrophysiology laboratory has significantly increased in recent years. The electrophysiology laboratory can present challenges to providing a safe anesthetic because of unfamiliar equipment, remote location, and working with staff unfamiliar with anesthesia provider’s needs. Factors that influence the type of anesthetic required for a case in the electrophysiology laboratory are the type of procedure, patient factors, cardiologist preference and patient preference. Although most procedure in EP laboratory can be performed with conscious sedation, patients and procedural factors will often warrant general anesthesia and anesthesiologists involvement. Importance of familiarizing to environment, equipment as well as understanding patient’s condition, and procedures, and radiation safety should be emphasized.